Henry Rollins is not a comedian.
However, Rollins' talking shows are often confused with comedy. The content is similar (his stories are hilarious) and the results are usually the same (people do laugh), but under everything Rollins says, there is an air of both rage and optimism.
Unlike most comedians who go for easy laughs, Rollins is a man who has seen America, enjoys it, loves it even and has hilarious stories to tell -- but he knows the world can be better and sees beyond the humor.
Yet hearing him rant, one can't help but laugh.
Rollins opened Tuesday night's show with an anti-Bush tirade that took the audience from the Middle East to Mars and back to Earth, where Rollins tried to wrap his mind around the UNOCAL pipeline and why President Bush calls astronauts "spatial entrepreneurs."
As scorching as Lewis Black or David Cross, Rollins skewers topics across the political spectrum, but lest he be construed as a "flaming liberal," he always takes time to skewer Democrats too, including Ted Kennedy, calling the senator "pus-filled," "murdering," and "alcoholic" (enough to keep the right-wing audience members satisfied).
In a nearly three-hour performance, Rollins covered various topics including a USO trip to Afghanistan, featuring a heartbreaking tangent about a 6-year-old girl whose leg had been amputated after a landmine accident -- doctors told Rollins she was "a little mad at us right now."
Also memorable were some of Rollins' experiences in the states, including a recent recording session with William Shatner for an upcoming album and his longstanding, weird admiration of Sheryl Crow.
Rollins closed with a reminder of our election year, and that the most important thing Americans can do is vote -- he doesn't care how -- and then, in typical Rollins form, he humbly ended by thanking the crowd of nearly 800 before leaving the stage.
Overall the show was excellent, though a bit lengthy without an intermission. Rollins joked that everyone will soon forget about having "numb asses" and come back next year. I don't know, Hank, I was pretty numb.
One complaint refers to the Murat, which could've numbered the cabaret-style seating more logically instead of packing everyone together haphazardly. The tables were difficult to find in the dark, even with the signs.
Rollins is not just an "aging alternative rock icon," but one of the most vital social commentators of our time -- a Bill Hicks or Lenny Bruce for our era. Hearing him read a phone book would be fine enough, but his stories make for a wonderful evening. The wait for next year has begun.
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