Comedy at Emo's: Janeane Garofalo & Rob Riggle, This Saturday!

photo of Janeane Garofalo from News.About-Knowledge.com

Janeane Garofalo, Rob Riggle
Saturday, September 19
Emos (603 Red River St)
$25, show starts at 9, outdoors
[info] | [tickets]

This Saturday night sees Red River institution Emo's put on a different suit than it's used to, as the outdoor stage is momentarily retiring the drum kit and throwing up a single mike for a four-deep display of both nationally-known and locally-bred comedy. Headlining the show is a formidable twosome, as stand-up staple Janeane Garofalo and former SNL and Daily Show man-on-the-rise Rob Riggle lend their unique talents to the stage. That alone should be enough of a draw for any audience; throw in the locals, edgy JT Habersaat and wild man Chris Trew and, you know, something funny is bound to happen.

Garofalo needs little introduction, as her post-Paula Poundstone role as stand-up's foremost female has seen her name and face splattered across everything from dozens of television appearances to Hollywood full-lengths to the backpages of gossip rags, where subjects ranging from her mental state to the ups and downs of her physical appearance apparently are fair game. Despite all this, she's remained one of comedy's most recognizable forces, and her glass-half-empty schtick has remained engaging in a medium where there are far more flashes in the pan than longstanding successes.

Riggle, on the other hand, is a veritable smorgasbord of diversified resume fodder, as he's in his thirty-nine years collected everything from a Combat Action Ribbon for his military service in Kosovo, Liberia, and Afghanistan, to a Master's Degree in Public Administration, to a role as andro-popping, Congress-dodging ballplayer Mark McGwire on Saturday Night Live. There's little question what he's best known for, though, and that's his role as correspondent and staff tough for The Daily Show, a position that increased his hipster profile significantly and contributed to his landing a spokesman role in Budweiser commercials. So, yeah, dude's busy. And him, along with our locals, who are damn funny themselves, figure to make this a hell of a lot better than spending your Saturday night drowning in your sorrows.