LoLo Pass is a hostel, so you are going to play to non-comics who are visiting from out-of-state or out-of-country, and not just a roomful of fellow comics. The place seats over 50 who can see the stage well. They have a bar on the floor where the mic takes place, but also a restaurant on the second floor. A mic, stand and stool are set up on a stage, the backdrop being windows which display street traffic. Natural lighting from outside will, for a time, backlight the talent, so they will appear darker. I recommend not wearing a hat, if you want the audience to clearly see your eyes. I imagine in winter, when the sun sets much earlier, it’s not a problem at all. Parking is on the street, and it is free. The room has been going on since the winter of 2022, and it is run by a gentleman named Chris. There are no language restrictions, but no hate speech. Obviously. It’s first come first choice, and talent gets five minutes, Chris’s cell light at four. The signup sheet comes out at 7pm, and the room can go till as late as 10pm. Beers run $8 a pint. A giant pillar on stage may impede the view for some, and a comic has to make a choice whether to play to one side of the room or turn 90 degrees and play to the other. It appeared that talent sat together one side, while the general audience sat on the other, which is the side I recommend playing to, although an occasional turn to the comics watching is only polite, so they feel included, too. I took the fifth spot on the signup sheet. It wasn’t long before we had eight signups, and at 7:30pm the host announced the room would start in ten minutes. At 7:41pm, the mic started, and I counted 16 in the room watching. Other people were there but wearing headphones and working on their laptops. Chris is very good about telling the talent who’s on deck before bringing up the current talent. Attendance stayed consistent, with 16 still in the room at 8:15pm. At 8:24pm Chris gave away a novelty prize randomly to an audience member. A pair of sunglasses that light up. A second prize – a deck of cards – was given away to a general audience member later in the evening. I thought that was kind of fun. Maybe it’s an incentive to stay the whole evening, the possibility that you’d be chosen to receive a gift. I did pretty well with my set when it was my turn. Some talent before me, after completing their set, left the room, not supporting those who hadn’t gone up yet. The bartender, Tanner, a good guy, quite personable, told me later when I ordered a second beer that he thought my set was very good. I appreciated that. Signups increased to 23 by 9pm, and I counted 24 in the room actually watching the show. A pretty hefty amount of audience members. The second gift given was at 9:08pm. We had 20 peeps enjoying the mic at 9:22pm when I decided to leave, with only a few comics left to perform. I had a long drive the next day and needed to get some sleep. Guys, for the very reason you are mostly playing to a room of non-comics, I recommend doing this room. The audience was very good about staying and supporting the room, and even a few comics seemed to stay for the duration. It might be a good idea, though, to sign up, say, after the tenth spot, when attendance in the room increased. If you want to do a second room that night, well, then maybe signing up in the first half is better. I get an out-of-towner would want to do as many mics as possible while visiting. Your discretion. To the local comics, those other rooms are not going anywhere and can be done another night. Maybe stay and support the mic you just performed as a show of gratitude.
LoLo Pass is a hostel, so you are going to play to non-comics who are visiting from out-of-state or out-of-country, and not just a roomful of fellow comics. The place seats over 50 who can see the stage well. They have a bar on the floor where the mic takes place, but also a restaurant on the second floor. A mic, stand and stool are set up on a stage, the backdrop being windows which display street traffic. Natural lighting from outside will, for a time, backlight the talent, so they will appear darker. I recommend not wearing a hat, if you want the audience to clearly see your eyes. I imagine in winter, when the sun sets much earlier, it’s not a problem at all. Parking is on the street, and it is free.
ReplyDeleteThe room has been going on since the winter of 2022, and it is run by a gentleman named Chris. There are no language restrictions, but no hate speech. Obviously. It’s first come first choice, and talent gets five minutes, Chris’s cell light at four. The signup sheet comes out at 7pm, and the room can go till as late as 10pm. Beers run $8 a pint. A giant pillar on stage may impede the view for some, and a comic has to make a choice whether to play to one side of the room or turn 90 degrees and play to the other. It appeared that talent sat together one side, while the general audience sat on the other, which is the side I recommend playing to, although an occasional turn to the comics watching is only polite, so they feel included, too.
I took the fifth spot on the signup sheet. It wasn’t long before we had eight signups, and at 7:30pm the host announced the room would start in ten minutes. At 7:41pm, the mic started, and I counted 16 in the room watching. Other people were there but wearing headphones and working on their laptops. Chris is very good about telling the talent who’s on deck before bringing up the current talent. Attendance stayed consistent, with 16 still in the room at 8:15pm. At 8:24pm Chris gave away a novelty prize randomly to an audience member. A pair of sunglasses that light up. A second prize – a deck of cards – was given away to a general audience member later in the evening. I thought that was kind of fun. Maybe it’s an incentive to stay the whole evening, the possibility that you’d be chosen to receive a gift.
I did pretty well with my set when it was my turn. Some talent before me, after completing their set, left the room, not supporting those who hadn’t gone up yet. The bartender, Tanner, a good guy, quite personable, told me later when I ordered a second beer that he thought my set was very good. I appreciated that.
Signups increased to 23 by 9pm, and I counted 24 in the room actually watching the show. A pretty hefty amount of audience members. The second gift given was at 9:08pm. We had 20 peeps enjoying the mic at 9:22pm when I decided to leave, with only a few comics left to perform. I had a long drive the next day and needed to get some sleep.
Guys, for the very reason you are mostly playing to a room of non-comics, I recommend doing this room. The audience was very good about staying and supporting the room, and even a few comics seemed to stay for the duration. It might be a good idea, though, to sign up, say, after the tenth spot, when attendance in the room increased. If you want to do a second room that night, well, then maybe signing up in the first half is better. I get an out-of-towner would want to do as many mics as possible while visiting. Your discretion. To the local comics, those other rooms are not going anywhere and can be done another night. Maybe stay and support the mic you just performed as a show of gratitude.