Dave Still Got It
by Tara M. Pringle
I love Dave Chappelle. Yeah, I said it.
So as soon as I heard he was coming to Cleveland, headlining a show at the Tower City Ampitheatre, I immediately made plans to go, praying that I would see the Dave I loved, the Dave that had the biting social commentary along with just plain comical ol' ignorance.
He did not disappoint.
The concert began in typical fashion, with the majority of the crowd deciding to show up an hour and a half late. So for a show that was supposed to start at 7:30, I didn't hear the first joke until about 9. That gave me plenty of time to scope out the audience.
I never knew there were so many interracial couples in Cleveland. Every couple I saw was a black guy and a (insert any race other than black here) woman. I also discovered that old white people love DC too. My friend and I joked that they must have purchased their tickets using their AARP discount. The gray-heads were out in force!
The host was a funny guy, but after waiting an hour and a half for Dave, I wasn't in the mood for any opening acts.
Finally, around 9:45, he appeared. He looked just like he does on TV, like he did on Oprah - hell, he looked just like he did back when he did "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." Dressed in a black button-down shirt, jeans and some black Converse All-Stars, he looked like the comedian I've come to know and love.
He hit everyone - from politics to Donell Rawlings and Charlie Murphy, from being on Oprah to "real white people." He talked about the supposed weapons of mass destruction and why we should've known there weren't any.
"You know how I knew there weren't any WMDs over in Iraq?" he asked while chain-smoking Newports. " 'Cause America don't invade countries with WMDs. That shit is dangerous! If you know a guy's sitting in his house with an Uzi, you don't rob his house - you go to the defenseless guy next door."
Dave was hilarious. It didn't seem like he was delivering bits he wrote a few nights before - it was more like he was just talking with us, making keen observations that made us all hoot and holler. It was my first time attending one of his concerts, but believe me, if he ever makes another trip to the Buckeye State, I'm there.
