Viva La Hip Hop

MON, JAN 25, 2016 AT 8:00 PM

A farewell to Chris Riggins featuring Talib Kweli (DJ Set)

What makes Riggins work as a comedian isn’t a shtick or gimmick; he’s more of a comic who happens to be black than a ‘black comic’ — meaning someone whose material mostly consists of racially-tinged jokes. He balances outlandish remarks (“do aliens have porn?”) with reality-based statements (“times are hard but no times are harder than time spent being a Raider fan…so when you see a Raider fan on Sunday… hug them”) and has a knack for saying things we might have been thinking, but didn’t say (“I think my new holiday tradition will be to go to as many office holiday parties as I can and see how many secret Santa gifts I can get before they realize I don’t work at the office!.”)

He’s not a big punchline guy or one overly enamored of elaborate set-ups. Rather, he adopts a conversational tone which engages audiences and gets into a flow which might contain dozens of small jokes that build steadily, rather than one big “home run” joke. Because of this approach, there are few dead zones in his comedy coverage area. The little laughs add up; their cumulative effect can be overpowering. When Riggins is onstage, you might just find yourself consistently on the edge of anxious anticipation, before breaking out into hysteria and doubling over with laughter.

Chris will be moving to Los Angeles CA next month and wanted to do a farewell show for the Bay Area. Alongside Chris will be performers Seth Byrd from NYC, local host Jay Rich, Anyimelik, and Brooklyn NY’s own Talib Kweli.