Chris Bliss

This week is a terrific show at the club. Chris Bliss will literally have you on your feet by the end of his show.

Brian McKim and Traci Skene are really good at what they do. I know that may not sound like that best compliment to pay, but in fact it is among the best compliments that I can pay a performer. They get it quite simply and not all do.

I am a little bummed for Chris that I wasn't able to get more media for him. In particular we don't do a lot of business with Neal Boortz, because comics don't always fit the format of talk radio interestingly enough. Chris can be very political and in a way that isn't Stanhopish? Is that even a word? My point is that Chris was a natural for the show and Boortz is even doing a political power lunch.

What a bummer.

The Holiday Season

I have enjoyed the time that I have spent with Brian Heffron of the Comedy Zone this week. It's always intersting to me to see what kind of things are going on at other clubs to learn what things we could be doing a better job at.

The consensus so far? Holiday business is starting earlier and ending a week or two earlier. The consensus rationale? Christmas is on a Sunday, which means that the calculation pushes the end of the season one week earlier.

Who knows for sure. We have been doing quite a bit more business this year in comparison to year's past. I think that our targeting efforts and our ability to communicate what it is we offer has improved.

Vegas Baby

Usually when people find out that you are going to Vegas, the responses are typical. Gambling, strippers, debauchery in general.

I have been here since Monday night; first for the Carnival Cruise Challenge which was won by B.T., and now for the Comedy Festival being put on by HBO.

Random celebrity sighting so far? David Allen Coe in the high end shops section of Caesar's.

The comedians for the Challenge were great on the whole. Lots of people from Los Angeles took the ride out and it's interesting how you can see the LA sensibilty so obviously from a distance. In some cases that was good. In others, not so much.

Friday Night Lights

This week has been a bear to book. Why it's the one that has been a trick is unknown to me, but it's a part of the business that I don't think gets talked about much.

I don't even know who was supposed to be in this week any more, I only know that I was happy when I found out that Tim O'Rourke was available.

When you are in this position you spend a considerable amount of time figuring out the ability of the comedian to bring customers to your club as weighed against the number of people who may be coming regardless of who is performing. The "X" factor is always the length of time you have to promote the comedian.

Catching Up

If you've read, watched, or listened to anything other than my blog postings here, then you'd think that the world stopped spinning two weeks ago.

In reality there has been much going on. There is a new nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States, affectionately or derisively referred to as "Scalito" for his penchant for being the ideological twin to Justice Scalia. There is has been movement in the investigation to the leak of the identity of a CIA agent, namely an indictment or two for an assistant to the President and Chief of Staff for the Vice President. Both of these subjects have been the focus of late night comedians everywhere, as has the bird flu and other things like Brittney's baby.

We've been busy as can be on our end. I often liken what we do to watching waves crash on the ocean. Here comes New Year's Eve, and then before you know it, it is crashing around your feet and here comes the week after. Over and over again. It is exciting because of the energy each new week brings to the club, but it is also relentless because there is always another week to book, another show to get squared away. I am sorry that this busy period has taken me away from posting here as often as I would like, but the shows come first. I trust you'll understand.

Between now and the end of the year we've got a great run of shows. We hope to see you soon.