Or — and this is equally likely, especially if you’re a college student like me — you don’t.

The divide between older and younger patrons of comedy has never been more apparent to me than on Friday, February 6th at the Englert Theatre, while I watched Tom Arnold’s newest stand-up performance on his 50-city North American “My Crazy X-Wife Tour”. While most of the (primarily older) audience seemed to enjoy themselves during Arnold’s set, I came away from the performance with a different feeling entirely: not quite dislike, but not enjoyment either.

Before I get into my mixed feelings about Arnold’s comedy, I’d be remiss not to mention the positives of the night. Arnold has clearly been in the industry a very long time, and it shows in the quickness and wit of his comedic storytelling. His set is delightfully unpolished, delivered in a slightly rushed conversational style that keeps the jokes coming at a frenetic pace. And even when he’s not focused strictly on jokes, the stories he tells of his time in Hollywood are entertaining enough to keep the audience engaged.

In fact, one of the strongest points of the night was the instant rapport that Arnold had with his audience. He did, of course, attend the University of Iowa, which earned him automatic points. (He was also able to pull former Hawkeye women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder up on stage to introduce him, which, of course, won our immediate respect.) It seemed like many of the attendees even knew Arnold personally, with a few shouting out to him during the show; he even pointed out his nephew sitting in the front. Arnold was not afraid to engage with the audience members who talked to him during the show, which greatly relaxed the room and made the stand-up special feel more like a family gathering.

In a way, though, I think the “family gathering” aspect of Arnold’s performance also speaks to what I found unpleasant about the show. Arnold opened his set with a joke about going to the Playboy mansion with Donald Trump, which made some of the older members of the audience laugh, but, in the wake of recent news, left me a bit shocked. He then proceeded to “wish [Trump] the best” on his current presidency. The show never got that political again, but I was left with a sour taste in my mouth. That remark colored how I interpreted the rest of Arnold’s jokes, especially those where he describes his encounters with famous men Hugh Grant and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who were both later exposed in sex scandals of their own. Listening to Arnold perform felt like having a conversation with my male Republican relatives: you want to like them because they feel like family, but you can’t ignore the opinions you know they hold, even if they’re not the center of the story.

I can honestly say that I don’t think Tom Arnold meant to make anyone in the audience feel uncomfortable that night. Most of his jokes were woven into lighthearted, silly celebrity stories, many of which did make me chuckle. But during the show, I found myself returning again to that moment at the beginning.

I may not recognize Arnold from his impressive list of achievements, but I did sincerely want to like him. I wanted to be part of the Iowa family he was speaking to that night.

And I guess, in a way, I was. But not in a way I fully enjoyed.

The post Comedy Review: I Was Not the Target Audience for Tom Arnold at The Englert appeared first on KRUI Radio.

We were wrong. But that doesn’t mean the description isn’t apt in a different way. Dan Soder, much like a golden retriever, is affably stupid.

This isn’t a dig at Soder; in fact, he said this himself multiple times during his routine. Several of his jokes hinged on his supposed stupidity, from him sheepishly admitting to the audience that he thought “the city” would clean out his grandmother’s house after she passed to mistaking Iowa for Wisconsin in terms of the latter’s considerable population of serial killers. He approached a wide variety of topics in this signature style, finding humor in everything from hair transplants to true crime podcasts to misadventures with his friend’s dogs. This approach to comedy — something along the lines of “confused, but happy to be here” — seems to work very well for Soder, and when he’s on stage, it’s patently clear that he is in his element. He had a very relaxed stage presence, often laughing at his own jokes with the audience. When one section or person in the crowd seemed to respond more to a joke than the rest, he often turned to them as if acknowledging them directly, a personal touch that definitely contributed to his “golden retriever” energy.

But what is to be gained from the comedy of a golden retriever?

As co-writer Bodhi noted upon walking into the theater that night, comedy is uniquely hard to write about. The only thing it really needs to do is make you laugh, so finding any nuance in a joke can be sisyphean, a futile attempt to be sincere in an ironic medium. The jokes were funny, sure, but what does it mean? Why does Dan Soder sell out shows? Why do people find what he has to say funny?

