Friday night Emily and I were fortunate enough to be sans-kids. Don’t get me wrong, we love the little tax-write-offs, but mom and dad need some time together without deciding who hit who first. Luckily, my parents agreed to keep the little shenanigans so such an evening could happen.

Once we discovered we were free, I called Hooch and Ashley to see what they were doing and if they wanted to get together. Ashley (I called her first, any man in a relationship knows they are really in charge) said she didn’t care, but that they were going to some comedy show in Highland, IL. After Ash gave the thumbs-up, I called Hooch. We worked out the logistics and met at their apartment in Salem at about 8:30.

Up to this point I was expecting a trip to a real comedy club in the metro-east of Saint Louis or something. Nuh-uh. We wound up in a small bar in a town of small bars. The place wasn’t trashy or anything, just not what I had expected. We chatted for 20 minutes or so, and then the show began at 10.

First up was the morning guy(?) from one of their local stations. He wasn’t bad, and we found out after his set that it was his first time. For his first time, it REALLY wasn’t bad. That was the opening, then came John.

I didn’t expect much of anything as Hooch had billed him to me as ‘a local guy’. At that point, I gave up on Drew Carey, and settled for B-list entertainment. Still, it was better than Em and I watching MASH and going to bed early.

John was very good. He had great delivery, timing, improv (bar crowd), and the stage presence to pull it all together. His set lasted about an hour, and kept us out-of-towners entertained the whole time. Even when he was pulled off his routine by a boisterous crowd, he improvised and we were still able to follow local references (John is from the area).