Wednesday 6 September 2017

I Fed The Bear

So... last night, something cool happened.

After what seemed like forever, I got to see Owen Benjamin live!

I've previously mentioned that Owen is made of awesome, but when I wrote that post about him a couple of months ago, I was still pretty new to his comedy. Since then, I've come to fully appreciate what a rare gem of a guy he really is.

Funny? Check.
Entertaining? Check.
Intelligent? Check.
Willing to speak his mind? Check.

These are the things comedians used to be made of. Way back before everyone was "offended" by everything, and before people had to "call you out" over a simple comment. Back when people used to understand what a joke really is, there were comedians like Owen Benjamin. For true comedy buffs, he is the real deal. His podcast, 'Why Didn't They Laugh' proves this as he deconstructs his own shows and talks about what did and didn't work with certain crowds, and how he won them back over - which he always manages to do with his quick wit and sharp mind.

So, needless to say, I was pretty excited to head to Birmingham to see the Big Bear.

I was in no way disappointed.

Before Owen performed, we were treated to thirty (ish) minutes of Feraz Ozel, a comedian from Los Angeles who instantly made the crowd laugh with his observations about "Birmingstan" and some extremely valid points about the benefits of bacon. Rumour has it, Feraz is hoping to come back to the UK next year, and I highly recommend seeing him if you get the chance.

Then, after a short break, came the moment I'd been waiting for. Owen Benjamin stepped out to a somewhat tame crowd (side note: at the end of the show, the lovely young lady who was selling Owen's merchandise said, "Oh, you were sitting to the side of the stage, weren't you?" I nodded and she said, "We heard you laughing." My friend Autumn and I were not afraid to let our hair down and make some noise!). What followed was over an hour of non-stop laughter. Amongst the highlights were Owen's English accent - you haven't lived until you've heard an American say the word "willy" in a British accent. :p His perfect pronunciation of David "Attenbruh" had the crowd howling, as did his references to Jimmy Saville. One of the funniest moments for me came when Owen was discussing Chris Martin of Coldplay which ended in a bit about Winnie The Pooh - I sincerely hope that catches on because it was brilliant! Also, whacking off to Gandhi deserves an honourable mention!

A big part of Owen's life and his comedy is his trusty piano - and, man, does he have some great songs.Advice Song for Millenials  and Summer of 1869. Owen's response to John Lennon's Imagine live for the first time which had me laughing hard, and he ended the show with Feel My Heat - and finally got the crowd singing. I guess it takes us Brits about 75 minutes to warm up. ;)

When the show was over, I was lucky enough to be one of the first to see Owen and grab some hugs! It was SO great to speak to him (and I'm pretty sure I didn't say anything dumb lol). I didn't mean to lurk at the venue for quite so long but I was so busy chatting that I didn't get a selfie right away, so I went hat shopping and chatted with Feraz and the awesome people who had been selling merch and taking photos throughout the show.

Owen Benjamin is truly one of the kindest people you could wish to meet. He has time for everyone. He truly wants to talk to his fansand hear their thoughts and ideas, and that is just another part of why he continues to be so successful.

I hope Owen finds his way back to the UK again soon because I am so ready to do it all over again! There are still a few dates left on this tour, so if you haven't been yet, GO! Get the tickets. Feed the bear!

   I found the Big Bear!

Girls' night out


                                  My tired face. I didn't take that hat off until I got home!






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