University of Wisconsin’s homecoming weekend and inaugural Big Ten game against the University of Maryland brought some of Washington, D.C.’s most recognizable names to Madison for a weekend of nostalgia, jubilation and hilarity.
Among the famed District of Columbia crowd included Emmy award-winning CBS news correspondent and UW alumnus Rita Braver, her husband, D.C. super lawyer and UW alumnus Robert Barnett and D.C. native Dave Chappelle.
Chappelle famously fled to South Africa mid-production in 2006 after signing Comedy Central’s reported $50 million extension of the wildly popular “Chappelle’s Show” for the show’s third and fourth seasons. The comedian’s much-awaited appearance at Madison’s Orpheum Theater was so highly anticipated that the venue booked six consecutive shows for the weekend.
After spending a day cheering on the Badgers from various bars across Madison Saturday, I made the decision to sober up and enjoy my childhood idol’s set, free of any substances.
What immediately stood out was the age diversity of the crowd. Before Chappelle took the stage his DJ played Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice” along with Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz’s “Get Low.” The salt-and-pepper-haired elderly woman sitting next to me couldn’t help head bobbing to the lyrics: “So we gon’ smoke a ounce to this, G’s up hoes down while you mothafuckas bounce to this.”
Madison’s crowd was hyped, and Chappelle came out to a thunderous applause showcasing a Swisher Sweet cigarillo (no confirmation on what was inside), a stocking cap and the muscles of a NFL linebacker. Though people should expect the blunt wrap and stocking, the last time people saw Chappelle on T.V. he weighed about 140 pounds, so the added bulk surprised some.
The opening monologue poked fun at Madison’s drinking culture, the diversity (or lack thereof) at UW, plaid being back in style around town and the menacing appearance of a real-life badger. Dave’s observation of 60-year-old Republicans being “fucked up by noon” on football game day had the same previously mentioned elderly lady chuckling for dear life. Of course none of those jokes would be complete without Chappelle’s trademark catch phrase, “Un-fuckin’ incredible.”
Any Chappelle set is pretty predictable. He is going to talk about race relations in America, but he is going to make it side-splittingly hilarious while also making you think critically about it. Politicians are going to be cannon fodder — as are celebrities who have been in trouble with the law lately and the first row of the audience. Something was new though, as if Chappelle had added a new dimension.
In between the usual jokes about it being hard to be a black man in America and the historical weight that President Obama is up against, Chappelle’s act heavily leaned on stories of his family. Chappelle talked about how he and his dog became best friends, how he eats parts of his son’s lunch to let his family know he is still the man of the house and how he and his wife navigate marital arguments.
This wasn’t the same Chappelle of the past. He wasn’t talking about crack heads and homeless people masturbating on city buses. He never mentioned babies selling weed on the corner. It was even surprising not to hear much about the amusing nuances of white people. Chappelle was wiser, older and more mature than the juvenile side many remember.
I found myself laughing a lot less than I thought I would — not because Chappelle wasn’t funny, but because he doesn’t rely on shock value as much as he used to. However, I had an appreciative smirk on my face almost the entire show, captivated by seeing my lewd childhood idol grow into a family man who jokes as much about himself and his dog’s adventures as he does parties in Hollywood.
No one enthralls or mesmerizes a crowd like Chappelle. For 60 minutes he had an audience go from obnoxious laughter to complete silence. During the show, Chappelle made it clear that the former funniest man on earth was now the funniest husband, father and dog-walker on earth. Chappelle once said, “Success takes you where character cannot sustain” after running away from Comedy Central. Never once has Dave betrayed that character.
