The Malthouse Theatre Outdoor Stage, Thursday 1st February 2024

Dan Ilic, Lewis Hobba

Special Guests: Kirsty Webeck, Sami Shah, Charlie Pickering, Richard Fidler, DJ Andy McClelland

I had know this was coming up for a while but had not gotten around to getting a ticket and as I had been let go from my job recently and had to cancel my Patreon for the show thanks for Dan for giving me a ticket.

Overall I got to the venue far too early, over an hour early before even doors and Dan wasn’t even there having done sound check and gone back to the hotel. I did get to get a table up the front as it is general admission for this venue. I even moved to a closer table to save there being empty tables which the performers do not really like seeing from the stage.

If you haven’t heard the show before it is pretty much the same format as the main show even for a special occasion one like this one. They have the main segments and then each of the guests get up and do their bet they have prepared. Andrew McClelland did not do that as he was DJ and special comments only.

I thought they ended up with a reasonable amount of people for a Thursday night, did not seem like that many free tickets needed to be given away in the end. There are always people wanting to go out to something different than sport or live music in Melbourne it is not just those two things’ people go to here. Seems like quite a few live podcasts are going to be at this venue for the season.

I had been watching the news a bit more recently but still not that much so some of the things were new to me. I had deliberately not watched the one of the old man crying about the co-ed school so I was surprised when they used that clip for the “Hang on a sec” segment. Still worked quite well.

Was great to see the Rich Khant segment on the big screen as I had watched it several times by that point including when it was first recorded on the green screen at Dan’s place and uploaded to the Patreon. It is different having the audience there to hear the reaction live though.

They did the usual Fear 1/Fear 2/Fear 3 but I have forgotten the details and am actually looking forward to hearing the edited version on the podcast as it will be tighter. I recommend doing this even if you are there for an event is recorded as you often pick up things you did not at the time. I would have waited to listen to the podcast before writing this but Dan has to get the train back up to Sydney and I am not sure if there is any WIFI on the XPT.

Sami Shah did his bit on how now having children he no longer has the empathy to care about causes or it may just be not having slept for nine months having a young child. Always classy and not relying on low-blows like a lot of comedians.

Charlie Pickering had a PowerPoint presentation on why straight culture has peaked and the various examples. Quite a lot of jokes he would not get to do on the Weekly it seems. Comedians who have a regular job always appreciate this opportunity. Considering not even Judith Lucy can get me to watch his show I appreciated it too.

Always great to hear from Kirsty Webeck and the shark story does seem in her wheelhouse as she posts a lot about her puppy Joan and cat Ferg on her socials and shares animal stories. I have her podcast with Cal Wilson that I have not listened to the rest of the episodes as then it will be finished and I will be sad so it is just going to stay on my podcast app forever.

Embarrassingly, I have forgotten what the actual theme for Richard Fidler’s bit was. I do know it started out as one thing and ended up as something else. He did look like he was going to do something contrarian and was teased by Dan about getting fired from his role at the national broadcaster as was Charlie Pickering as it is a topic of discussion after the recent Antoinette Lattouf incident. I have never actually listened to his show on the ABC or the podcast that supposedly gets 6 million downloads per month.

Overall I thought it was a great show. Bit annoyed at the Malthouse staff telling me off for phone camera photos as it says it was allowed on the website. They are a bit power mad there to having all the “important” plays supposedly and used to dealing with uppity rich white people all the time. I won’t be brining my camera for the band I am going to see there next because fuck it.

It was much better not having to rush off like at the comedy festival where I had to rush out, down the lift and run into Gabbi Bolt’s show at the last minute due to scheduling issues. Sami Shah could not make it for similar reasons. Best it takes a year off from the comedy festival in Melbourne then.

I did get to talk to Dan a bit after the show and also Andy which is always great I have known him for over 20 years now but rarely get to see him these days.