Neal Brennan, Jimmy Carr…I’m off to a good start!

I started my JFL coverage this year with two comedians that I’ve seen but never experienced fully. Under new management this year, I’m curious to see how the festival been preparing to make sure they will be giving their patrons what they’ve come for and keep coming back for every year – laughter

I got to town on Friday with enough time to check out Neal Brennan at Theatre Ste-Catherine, one of my favorite venues in the city. The place was jammed packed and Neal delivered.

I had seen Neal perform before but never a full hour proper. He had observations about women, men, TV and the dumb ass down south. The genius behind writing a joke and then being able to perform it over and over again is what I love the most about stand-up. Everyone thinks it’s just about telling jokes or being funny. It’s not. It’s about reading the audience and delivering the proper set of jokes to them.

Neal’s easygoing delivery and the way he makes you feel like he’s just joking with friends in a basement is what I loved the most.

Later that night I saw one of his jokes in full action. Women, we do not come prepared enough for a date. “When the big ball of fire in the sky goes down…”

You can still catch Neal Brennan on his Here We Go Tour all this week. Click here to buy tickets.

Jimmy Carr had a whole other kind of show. Jimmy has gathered a selection of his very best jokes along with brand new material for this ultimate comedy show. Jimmy has you waiting to see where he will go with every joke and it’s never where you’d expect it to go.

Once again, I had never seen him perform over 10 minutes so seeing his range, full set and how the audience reacts and plays along with him was intriguing and fascinating. He can say the worst thing about your mum and yet you will laugh. His suave British accent always makes dirtier things sound great.

Before the show in the lobby, there were signs hung up that said: “Text Jimmy a joke or ask him a question.” The amount of amazing material that was found there must have been grand. He took the best and ended the show with this brilliant set.

You can catch Jimmy all week at the Gesu theatre. Click here to buy your tickets

We’ll see what I laugh at next!