In 2016, one of the most popular comedians was Dave Chappelle. He’s since lost his goodwill with many, but it’s still possible to learn from his style of comedy. Back then, what he said was not only funny, but it also provided nuanced commentary on society. It felt like it was actually informing people, not only making them laugh. This is what makes a comedian stand out from their peers: the ability to speak their mind and tell an impactful story. In a way, a comedian’s punchlines are secondary to the messages they tell between their jokes.

Following this framework, Dan Soder, between the lines, is a reflection of his audience. Most of the people in attendance at the Englert that night were rural, working-class white Americans, and his comedy seemed to speak to them on a deep level. He talked to the audience as if we were sitting around a bonfire together, sharing a beer, telling funny stories. The plainness of his speech and his often crass delivery invited us to see him as a friend, not a performer. In the later parts of his routine, he touched on topics like animal abuse and alcoholism, living in a single-parent household, and growing up poor. He talks about his traumatic childhood so cavalierly that it’s almost as if he assumes you understand where he’s coming from— and a large part of his audience does.

Dan Soder may not have any great revelations hidden within his comedy, but he clearly still works as a comedian. He delivers his material in a way that makes him immediately relatable and likeable. You laugh with him because he’s your friend. 

Much like a golden retriever, his attitude is overwhelmingly positive, and we find him a net positive for comedy. He speaks to his audience in a way that fosters genuine connection, and he made every person in the crowd that night just a little happier— including us.

Co-written by Bodhi Brent and Bailey Vergara

The post Review: A Look at Comedy’s “Golden Retriever,” Dan Soder at The Englert Theatre appeared first on KRUI Radio.

From the beginning, Wang made it clear that age has given him a new perspective on comedy. He began with jokes about eating more antioxidants and losing his skill on the monkey bars, material that clearly resonated with the mostly older audience. Although he touched briefly on more juvenile topics like edible bras, most of his set relied on what I call “adulting” humor: jokes that lean heavily on the shared understanding that sometimes, being an adult can be a bit absurd. As a nineteen-year-old (and I suspect the youngest person at the Englert that night), I understand that I am probably not Sheng Wang’s intended audience. I did find a few of his deliveries to be a bit cringeworthy, but for the most part, his oddball humor struck a chord with me, even if I couldn’t relate to much of his material; I found myself keeled over in laughter more than a few times that night.

The rest of the theater enjoyed the performance as much, if not more, than I did; nearly every joke was met with uproarious laughter. Occasionally during the set, I would hear one woman sitting behind me whisper to her friend through giggles, “That’s so real!” Towards the end of the night, Wang remarked on the demographic of people that tend to come to his shows. He complimented the audience on being such laid-back, friendly people, and thanked them genuinely for their love and support. As someone who’d gotten to the show early that night, I was able to observe a little bit of that audience dynamic, and I think Wang is right on the money. Quite frankly, I can’t imagine anyone getting rowdy or irate at one of his performances; he exudes a cool energy that you just can’t help but be calmed by.

However, to me, Wang’s biggest asset is his creativity: he frames mundane events like jury duty as wacky adventures that the whole audience can enjoy. In one particularly well-received bit, he described his experience backpacking through a forest with one of his friends. As he relayed his journey to the campsite, he told us how, as a part of the backpacking experience, he had to abandon his car on the side of the highway and walk the remaining twenty-six miles to the campsite. Wang trotted across the stage, commenting on how absurd it felt to him to hike when he had a perfectly good car: “I’m a Subaru!”

Overall, Sheng Wang’s time at the Englert was well-spent. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance— as well that of his opener, Kevin Camia, who did a delightfully self-deprecating fifteen-minute set to get the audience warmed up. Both comedians delivered big laughs, but Wang’s inventiveness and whimsy were the highlight of the night for me. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does next.

Like he suggests, I think he’ll only be getting better from here.

The post Review: Sheng Wang Shines at the Englert appeared first on KRUI Radio.

View full list of events here.

