(Photo by Sung Min Kim)
By DCist contributor Sung Min Kim
“They said this is gonna be the last thing that’s gonna happen in the Cole Field House. That’s crazy, man—a comedy show? Not even a basketball game or a Future performance? Me!” exclaimed Hannibal Buress in a video message prior to his show on Thursday night on the University of Maryland campus. Indeed, the school’s Student Entertainment Events organization tapped the 32-year old comedian, actor, and television writer for a hefty task.
The Cole Field House, opened back in 1955, was mainly used as a basketball venue for the University of Maryland Terrapins program until the 2002 season. It also played host to shows of several high-profile artists such as Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, and, more recently, Muse. Last year, the university announced plans to transform the venue into a $155 million football facility and a health research clinic. After years of memorable and historic moments, it was up to Buress to give the venue its farewell.
A lot knew what to expect going to the show: pure, laugh-out-loud, stand-up comedy. The University of Maryland recently brought big-time comedy names such as Aziz Ansari, Trevor Noah, Jim Gaffigan, and Demetri Martin to campus.
(Photo by Sung Min Kim.)
Entering to Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright”, Buress wore fake glasses and went on smash them on the stage.
“I got Lasik surgery. Perfect goddamn vision. No downside to it except that it makes me feel how much of a Milhouse (The Simpsons character) I am without these glasses,” said Buress, citing his “beady” eyes.
He played with several humorous sound cues. At some point, he discussed a Stevie Wonder song “Sir Duke.” “There’s a part in there that I didn’t notice right here.” Buress’s DJ then played a slapstick-like kazoo whistle sound from the track, gathering laughter from crowd. Buress questioned: “In a middle of a serious hit, there was this noise?” “I apologize, (University of Maryland) but… for the next five minutes it’s going to be a series of mediocre jokes and the punchline is” this kazoo whistle noise, getting even more laughs from the audience. (I mean, why not just actually go with that plan? He is Hannibal Buress, after all.)
Later in the show, Buress also objected to the main riff of the beat from “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea. “That beat sounds like, if you had a friend that said “Guess what? I make beats now”” Buress said, adding “That beat (also) sounds like, if I could no longer speak, I couldn’t do sign language or write and my only form of communication was three-second sound clips. That’s what I would play when I want to tell someone “I thought they was stupid.””
Buress then told a joke about an encounter with a dim-witted worker in a DMV and the DJ perfectly timed the “Fancy” riff in the end, cracking the crowd up.
The only discernible drawback from the set was that Buress recycled a handful of older jokes recognizable from his recorded stand-up specials. But most people in the audience did not seem to mind at all. They probably hadn’t just binge-listened to his specials like I did.
But he still kept his material fresh. Some of his jokes were inspired by events that happened as recently as this past Monday, when the comedian went to see the rapper Kendrick Lamar in a New York City show and his travels to the Dubai Comedy Festival in October.
Buress also hit a homerun with his banter on (or against, rather) baseball. “Baseball stinks. One of the greatest achievements in baseball is a no-hitter, that’s where nothing happens. ’Oh man, he was so good that nothing happened, man.’” The comedian clearly preferred more excitement, seeing that he advocated for steroid usage.
“I’m flattered when athletes use steroids! I’m like “Thank you for sacrificing your long-time health for my short-time entertainment, hell yea”” Buress said.
“Sammy Sosa was on steroids. He was hitting home runs. You know who was watching him in the stands? Me and my dad,” Buress recalled. “Hey dad, remember when Sammy Sosa hit three homeruns in one game? “Yep, I remember that, Hannibal” Thank for the experience, that was amazing, dad. “”It was great to share that experience, son. I love you, Hannibal.””
Two seconds of silence followed.
“Steroids did that shit!” Buress exclaimed, putting the entire Cole Field House in hollers.
The comedian didn’t forget to put an exclamation mark to close out the Cole Field House. In the very end, Buress brought up members of the Student Entertainment Events group to the stage, and did a countdown and the canons by the stage shot out massive amount of confetti.
For a good minute or two, Buress, a Southern Illinois University Carbondale grad, celebrated the building’s legacy as if he was a life-long Terp.
