Sign to confirm my location.
Sitting in box 36 of The DAR Constitution Hall ready to watch Trevor Noah, I couldn’t help but feel four things: blessed, relieved, confused, and distraught.
The first emotion I felt was blessed. Why did I feel blessed? Well, if you’re familiar with parking in downtown D.C., then you’ll KNOW finding parking close to the location where you have an engagement is a feat! I parked on the corner of 18th and New York. The distance is equivalent to finding a parking space within 2 blocks of the venue. I can count on one hand using 3 digits how lucky I’ve been to find a clutch parking spot in my 10 years as a driver in the DMV.
Sitting in Box 36, Minnesota section, while other spectators filter in.
The second emotion I felt was…relieved. The 30 minute wait in line didn’t delay my access to the performance. Walking down the two blocks from New York and 18th I noticed a sizable crowd at every entrance. Side note, Trevor Noah (the comic I came to see) had a decent amount of supporters for his 10pm performance y’all, and this was his second performance of the night! Homeboy working hard! Back to my feeling of relief. I also noticed walking down that one line was not like the other. I thought to myself, “Look at God; he stay blessing me with gifts”. However, all blessings come with people or outside forces who aren’t with it. The devil was alive and well. The short line soon became as useless as Zimbabwe’s currency in 2009. Our line was halted by an 11th hour decision to let people with paper tickets go through security first. Like bruh, why are people getting fast tracked for choosing not to be environmentally friendly. Am I the only one who’s seen the documentary Before the Flood?
Anyway, once my line started moving, I happily scanned my ticket, and entered the hall where the performance was to take place. Once I sat down, I thought to myself: “Are people allowed to smoke in here? I mean, why is it hella hazy like a music session with Snoop Dogg?” I’m putting up pictures, don’t expect super high quality. Manage your expectations, and think 1990s disposable Fujifilm camera. The room looked foggy–like a heavy mist in the Costa Rican rainforest minus the nature. These questions covered my third emotion, confusion.
Selfie by Box 36 after the show.
Last, but certainly not least was emotion number four- distraught. Aren’t we in 2018; why the hell are we doing a cash only bar?! I wound up sharing box 36, which represents the state of Minnesota, with three other individuals, two women in their late thirties to early forties, and a man in his forties or fifties. The former pair and I discussed the ridiculousness of the venue’s bar as being cash only. Like, how can you be trying to generate revenue in 2018 without allowing ApplePay, CashApp, Venmo, Zelle, Square, or a credit card? Bruh, just because we’re on 1776 D St. NW does not mean we have to take it all the way back to 1776 and use cash only. What’s next trading and bartering?
In any event, I’m closing this post out with my thoughts on the performance. Angelo Lozada, a comic from the Bronx, opened for Noah and I have to say Lozada did well. He made me laugh, and I don’t laugh easily at comedy shows. He opened with speaking to the people in the front row–which is why I never sit there at a comedy show—and cracking jokes on the fly. Not going to share any of the jokes because (1) I would be poorly paraphrasing, and (2) I’m not about to get sued–although I highly doubt either Lozada or Noah would ever read my blog. Speaking of Noah, I was not disappointed in the $81.50 I paid on Ticketmaster. Noah’s performance was well worth the price. I believe the reason why Noah remains popular is because his comedy is smart, relatable, and in the end he somehow finds a way of driving home the point: there is far more that unites us as people than divides us as individuals. Leave a comment below if you’re down for an interactive experience, and subscribe if you want to keep up the me. Ciao.
Appreciating the carpet at DAR Constitution Hall and my heels.