Tuesday, February 18th

Schumann Quartet Concert — 1:00 PM

In collaboration with the University of Iowa’s String Quartet Residency Program, The Schumann Quartet will be performing at the University’s Dey House on 507 N. Clinton Street. Hailing all the way from Köln, Germany, the acclaimed string quartet will be playing selections from their Beethoven cycle, and will be holding a Q&A session following the performance.

Free Showings at FilmScene — 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM

As part of Free Week, Iowa City’s own non-profit cinema will be screening every film on Tuesday, February 18th with free admission. What’s being shown? 

At the Chauncey, 404 E. College St., families will be able to see Paddington In Peru at 4:00 PM and 6:45 PM. Oscar buffs will have the chance to see this year’s nominated live action and animated short films being shown at 3:00 PM and 6:30 PM respectively. The documentary From Ground Zero will be screened at 3:45 PM, showing 22 stories from Palestinian filmmakers living through war. In conjunction with Iowa City Pride, The People’s Joker will be shown for free and in 35mm film! RSVP to see The People’s Joker here.

In the Ped Mall location at 118 E. College St. Walter Salles’ 2024 drama based on a real story I’m Still Here will be screened at 3:30 PM and 6:30 PM. No Other Land, the award winning documentary made by Palestinian and Israeli activists documenting the region’s conflict, will also be at the Ped Mall.

Open Mic Comedy — 9:00 PM 

Held at the Alleycat nightclub at 13 S. Linn Street, come see local comedians take the stage! The Alleycat will also be open until 2:00 AM.

Wednesday, February 19th

First Round: Jan Weissmiller, Rachel Yoder, and Nina Loman — 5:00 PM

Award winning poet Jan Weismiller, author Rachel Yoder (Nightbitch), and author Nina Loman (The Body Alone) are coming together at the Prairie Lights Cafe on 15 S. Dubuque St. to host a conversation about authorship and literary happenings around Iowa City. Come to this panel to learn and socialize in the same space that once served as a gathering place for literary legends like Robert Frost and E.E. Cummings. 

A Year with Frog and Toad — Doors 6:00 PM, Show 7:00 PM

The Notle Academy and Iowa Conservatory are putting on A Year with Frog and Toad at The Englert located at 221 E. Washington St. featuring everyone’s favorite cottagecore icons. Watch Frog and Toad participate in all four seasons of the year, and celebrate the differences that make them unique. The original show was boundary pushing as it brought professional children’s theatre to Broadway, and now you can see it for free here in Iowa City. 

Good Habits, New Neighbors, Slow Retreat, and Gunk Lung at Gabe’s — 8:00 PM

Iowa City based punk and alt-rock bands Good Habits, New Neighbors, Slow Retreat, and Gunk Lung are uniting to create one rocking evening at Gabe’s at 330 E Washington St. Doors will open at 8:00 PM with the show starting at 8:30 PM. The last band is scheduled to take the stage at around 10:45 PM. 

Thursday, February 20th

SCW Pro Wrestling — 5:30 PM

Do you like to see mostly naked men beat each other up? Me too. Come to The Englert for a high energy muscle fest put on by the local underground DIY wrestling organization SCW. Doors at 5:30 PM, fighters at 6:30 PM. KA-POW.

Fishbait, KL!NG, Second Half, and Anti-Cash at Gabe’s — 8:00 PM

Prog band Fishbait, garage band KL!NG, along with rock bands Second Half and Anti-Cash will be at Gabe’s to entertain your Thursday night. Doors will open at 8:00 PM, and the show starts at 8:30 PM, with the last band set to take the stage at 10:45 PM.

28 Days Later — 9:00 PM

Norwalk indie rockers 28 Days Later take the stage at Elray’s Live and Dive at 221 Iowa Ave. in yet another Iowa City appearance. Consisting of four friends from high school, the band released their debut LP last year and maintains a headlining role in each bill they perform on. After the show, Elray’s will keep going with DJs spinning records on their two other stages. This show unfortunately is 21+ to enter.

