The audience knew what they were signing up for when offensive comedian Anthony Jeselnik took the stage at Weill Hall Thursday night. It wasn’t a sold-out show, but it certainly felt like it with the amount of laughter that echoed throughout the great wooden hall.
The host of the now cancelled “The Jeselnik Offensive” on Comedy Central didn’t hold back any punches when he addressed the crowd, making sure both students of Sonoma State and the general public all got theirs and were equally offended.
Before Jeselnik told the audience what he really thought of them and then some, his opener Cameron Esposito definitely did her job in making sure the audience was in the mood to laugh. Esposito’s set included self-deprecating humor when it came to her denim jacket wardrobe and coon-skin cap haircut, making it obvious she was, in fact, a lesbian.
At one point Esposito interacted with a member of the audience who bragged about how she tricked a local radio station into giving her tickets for the show. When asked what her profession was, the woman responded she was a plumber, which then led to Esposito trying to put herself in the mindset of a female plumber that consisted of reciting a play-by-play of calling in to the radio station to get the tickets, much to the audience’s delight.
When it was Jeselnik’s turn to entertain the packed hall, the crowd gleefully awaited their roasting and the comedian did not disappoint. He first started off with the school itself, telling the audience that while he doesn’t get offered many college venues nowadays because of his offensive humor, he does do research on the colleges he does get invited to, seeing if there’s anything noteworthy about them.
Jeselnik said that in Sonoma State’s case, there was nothing special about the campus whatsoever, causing the audience to applaud in agreement. When it came to Weill Hall itself, Jeselnik mentioned there was so much wood in the hall, it made the Lorax cry.
“This is a beautiful music hall you have here. I can’t tell if you guys really appreciate architecture, or just hate trees,” said Jeselnik.
He then went into his set talking about a variety of offensive topics he’s best-known for, including abortion, abusive relationships, pedophilia and a whole lot more.
During the Q-and-A session at the end, he explained why “too soon” is always OK when joking about tragedies and gave an example of when he tweeted about the Boston Marathon last year.
He was trying to bring humor to those affected by the bombings, who were actually there running the marathon. The people who post to social media that their thoughts and prayers are with the victims are doing nothing but putting attention on themselves, rather than actually donating time or money to the tragedy, said Jeselnik.
Although hilariously provocative throughout, little gems like commentary on narcissistic culture proved Jeselnik was more than just a pretty face with a microphone spouting off outrageous jokes.