The night I did Blackbull was an atypical night, and I will point out the differences, so you know what a true night at Blackbull is supposed to be. Parking is on the street, and it is paid: $2 an hour till midnight. The room is for standup only. No music or poetry. The room is normally run by a gentleman named John Johnson, but he was not there that night. A guest host, Juan (some called him John), informed me the room has been going on two years. There is no purchase necessary to perform, but it is a lottery, dropping your name in a bucket or something from 6pm to 6:30, with the room supposedly starting at 6:45pm. However, as the guest host arrived late, 6:20pm, he just brought out a signup sheet at 6:43pm and had everyone signup first come first choice. Talent was good about remembering who was before whom. There are no language restrictions. The business is a full bar, serving very expensive drinks like $15 martinis and $10 bottled IPA’s. To eat they offered quite the upscale menu, including apps like baby back ribs, potato skins and shrimp cocktail, soups, salad and pizza and entrees like lobster ravioli, halibut, sea bass and Alaskan crab legs. Their selection of steaks was plentiful, too. For a more pedestrian appetite, they had burgers and sandwiches. The mic takes place in an area separate from the bar, so noise is minimized. The room seats 40, and the stage is a two-inch platform stage that is placed in the center of the room to one side. The lighting was good such that you could see the comics well. I had taken the fourth spot, being the second person to sign up. We had six signups in seven minutes. The night started at 6:52pm. I counted 15 people total in the room. Music plays talent on. The host announces who is on deck. Juan opened with a few minutes of material. I don’t recall the amount of stage time comics got. I want to say five, based on the number of jokes I got to say before getting the light. We had 13 people at 7:30pm. Mostly, throughout the evening, everyone stayed to support till the end. The night was not terribly long. The show ended at 7:49pm, just under an hour. Guys, this is a good room to do. If the turnout is any indication of any given week, even if this room is a lottery, if you go up at the end, it’s still only an hour or so of your time. Yes, Huntington Beach is a distance from L.A., but if you find yourself in the area visiting, yes, do this room. For Orange County comics, it’s a given this room should be on your itinerary. Maybe weekly. You don’t have to buy anything, and everyone who walks to the back where the mic takes place is there for the mic. There are no distractions, just a roomful of comics who are there to support and perform and perhaps some general audience there to support.
The night I did Blackbull was an atypical night, and I will point out the differences, so you know what a true night at Blackbull is supposed to be.
ReplyDeleteParking is on the street, and it is paid: $2 an hour till midnight. The room is for standup only. No music or poetry. The room is normally run by a gentleman named John Johnson, but he was not there that night. A guest host, Juan (some called him John), informed me the room has been going on two years. There is no purchase necessary to perform, but it is a lottery, dropping your name in a bucket or something from 6pm to 6:30, with the room supposedly starting at 6:45pm. However, as the guest host arrived late, 6:20pm, he just brought out a signup sheet at 6:43pm and had everyone signup first come first choice. Talent was good about remembering who was before whom. There are no language restrictions.
The business is a full bar, serving very expensive drinks like $15 martinis and $10 bottled IPA’s. To eat they offered quite the upscale menu, including apps like baby back ribs, potato skins and shrimp cocktail, soups, salad and pizza and entrees like lobster ravioli, halibut, sea bass and Alaskan crab legs. Their selection of steaks was plentiful, too. For a more pedestrian appetite, they had burgers and sandwiches.
The mic takes place in an area separate from the bar, so noise is minimized. The room seats 40, and the stage is a two-inch platform stage that is placed in the center of the room to one side. The lighting was good such that you could see the comics well.
I had taken the fourth spot, being the second person to sign up. We had six signups in seven minutes. The night started at 6:52pm. I counted 15 people total in the room. Music plays talent on. The host announces who is on deck. Juan opened with a few minutes of material. I don’t recall the amount of stage time comics got. I want to say five, based on the number of jokes I got to say before getting the light. We had 13 people at 7:30pm. Mostly, throughout the evening, everyone stayed to support till the end. The night was not terribly long. The show ended at 7:49pm, just under an hour.
Guys, this is a good room to do. If the turnout is any indication of any given week, even if this room is a lottery, if you go up at the end, it’s still only an hour or so of your time. Yes, Huntington Beach is a distance from L.A., but if you find yourself in the area visiting, yes, do this room. For Orange County comics, it’s a given this room should be on your itinerary. Maybe weekly. You don’t have to buy anything, and everyone who walks to the back where the mic takes place is there for the mic. There are no distractions, just a roomful of comics who are there to support and perform and perhaps some general audience there to support.