Friday, February 21st

The Englert and KRUI’s Local Showcase: The Uniphonics, Sun Centauri, and Ahzia — 6:30 PM

Local rapper Ahzia, R&B group Sun Centauri, and funk band The Uniphonics will be performing at The Englert. Doors open at 6:30 PM, with the show starting at 7:30 PM. Ahzia may be a familiar face, but his sharp lyricism never loses its punch. Sun Centauri, a joint effort from the smooth Iowa City darlings Alyx Rush and Jim Swim, are transcendent. The Uniphonics bring nothing short of the quintessential groove. Come enjoy this genre spanning showcase for free!

Grimmtooth Zine Release Show (feat. Anglegrinder, ghOstMiSt, Chemosh, & Ill Omen) — 7:30 PM

Public Space One’s Close House on 538 S. Gilbert St. will be hosting Grimmtooth’s zine release show. Perzines, or personal zines, will be featured, as well as story anthologies, poetry, and comics. Many of the zines present are produced by Iowa City and Midwest based artists. Along with this, industrial drone project Anglegrinder, experimental folk artist ghOstMiSt, Wisconsin death metal group Chemosh, and Cedar Rapids thrash band Ill Omen will be performing live music!

Eva Maeve — 8:00 – 11:00 PM

At the Vue Rooftop located on 328 S. Clinton St. local artist Eva Maeve will perform over the backdrop of downtown Iowa City at night. The Earlham, Iowa singer/songwriter blends pop, folk, and country sensibilities with her original songs and powerful, expressive singing. The 22-year-old artist has been releasing music since 2020 and is involved with Iowa City’s community of gigging singer/songwriters.

Saturday, February 22nd

The Englert’s Local Showcase: Stnic, Lex Leto, and Makebelief — 6:30pm

We at KRUI are partnering with The Englert Theater for a show on Saturday night of Free Week, with local acts Stnic, Lex Leto and Makebelief, and the Iowa City Video Zine. Stnic is an electronic and acoustic improv band who thrive in exploring the eclectic and unknown. Lex Leto and Makebelief are an experimental pop duo who combine moments of ambient recluse, and more bumping danceable beats.  

These two acts will be performing in front of the visual backdrop generated by the Iowa City Video Zine. The open platform and experimental video collective will have projections across the surface of the walls of the inside of the theater itself, enhancing the vibe of the space. The show will be a complete auditory and visual experience to lull souls into a trance.  More info at the Englert’s website here.

Dance Party with DJ Anthony Worden — 10:00 PM

Anthony Worden, songwriter, guitarist, and head honcho of Iowa City’s Illiterati Records, is no stranger to Gabe’s. After releasing his latest record, Plain Angels, and conducting the third annual Illiterati Fest in August, Worden’s coming to Gabe’s once again to spin records. He’ll be taking the reins as their house DJ for the night. A dance party until close to bookend the first annual Free Week.

Drag Shows at Studio 13 — 10:30 PM

In spite of the Iowa legislature’s recent proposal of House Study Bill 158 that would criminalize public displays of drag or queerness in general, Iowa City’s Studio 13 will be hosting drag shows almost every night during Free Week. This includes an open stage act Wednesday, and drag shows on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, all starting at 10:30 PM. Come spend your nights at Studio 13 on 13 S. Linn Street with no cover! The dance floor will also be open after each show.

Written with help from Amanda Moy

The post Iowa City Free Week 2025 Preview appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Pera called in from Boston ahead of his stand-up comedy performance which will take place at The Englert Theater on June 14^th. In his quaint and humbled tone, he talked about his favorite bands and music, along with his interactions with music scenes, and the friends he has made from them. He also goes into detail about how both comedy and music performances meld well together, and the aspects of performing.  

Interview has been edited for clarity.

Glab: You’ve expressed before that you have an interest in hardcore music, going to shows, and the energy that it provides. How did you first get into hardcore and punk? 

Joe Pera: I do like it, but it’s not like my number one genre. I’m not going to pretend to be a superfan. Basically though, my friend Dan Licata is a bigger fan of that music and would often take me around to shows. You know, he’d ask if I wanted to go, and I’d go to the shows and enjoy the energy. I don’t know, it feels different than the usual stuff I listen to. Most of the hardcore shows I went to were through Dan Licata.  

Even if you’re not as into hardcore as other people, are there any specific bands that you like. 

