On a late Thursday evening a crowd of people gathered into
Boswell Hall prepared to laugh. Those old enough sipped from a cup of beer or wine and every individual slowly made their way to their respected seats in the auditorium, laughing with friends or family. A lively mood was already in the air.
The crowd was gathered for the “Coeur d’Alene Comedy Fest,” an event presented by NIC and for the benefit of the NIC Athletic Department that featured four nationally renowned comedians.
As the lights dimmed comedian Alvin Williams Jr., son of NIC athletic director Al Williams, took to the stage to warm up the crowd. Williams kicked off the night talking to the college students in the crowd about college life and specifically the difference between “broke and ‘college’ broke.” The crowd burst out in warm laughter at every one of his myriad of jokes, ranging in subjects from relationships, celebrities, to weight problems.
“You know you’re fat when your skinny jeans become skinny without your permission,” Williams said, coyly looking into the crowd as it laughed at the notion.
After his short set was over, Williams introduced the opening comedian, Kelsey Cook, a young comedian from Seattle who was fresh off of the NYC She-Devil Comedy Festival. Cook brought a dark sense of humor to the stage, opening her set with a story involving her friend’s supposed death and Cook burying her in her backyard. Other topics included insanity, germophobia and “angry white-trash baby mamas.”
The first headliner was Key Lewis, a comedian from Northern California, who took the place of Ron G. who was unable to perform at the event. Lewis brought a jolt of energy to the crowd with his lively and enthusiastic personality. Many of the jokes Lewis told involved race and ethnicity, commenting on the fact that he has seen nothing but “white people” in Idaho and how he himself was a bi-racial mix of African-American and Caucasian but has been mistaken for being Latino.
The final comedian to take the stage was Matt Fulchiron, who has been recently featured on a “Comedy Central Presents” special. He starkly contrasted Lewis’s comedic style with his laidback demeanor, sly wit and wordplay. Fulchiron told the audience how he hates going to the gym and will never go back to Curves, and how he’s getting his life together, being off of marijuana since “two p.m.”
“This college has everything!” said Fulchiron, as he was met by a single whooping cheer from a girl in the audience. “See, excitement from one person! At my community college everybody was depressed as hell.”
