Bill Burr the Tour at the Bryce Jordan Center Review
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Stand-up comedian, actor and podcaster Bill Burr made his stop at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sept. 10, leaving the audience cracking up and wanting more by the time that he left the stage.
Burr was joined by comedians Joe Bartnick and Paul Virzi who opened for him and were equally hilarious. Both openers had very short sets but made the most of their time. They added a considerable amount of uniqueness to the show and provided an equal amount of raunchiness compared to Burr.
It took a bit for the main act to start, and when Burr finally arrived, he was met with a universal roar across the entire stadium.
Burr did not hold back when it came to his material. There was absolutely nothing that he strayed away from and he was fearless knowing that he very well might have deeply offended over half the audience. He joked about COVID-19, abortion, cancel culture, feminism, racial relations and many other sensitive topics.
The most memorable bit was when he was talking about arguments in relationships. The humorous thing about the segment was that it wasn’t even funny, he was speaking the complete truth. Burr found a way to relate to nearly everyone in the audience, and everything he said was golden.
His segment about cancel-culture also seemed to be a fan favorite. He made fun of those trying to cancel those that have passed and made points of how ridiculous that whole concept was. He compared a woman who slept with Nazis to Sean Connery and showed how people were annoyingly selective and unfair when trying to cancel others.
Burr also handled his hecklers in a breeze, several times people would try to challenge him. He always had witty responses to shut them down and get the whole arena laughing.
He also kept targeting country folk and made fun of their ideologies and lifestyles. It was a great crowd with such a diverse group of people. It was split between half Penn State students and half locals.
A lot of the material was catered towards students as well, he brought up Penn State’s win against Wisconsin, and it got the crowd going.
Aside from Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr has arguably some of the best delivery in stand-up comedy. To emphasize his points, he would often raise his voice and make hilarious hand gestures. This never got obnoxious, and it almost seems funnier every time he does it.
Although all of the material was incredible, it seemed like the show ran just a little long. There were about one or two bits that didn’t seem top-tier. When expectations are as high for a legend decades into his career, not everything can always succeed.
Overall, Bill Burr was an incredible act to kick off the semester. His relentless storytelling and hard-hitting jokes made for a memorable night for everyone involved.
There are only so many people who can do what he does, and it is unsure if the Bryce Jordan Center can get anyone nearly as good as him.
Rating: 4/5
Caelan Chevrier is a second-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email cjc6789@psu.edu.
