THURSDAY
The Mic Fest kick-off began at Candela Latin Cuisine in
Logan Square. Sign up began at 8:00. Now, if you got there early enough you
should have been able to get a good spot on the sign-up list, right? Wrong. It’s
still an open mic! Which means there is bound to be an unpleasant surprise
element designed to crush your soul just before you get on stage...
Naturally, waves of madness and sadness swept throughout the
room. The looks on all the comics’ faces, especially the ones who arrived hours
before showtime, read of anger and frustration. The alleged pre-sign up brought
the open mic energy back to the status quo. Aside from the sign-up list setback,
Candela kicked it off wonderfully. In fact, national headliner Sammy Obeid AKA
“1,000 Days Comedian” even made a surprise drop-in to do some time. Overall, it
was a nice night to kick off the fest.
FRIDAY
What was the open mic in Waukegan like? Well, it took place at
Picasso’s Cantina, and I don’t know if you’ve ever done comedy in a restaurant during
peoples’ dinners, but I highly recommend you try this humbling experience. I
will say the best part of that mic was the Tiki-Hut stage and the Tiki-Hut straw
poking me in the face during my set. The experience was priceless, and I’m glad
I went.
SATURDAY
The final day of the fest! Gotta bring your A-Game! Or do
you? Afterall, it’s still an open mic, right? Either way, speaking of games, comedy
on Saturday began at 2PM at The Hideout Inn—an open mic notorious for their whacky
‘n crazy comedy games. Aside from the games, the best part about this mic was
the free pancakes made by the comics, for the comics. Where else can you have
pancakes & beer at an open mic? At the Hideout Inn, that’s where.
Immediately afterward, the next stop on the Mic Fest map was
The Globe Pub. Another great spot to get a set in, AND this place offered $2
burgers! $2 BURGERS!! You can’t beat that! And yes, they were
de-fuckin-licious!
And finally, the last place to perform was at Reed’s Local
Tap—a popular Sunday night mic that starts immediately after The Walking Dead.
There was an open mic out in Plainfield around the same time, but I had to
choose the one that was closer, which kept me from completing all 7 mics. But
hey, 6 out of 7 ain’t bad! Anyways, Reed’s Local is a fun room that sells cheap
drinks along with not-so-cheap-but-really-beautiful art! Get drunk, do comedy,
and buy some Star Wars paintings! (among other types of paintings)
SUNDAY
The Best of the Fest Showcase! Hosted by Marty DeRosa who did
an amazingly spectacular job. The
guy is a true pro. If you don’t know who Marty DeRosa is by this point, you’ve
been missing out. The open mic comics who got picked
to perform in front of Chicago’s biggest bookers truly stepped it up, brought
their A-Game, and put on an amazingly fun show.
Overall, Mic Fest was a great experience! It brought all of us
open-mikers closer together. I met a lot of people that I did not know before
the fest, and the people that I already knew, I got to know even better! It was
also a great challenge—running around and getting to every mic in time, and
also constantly forcing yourself to be better and better after every single set. And just like that, Mic Fest is gone, but don't be sad, open mics will always be around.
Staff Writer: David Gavri
David Gavri is a stand-up comedian, writer and founder of the online comedy sites Gonzo Fame and Comedy Scene in Houston.
Staff Writer: David Gavri
David Gavri is a stand-up comedian, writer and founder of the online comedy sites Gonzo Fame and Comedy Scene in Houston.