A typical weekend night at college typically consists of red solo cups and frat parties, but this Friday, my night took an unexpected, spontaneous and hilarious turn.
Earlier that day, my friend messaged her favorite comedian, “America’s Got Talent” star Preacher Lawson. She never expected him to respond, let alone give her free front-row tickets to his show at The Wilbur Theater in Boston. How could she pass that up? I had never heard of Preacher, but he already seemed like a pretty cool dude for giving us free tickets, so I thought why not?
Here’s how Preacher Lawson made my spontaneous Friday night one to remember:
- The Dramatics
Preacher Lawson does more than just “stand-up” during his shows. In fact, he was running, cart-wheeling, dancing, and acting out his jokes more than he was plain-old “standing”. In addition to being a comedian, Preacher’s energy, enthusiasm, and on-point impressions would make him a great Hollywood actor.
- The Laughter
Have you ever smiled so much for photos, (prom, wedding day, headshots) that your cheeks literally start hurting? Preacher made me laugh and smile so much that I had to massage my cheeks after the show. Totally worth it.
- Connecting His Stories Together
Somehow Preacher made all of his jokes connect seamlessly, keeping his audience laughing throughout the entire show. During his first joke, he mentioned Darci Lynne Farmer, the winner of Season 12 of “America’s Got Talent”. Throughout the rest of his show, Preacher subtly hinted back to his frustration with being beat by a thirteen-year-old. Some may claim that targeting Darci was rude, but these jokes were a way for Preacher to make fun of himself, not Darci.
- A Genuine Person
Despite Preacher’s on-stage salty attitude toward Darci Lynne, you could tell he was a genuine person. At the end of the show, he admitted that he was glad Darci Lynne won and admired her for her hard work.
- Crowd Interaction
After his main jokes, Preacher asked his audience if they had any special requests. Everyone requested popular jokes from AGT, such as the clapping joke, or naked man joke. He gave the people what they wanted! Later in the show, he opened up the floor for questions. Some of his quick-witted responses were even funnier than his rehearsed jokes.
- A Community Atmosphere
By getting the audience involved, Preacher created a community amongst the crowd. When one audience member asked, “Who is the greatest quarterback of all time?” the whole theatre joined in cheering for the obvious answer (Tom Brady) and our local New England Patriots. The atmosphere as a whole was just so positive. I mean–how could you not be happy at a comedy show in Boston?
I would have never thought that college students like my friend and I, would go to a comedy show on a Friday night and have such a great time. For some reason, I always associated events like these with older generations, but Preacher Lawson completely changed my perception of stand-up comedy.
At the end of the show there was a long meet and greet line for fans who wanted to meet Preacher in person. Of course I wish we had the chance to meet Preacher after the show, but we were both on the verge of peeing our pants, (not that we hadn’t already done so laughing at Lawson’s jokes).
Thank you Preacher Lawson. Thank you stand-up comedy. Thank you spontaneous Friday night.
