Lewis Black was great last night in a one-night stand at the Orpheum Theater downtown…but the photo above is of John Bowman who was Black's opening act. Why a picture of the opening act? Because he was terrific. No, let me rephrase that. I've seen Mr. Bowman before because he's usually Black's opening act and he's always been good. Last night, he was way better than that. If the man had a little more TV exposure, he'd do well to bag the opening-for-Lewis job and be the headliner of his own show.
He didn't use the ukulele — that was just the best photo I found of him online — but he did use a blonde wig and a delightful/savage sense of humor. It may have been the funniest Trump-bashing I've ever seen. The wig transformed him into Trump and then when he whipped it off, suddenly he was Rudy Giuliani. If they'd announced Lewis Black had taken ill and that Bowman was just going to do another hour, I don't think much of the audience would have complained.
Black was fine, of course. He mined a lot of the same topics Bowman had just discussed including stupidity — that which exists in our elected officials and that which exists in our electorate. He talked for close to 90 minutes then did one of his webcast segments. (They're free to watch here but they're only up for a few days after the does them.) Black didn't talk about Trump as much as the audience expected because — this is not a direct quote — "You've all been talking about him all day." He was right.
I see Lewis Black perform every year or so. He always seems to have fresh material, some of which feels warm from the oven and some of which seems to be created on the spot. He's always funny, often when reminding you about things you don't think are very funny. When he comes to your town — which he will some day — go see him. Especially if he has John Bowman opening.