The Carlson

I have been following comedy in the form of TV and memoirs for quite a few years now, but my love of stand-up is recent and really only started a little over a year ago. I started this obsession slowly, wading into the waters with an SNL favorite of mine, Tracy Morgan. This put me on a path I was not expecting. I ended up getting tickets to Jessie Johnson a month later at The Carlson, and the rest is history.

I used to feel so stuck where I am living. It can often feel like there is nothing to do around here, and all the excitement is being had in the bigger cities everyone has heard of. But Rochester is making a name for itself, and I am convinced it is on the rise in the comedy scene. There is so much comedy happening in and around Rochester nowadays, and the peak experience is a night at The Carlson. I can't believe I went so many years not knowing this place existed. It is now the place I look forward to going the most. I make sure to visit regularly, and I am never disappointed.

There are so many great comics touring right now, and the owner of The Carlson has his finger on the pulse. If we enjoy a set on Kill Tony this week, they are getting booked at The Carlson the next. That is impressive for a town many have heard of and refuse to visit. Granted, there have been numerous shows scheduled and cancelled by the talent, like they are Dave Chappelle, but that happens at every venue and is par for the course in stand-up. I have been able to see some people I would have never expected to see in person in my life. And it was amazing. If I know the comic, you can find me front row, smiling ear to ear, from start to finish of the show.

I wish more people knew about stand-up and made it a regular part of their routine. It is such a great way to spend time, drinking or not, you can enjoy yourself. They have yet to book anyone who puts on a bad show, and that consistency is everything.

I don't see myself moving for a few years, so I would really love to make The Carlson more of my spot, my go-to. I want to be spending all my free time there, learning about new comics, watching improv, seeing touring comics, all of it. I have high hopes that Rochester can become a better, small, more convenient version of Buffalo that people don't mind coming to. I think The Carlson has a lot of potential, including their social media and engagement. They could be regularly communicating with comics online and getting people excited, and I don't doubt that it will eventually come. Every show I go to, I am shocked that there are so many empty seats down in front, the first thing a comic sees when they walk out. People like Kam Patterson have called it out first thing. Fill those seats.

The Carlson consistently books the best touring comics still doing club venues — names you already know and names you are about to know. Tickets are affordable, and it is one of the only clubs in the country without a two-drink minimum. You do not need two drinks to laugh your ass off at the likes of Kevin Nealon, Aries Spears, Andrew Dismukes, Jim Norton, William Montgomery — the list goes on. Harland Williams is up next month, and I already have tickets to Big Jay and Pauly Shore. The lineup is stacked.

If you are not making live stand-up a regular part of your life, you are leaving one of the easiest mood boosts available to you on the table. The Carlson is proof of that. Do not be the last one to catch on.