LEONARDTOWN, Md. – On September 13, 2024, comedian and musician Dave Hill will perform at The REX Theatre in Leonardtown, MD. Local comedians will open the show, and local musicians will accompany Hill during his performance.
This show is possible thanks to a spontaneous invitation to Hill from Jeff Ryan, a technician from California, MD, and house MC at The REX.
“My favorite comedian is Dave Hill,” Ryan said. “I read his book, Tasteful Nudes, then I followed him on Instagram. He’s toured with Tenacious D, he’s played guitar for the national anthem at hockey games, and the way he infuses music with comedy is unique.”
“A few months ago I put something on Instagram saying ‘where should I go? Should I come to your city, your venue or whatever?’” Hill said. “I was amazed to get so much feedback from it. So many people reached out. I was excited about coming to Maryland because I don’t think that I’ve performed in Maryland before. The venue sounds cool, so I think it’ll be really fun.”
Besides Ryan and Hill, local stand up comedians Liz King and Keenan Frady will perform.
“Liz and Keenan run the local open mic night,” Ryan said. “They’ve been cultivating comedy for the last year or so. They have a group called Outlaw Comedy. Stand up is bigger locally thanks to them. They’re edgier, but they’re hilarious.”
Two other performers, a bassist and drummer to play alongside Hill, have yet to be determined.
“I’m not sure who’s playing with me on that show yet,” Hill said. “We still have a few weeks, so I think it will come together pretty well. That’s part of the fun is it’s different every time. There’s been times
when I haven’t met everyone, like the drummer will come on stage and that’s the first time I’ve met him.”
“I’m not traveling around with the same drummer and bass player, and we’re pretending we haven’t played before,” Hill said. “It’s genuinely the case. So if anyone’s reading this and wants to be in the band, don’t hesitate to get in touch. This might actually be the perfect way to find a drummer and bass player for the night, because I need to get on that.”
If you’re a good musical improviser that can play bass or drums, and are free the evening of September 13, Hill invites you to contact him on Instagram @mrdavehill.
Hill said that audiences coming to the show should be ready for “incredible hair.”
“I will have showered before the show, at some point,” Hill said. “Definitely within a couple days. There’s jokes, stories, I rip some sweet guitar solos, I dance around in a sexy manner. There’s a lot of staring, a lot of pointing. I think it’s fun.”
Hill recently finished a run of shows at the Soho Theatre in London. A word cloud was generated of critics’ and audiences’ impressions of his show. Among the words to take prominence in the cloud was “chaos,” since multiple people had used the word in their reviews.
“I love that the word chaos was used more than once,” Hill said. “Makes me feel like I’m doing a good job. But I think in general just good times. I wouldn’t bring small children, but if anyone’s seen a PG-13 movie, I think they can handle whatever happens.”
Given the chance to speak directly to the audience for the upcoming show at The Rex, Hill had only two requests. “I would tell them to bring 50 friends to the show– each. I think it’ll be more fun and also it’ll really help my self-esteem, which is a daily struggle,” Hill said. “Also, I’m very grateful for any snacks, and I’m really willing to roll the dice. I had a fan bring some sort of hors d’oeuvres with salmon and cream cheese and I ate those. I’m really willing to just risk it all. In Wales this happened, but I just went with it. I’m not afraid. I trust in my immune system and my resilience.”
You can purchase tickets to the 9/13 show, and watch a previously recorded Dave Hill comedy special at https://therextheatre.ticketspice.com/dave-hill-comedy-show-.
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