Southern humor is hitting it big and the members of The Blue Collar Comedy Tour are proving it.
Last month Ron White came to the Stranahan Theater in Toledo and drew crowds so big, the theater had to ask him to do two shows instead of one. Approximately 3,650 people showed up to a theater that can only hold 2,400.
Tonight at the Ritz Theater in Tiffin, Bill Engvall will be performing at 8 p.m. As of Thursday afternoon the show had sold 1,189 tickets.
Engvall starred with his friend Ron White, Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy in The Blue Collar Comedy Tour in 2000. It has been the top grossing comedy tour for the past two years.
He is originally from Texas and is well liked because of his clean humor everyone can relate to.
“His subject matter relates to everyday life,” the marketing director of the Ritz Theater Bruce Hannam said.
Hannam continued, “We thought Bill would be an excellent show because people from places like Tiffin and Bowling Green can understand where he’s coming from and I think the audience will enjoy that.”
Engvall has five CDs, a comedy special DVD, and a hit movie out. He has just released a new music DVD called “A Decade of Laughs,” which costars Travis Tritt in the number one video “Here’s Your Sign.”
He also won the American Comedy Award’s Comic of the Year.
Of all the things Engvall has accomplished, he is most known for his “Here’s Your Sign” brand of humor. This means when someone asks a stupid question, Bill is there to catch it with a sarcastic answer.
On his comedy special “Here’s Your Sign Live,” Engvall tells the tale of real life people who ask him dumb questions. Some scenarios include when he was filling up a flat tire and the gas station attendant asked if his tire had gone flat. Without missing a beat, Engvall responded “Nope, the other three just swelled right up on me.”
In another case a trucker got his truck stuck under an over-pass and a police officer came to help. But instead of asking how he could help, the officer asked “Did you get your truck stuck?” The trucker replied, “Nope, I was hauling that overpass and just ran out of gas.”
“We try to offer a variety of shows here at the Ritz and comedy is always well received,” Hannam said. “Jeff Foxworthy was here a few years back and that show did really well. Bill has a very clean sense of humor.”
The reason Engvall applies to everyone is part because he uses his family for part of his act.
Nothing is sacred when he is on stage as he discusses everything from his daughter’s underwear to his son’s school problems. His stage material does not exclude himself, however.
If you are going to tell funny stories about your family, you must include yourself and Engvall does.
He even has a “Here’s your sign” story about when he asked a man trying to unlock his door with a coat hanger if he has locked his keys in his car. I’ll let you watch the movie to find out what the man replied.
Engvall and the Blue Collar Comedy Tour have been a big hit recently. The sequel to the movie called “The Blue Collar Tour Rides Again” will be out to buy on December 7th. The show at the Ritz starts tonight at 8 p.m. About 21 seats are still available at a cost of anywhere from $19-$59.
