He's been on hiatus from the limelight since 2005, but the packed Spreckels Theater couldn't tell during any of Dave Chappelle's 6 sold out shows on the weekend of October 18-20. The comedian, best known for his hit Comedy Central sketch series - The Chappelle Show - and his stoner classic, Half Baked, didn't show any signs of being out of the game as he had the historic theater rolling with laughter over the course of his hour-plus sets. We attended the final San Diego show on Sunday, October 20 at 10pm and, although we were fearful that Chappelle would be exhausted after his marathon of performances, he was beyond energetic for his hilarious finale.
Dave Chappelle needed no introduction as he casually and confidently strolled out on stage after his two opening acts enlivened the crowd. The 40 year old comedian appeared to have bulked up during his time off, making his famed crackhead character, Tyrone Biggums a far thought. Chappelle made his entrance while smoking what appeared to be a blunt, followed by several cigarettes and cloves. Despite the incessant chain-smoking Chappelle never paid notice to it during the course of his performance which only enhanced the hilarity. An interesting side note - funny man Chappelle is reportedly Islamic and doesn't consume alcohol.
Though his San Diego Zoo experience seemed less than savory (if you saw the show, you know what I'm talking about), Chappelle, a native of Ohio, spoke very fondly of his weekend in San Diego, as well as the audiences he entertained. Take that, Hartford!
Although it was a bit difficult to get to our seats due to the lines for booze in the theater lobby (which seemed reasonably priced), we very much enjoyed the venue of Spreckels Theater. It was much more intimate than we had expected.
For more information on Spreckels Theater and upcoming performances, visit the website at spreckels.net.