Comedy in a Covid World: Dave Chappelle in Houston

There is not much debate about it: Dave Chappelle is the most iconic comedian of my generation. I have been fortunate enough to see him twice – once in 2016 during my college years in Arizona and once in 2018 at Houston’s Smart Financial Centre. Neither of these shows even come close to the experience I had attending the Dave Chappelle show this past weekend at House of Blues.

Tickets sold out quickly for all three nights, with options of four-person tables or socially-distanced balcony seating. 

I was so excited about attending the very intimate show that I had almost forgotten that it was 2020 until I arrived at the venue. All ticket holders were rapid COVID tested; the results took about 5-10 minutes. According to the ticketing website, groups that tested negative were allowed entry and anyone who tested positive would be refunded. Arrival times for attendees were staggered to allow for social distancing. 

Once ticket holders passed the rapid COVID test, they were given Dave Chappelle 2020 masks and escorted into the venue. Pictured: Matt Hoffman, prior to entering the show. As usual per Dave’s request, attendees did not have access to their phones during the show.

Once my table of four all passed our tests, we were given our signature Dave Chappelle 2020 masks and escorted into the venue. The staff did an excellent job of making sure that everyone was socially distanced for the duration of the show and that we were all able to enjoy ourselves responsibly. I would estimate that a total of 150 were in attendance (The Buzz does not have an official headcount from the venue). The space usually has a capacity of around 2,000. 

Dave’s set was nothing short of spectacular, and it was great to see all of the attendees realize that we were having a once-in-a-lifetime experience, which we clearly were. He said he felt that he needed to get some things off of his chest and he certainly did.

At one point of the night he jokingly told an audience member to “shut up” because he was filming the performance, potentially for Netflix. He urged us not to watch the beloved Chappelle's Show – which was just recently added to HBO Max and Netflix. He told us in detail about how he was taken advantage of at a young age and is not seeing a dime of any of the streaming money.

House of Blues - and enthusiastic fans - welcomed Dave Chappelle to Houston Nov. 19-21.

Not every comedian, band or performer can afford to have a team in place to execute an event like Dave Chappelle did with his three nights in Houston. With that being said, I hope that we can continue to see some events like this, and I think that we will as long as everyone can continue to follow protocols and stay safe. I’ll gladly wear a mask and do whatever else is needed for us to get to a “new normal” in the entertainment world.

Editor’s note: Check House of Blues’ calendar for details about upcoming shows. See The Buzz Magazines’ online event calendar for upcoming events around town. Please be sure to monitor event sites directly for any Covid- or weather-related changes.