A Recent History of Dave Chappelle’s Many Onstage Moods
Last night Dave Chappelle quickly lost patience with the loud audience at the Oddball Festival's stop in Hartford and, after a long standoff of not telling any jokes, he finally walked offstage. The idea of Chappelle as someone prone to walking away if conditions aren't perfect has been part of his mythology ever since he quit his hit Comedy Central show in 2006. However, while the complicated, press-shy comedian is historically very demanding about audience behavior during his performances — having clubs and his openers warn the crowd that hecklers and people caught filming his show will be ousted — he can also delight in engaging the attendees. Here, as a survey of his wide-ranging, sometimes prickly, sometimes welcoming reaction to his audiences, is a timeline of reports from some of his performances over the past three years.
Last night Dave Chappelle quickly lost patience with the loud audience at the Oddball Festival's stop in Hartford and, after a long standoff of not telling any jokes, he finally walked offstage. The idea of Chappelle as someone prone to walking away if conditions aren't perfect has been part of his mythology ever since he quit his hit Comedy Central show in 2006. However, while the complicated, press-shy comedian is historically very demanding about audience behavior during his performances — having clubs and his openers warn the crowd that hecklers and people caught filming his show will be ousted — he can also delight in engaging the attendees. Here, as a survey of his wide-ranging, sometimes prickly, sometimes welcoming reaction to his audiences, is a timeline of reports from some of his performances over the past three years.