At 75 years old, Lewis Black is bidding farewell to performing his uniquely acerbic sociopolitical stand-up across the globe with the 15-month Goodbye Yeller Brick Road: The Final Tour. Following two weekend shows at the Venetian’s Summit Showroom, the longest-running Daily Show contributor continues his trek into March 2025 to include Canada and “things that I asked for along the way that are finally coming to fruition.”
Black originally began his career in New York City as a playwright. The author of three best-selling books and a six-time Grammy nominee (including two-time winner for Best Comedy Album) looks forward to continuing hosting duties on the interactive Rantcast pod series. His 2023 special, Tragically, I Need You, has amassed nearly 2 million views on YouTube.
“Now we take a picture with every audience that’s there,” Black promises of his Vegas shows. “I turn around and my tour manager comes out, we take a picture, we’re all popping the bird. It makes for great pictures, and it’s a good way to say goodbye.”
What starts happening next April? What is your definition of “retirement from touring”?
I will probably still make “some” appearances. Like my friend Kathleen Madigan was in Atlantic City; I went down to see her and I did like eight to ten minutes. So I may appear from time to time, I may do the Rantcast live from time to time. We have to see how that goes.
Between ongoing “Back in Black” Daily Show segments and Inside Out 2 having premiered in June, is being known for your different personifications of anger something you’ll be able to put aside? Or are you just warming up with it?
I’ll still be doing the two. I’m not retiring from The Daily Show. And I’m hoping to do another Inside Out. I tried to suggest, “Hey, why not do a short version of A Christmas Carol with Anger as Scrooge?”
How have you seen Vegas comedy audiences change over the years?
I always called it the “Johnny Carson audience,” where folks coming there were from all over the country. So the audience was this diverse group of individuals that came from a variety of states. That’s always been present.
I started working there at Bally’s. They had a Catch a Rising Star—great club, great stage, great everything. The first time I took my parents out, I knew at Bally’s that my name would be up in jumbo letters. I go, “See? We’ve made it!” Then I ended up at the Tropicana for a long run, and on to the MGM Grand. There was probably something else in there. Then the Mirage. Those are the majors that I played.
The traffic has gotten to a point that’s intolerable. I watched it happen. Like, “Guys, you’re building all of this stuff! Maybe you want to think about traffic? Maybe you want to think about having that monorail go all over the place?” Now getting around is total madness and ludicrous and I won’t miss that.
I will miss Joe’s Seafood, the stone crab place. But what I really miss is that it used to be $2.99 for a prime rib. And I’ll miss the volcano at the Mirage. I’ll be sad that’s gone.
LEWIS BLACK August 16-17, 8:30 p.m., $32-$82, Summit Showroom, ticketmaster.com.
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