Dan featured, they’re not super hardcore, but he had the band, and our friends, Washer score his special. I like their music a lot. 

What kind of music do you listen to most of the time? 

All sorts. I listen to a lot of ambient and instrumental stuff. Somebody recommended the new Elori Saxl album, and I’ve been enjoying the song that’s out from that. The Blue of Distance, with clarinet. I enjoyed that very much as well. But yeah, it’s mostly on the mellower side.  

In Iowa, my friend Dan Wriggins is opening for me. He’s in the band Friendship, whose music I like a lot. One of the guys, Michael Cormier-O’Leary, and his label Dear Life Records has another band called Hour that I performed with recently and will be on tour with soon too. They’re kind of instrumental based. They range anywhere from four members to I think like almost ten or more on certain nights. It’s kind of semi-improvised songs of them playing together. It’s got a pretty gentle and beautiful tone that kind of lets the instruments speak. Those are two that I listen to a lot, but yeah, I’m excited to be on tour with Dan Wriggins as well.  

I knew Dan Wriggins a little because he worked at the university here. I really liked his Friendship stuff, and the solo stuff as well. 

Yeah, I’m not sure what he’ll be playing, but I’m excited to watch him as much as I am to do the shows myself. A lot of the time if you bring someone along that you want to watch as well, then it’s like a free show.  

You mentioned Washer before. How did you come to know Kieran and Quigley? 

Shows in Brooklyn. We kind of met through Dan Licata, and then they would come to me and Dan’s regular show and play sometimes. Just bumping into each other in New York. 

Is there an aspect of their music that you like a lot especially? 

Yeah, I really enjoyed their new album. A lot of the energy, but still very melodic in how they do it, which I appreciate. 

How much have you been within the indie scene in Brooklyn, or the East Coast in general, from like the early 2010’s to now? 

Every now and then. Even when I was at school, I’d occasionally get asked to open for or share a bill with a band a lot of times through Dan Licata. It’s always popped up throughout my time in New York. Bands ask me to open for them, it usually goes pretty well. We’ve done shows with everything from independent venues to larger ones. I’ve also opened for Yo La Tengo at their Hannukah shows in New York. That was pretty special.  

It feels like I’ve been able to continue that type of collaboration or make it more formal with the podcast I do, Drifting Off with Joe Pera. I’ll collaborate with a musician that I admire, and then ask them to score the podcast. But yeah, every now and then I’d be asked to open for a band. A lot of the times the contrast between my quiet style and a louder show can be a lot of fun.  

Do you feel like comedy, or at least your style of comedy mixes well with a live music show? 

It seems to have worked in the past, but I don’t know if it will work everywhere. It’s always a little challenging, especially if people don’t know that comedy is happening. A lot of the times, when I’ll be on the bill, like when I did a show at Baby’s Alright in Brooklyn and opened for a few bands a couple weeks ago, people seem to enjoy it. It’s nice, I think the comedy and the music complement each other well, and kind of keeps the momentum of the show going, like I was going up in between the acts. Generally, I think people who like good music like good comedy as well. They have good tastes across the board. 

Do you yourself have good taste? 

Eh, sometimes.  

I feel like from everything you’ve described, I’m pretty much in agreement. I love Washer, and Yo La Tengo is pretty good.  

Mhm. 

One other band that I love is Parquet Courts, I know you’ve collaborated with them before with their Feel Free album visualizer, and you’re in the “Outside” music video filmed at the Knockdown Center.  

Yeah, they had me open for them at their holiday show the year before the album came out. They had me tell some jokes, and that was pretty intimidating since it was such a large room. But the fans I think are comedy fans too. A lot of the musicians like watching comedy, obviously, I can’t generalize, but like Sean Yeaton, the bassist of Parquet Courts, we have some mutual friends, and he’s also a very funny guy. We both had done voices for our animator friend Kieran O’Hare, who did the original “Joe Pera Talks You to Sleep” animation with me. Sean’s friends with him and has done some really good voices, he’s extremely funny himself. That’s how we connected. I guess I mostly know Sean, but he’s a really funny guy, and that’s probably why he has good taste in comedy. Also, I think that a lot of people who go to shows, if they want to see live entertainment, they’ll check out a share of music and comedy shows if they’re out and about in the city. 

