The Oddball Comedy Festival has made its way around the country this summer and will continue to bring laughter to stand-up fans through the end of September. The tour has been hitting grand-scale theaters as opposed to the usual hole-in-the-wall comedy clubs. Although it takes away the intimacy of a smaller environment, it does manage to boost your intake of comedic celebrities in one sitting.

The tour features both newcomers and legendary comics such as Aziz Ansari, Jim Jefferies, Amy Schumer, Jim Gaffigan, Marc Maron, Whitney Cummings and plenty more. Under The Gun Review was able to catch the Wantagh, NY stop of the festival at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater.

Although we only caught the latter part of the festival, there was certainly enough laughter to go around.

Fortunately for the New York installment, we really hit the jackpot when it comes to modern day and longtime icons of comedy. Headlining the event was Louis C.K. and Bill Burr, two men who didn’t seem to second guess bantering on stage to an audience of 15,000 people. It may have been a long shot from The Comedy Cellar, but Louie felt right at home.

Leave it to Louis C.K. to be the man who can extrapolate just about anything into the most ridiculous and gut-wrenching bit. Evidently, babies cry on airplanes because gay people are getting married. And yes, that makes sense if you follow Louie’s progression. On his FX show, Louie, he’s rivaled countless girlfriends, his ex-wife, and his self control with ice cream. If his performance that evening was any indication, I don’t see gracing a stage that large being one of his battles. Watching him pace back and forth in the same stadium I’ve seen Iron Maiden, Sting, and Santana perform at was incredible. Yes, I just compared a man talking about rats having sex to the vocalist of The Police.

Bill Burr didn’t headline the entire evening, but if you asked anyone that’s obsessed with comedy, I think they’d tell you he could’ve headlined that festival to begin with. His comedy is unpredictable and that’s what I love most about him.

“I’m sick of Obama’s wife,” said Burr as he exploded into a rant. His tangental approach to comedy works flawlessly because of his innate ability to transition just about anything.

“You know what’s been freaking me out lately? Robots.” Exactly, Mr. Burr, of course we should know that!

In addition to Bill Burr and Louis C.K., Dave Attell (a Long Island native) killed his time on stage, working incredibly well with roast-master Jeff Ross. His local flair was a strong follow-up to Sarah Silverman, who in my opinion had a lackluster performance. Of course it’s undeniable the impact that Silverman’s work has had on the world of comedy, but this just didn’t seem to be her night. Her material was risky and I commend that, but some of her stuff led to a quick deferment back to her notebook.

Hannibal Buress, who will be heading out on ‘The Comedy Camisado Tour’ in the Fall, served as the perfect opener for my late arrival to the festival. His laid-back approach to controversial issues makes watching him perform feel like you’re hanging out with one of the guys. He’s a huge fan of steroids he tells the crowd: “Thank you for sacrificing your long-term health for my short-term entertainment.”

Catch the remaining dates of the Oddball Comedy Festival when it hits your city:

FRI, SEP 12, 2014 – MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
SAT, SEP 13, 2014 – IRVINE, CA – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
SUN, SEP 14, 2014 – IRVINE, CA – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
FRI, SEP 19, 2014 – DALLAS, TX – Gexa Energy Pavilion
SAT, SEP 20, 2014 – WOODLANDS, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
SUN, SEP 21, 2014 – AUSTIN, TX – Austin360 Amphitheater

Listen to the funniest live read I’ve ever heard in a podcast:

Written by: Derek Scancarelli Follow @DerekUTG
Photography by: D. SKANK PHOTOGRAPHY

• Author
• Recent Posts

Derek Scancarelli

Derek Scancarelli is a feature writer, interviewer, videographer, photographer, radio-er and more. In 2015, he received his MA in Journalism in New York City. In addition to Under The Gun Review, Derek has worked with Noisey (VICE), Alternative Press, New Noise Magazine and many more. He also pushes some buttons at SiriusXM.

Comedian Jim Norton once called him a serial killer on national radio. Enjoy the internet with him on Twitter.

Latest posts by Derek Scancarelli (see all)

• Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest has reportedly passed away - March 23, 2016
• UTG PREMIERE: Robots and Monsters – “Down To Ash” (Music Video) - June 2, 2015
• REVIEW: Morals – ‘Float’ - June 1, 2015