The Final Final in Marin

Last night at the final night of the 49th San Francisco Comedy Competition was delayed because people kept buying tickets to see the show. There was 100 walkups, which is like the equivalent of the entire audience for some of our smaller shows walking up to the front door just before show time. This has happened several times so far this run. Thankfully, we had the seating available because even before the walkups, we were over the capacity of the Showcase Theater, located in the same building. The house was so packed there wasn’t places for comedians to sit and watch, so a few of them sat in the Showcase and listened to the show. It was like having a warm-up stage next to the main stage.

The Top Five

1. Shawn Felipe
2. CJ Koepp
3. Jalisa Robinson
4. Alisha Dhillon
5. Emo Majok

This show was hosted by Auggie Smith who is genuinely a really funny headliner. Auggie has been involved with the competitions since the 1990s and hosted many nights of the competition, as well as winning this event and our sister event in the same year. Auggie has a great way of pulling humor out of the air that was in front of us all along, but somehow we never noticed until he’s ranting about it onstage. His entire rant about the Emergency Broadcast System seems to get funnier every time I hear it. If you are reading this in Montana, go check out the Big Sky Comedy Festival in Billings that Auggie stages.

The Aluminum Cups

I went to the bar and they were passing out aluminum cups. I thought this was a great idea because aluminum can be easily recycled, unlike plastic. Once I expressed my approval, she explained that plastic was banned at the venue, so they switched to aluminum, which keeps drinks colder. I wasn’t sure what to do with the cup after I was done. So I asked the bartender, “what do I do with the cup when I am done?” She replied deadpan, ‘you recycle it.’

“I get that, I was wondering if there is a kiosk or something where they could be cleaned and reused.”

I took them home with me.

Now see seemed to realize I was not as dumb as I look, and replied, ‘It’s a great idea, but then we would have to tracking to the cups and with a crowd this size, it would never work out.’

What is a Final Final?

Final Final refers to the last final drink you have with your friends at the bar. It’s usually preceded by the Final, one for the road, I need to go home, you get the idea. I am positive everyone involved with the production had a final final to close out the event.