In the “Outside” video you had the Christmas tree, what was that about? 

I knew I had to perform for like a thousand people, ready to see a rock show. So, I did some jokes, but also I had fun. It was a holiday show, so I picked up a small Christmas tree on my way to the venue. I tossed it to the crowd, and they crowd surfed this tree, pretty funny. I guess a music crowd would be open for something unusual like that. It’s also something I couldn’t do at a stand-up club. I was just trying to match the energy of the space and the event, and it led to something cool. 

Was that your first time performing to that many people? 

One of the first big performances I did. I had just made my own Christmas special and was tired out. I hadn’t been doing as much standup in the weeks leading up to it. I just remember that night that I was talking to somebody, and then I went out on stage, and it hit me all of a sudden. I don’t remember the exact number, but it felt like at least 500, maybe a thousand. It’s such a big space that I kind of had to brace myself, because it was a pretty large crowd to ask them to pay attention to jokes about New Balances. 

Now would you say it’s a pretty common occurrence to perform to that many people? 

Yeah, I’ve gotten more used to it. We started the last tour where we set some dates at 150-200 people venues, which is what I was doing before, but I guess a lot of people found the TV show during the pandemic when they wanted something relaxing and nice to watch. I guess I didn’t anticipate the crowd, my audience, would grow that much. Now the shows I’m doing in Boston are for a thousand people, and I think the ones in Iowa are about 600-700. 

Yeah, I think The Englert’s at about that capacity. 

Yeah, pretty good size. I don’t know if I’ll fill it, but I’ll do my best. 

I was looking at the ticketing recently, and it seems pretty much almost full. I think the upper balcony has some open spots, but they sold really quickly. 

That’s awesome. I’m very excited. That’s very cool to know. The only time I performed in Iowa before was at the Hinterland Festival, so I haven’t been through recently. You have to go through a place a few times to get an audience. That was a music festival too. I didn’t know how that was going to go. I performed basically the end of the Billy Strings concert, which was the big event of the night.  

Afterwards, I performed for the people who were staying overnight in the camping section. I was nervous about that because it was both an outdoor stage, and everybody was in an energetic mood. It went really well. There were huge clouds of weed smoke floating my way the entire show. The audience gathered around the stage outside and it was pretty special. Definitely had a sigh of relief when it ended, but it was a really fun night, and the crowd turned out to be really great. Like I said, I think people who go to live music shows are open to new stuff. You know, it won’t necessarily go well all the time, but they’ll give you some smart attention at least for a little while, and give you the chance to win them over. 

Do you think that doing comedy sets is pretty similar to how musicians in their sets match the energy of the audience? 

Yeah, it’s not the same for all musicians. I know some of them are adjusting throughout their set. I think I have a little more flexibility as a solo performer. Like if I feel that something’s not working, or I need to do a quick adjustment during the set, or you know throw in the joke that’d hit harder to up the energy. I’ll be able to make adjustments on the fly and change my set completely, or even just talk with the audience in a way that the musician wouldn’t have the luxury to do. I feel like that’s the advantage of doing comedy live over music. There’s also plenty of musicians who adjust. When they’re having a bad show, they can also get stuck when it’s not going well. There’s pros and cons to each. 

It’s all a very receptive activity. 

Mhm. 

Is there anything else you wanted to say? 

Just I’m really looking forward to performing in Iowa again. This time indoors. Dan Wriggins is going to be there, so I think it’ll be another good show with both comedy and music. You know, it’ll feel like a proper night out on the town. 

Anything that people in Iowa City can come to expect at the show? 

It’s all new material, different from my special. It’s all new jokes. It’s at the point of the tour where all the material is new and fresh for me as well. It’s really exciting to see. I think it’s a good show, but there’s some stuff that I’m still figuring out, and I think that’s the most fun time to see a show, when it’s still forming. When you’re not sure how it’s going to go, that’s more fun. 

Tickets to see Joe Pera at The Englert Theater on June 14th are available here.

The post Interview: Joe Pera Goes to Shows with You appeared first on KRUI Radio.