Published on October 22nd, 2013 | by Mikala Lee

A Supreme Afternoon

Music and Comedy collided at The Santa Monica Pier Saturday afternoon hosted by none other than Tenacious D. The normally tourist clad pier was now taken over by 3 stages of amazing acts, “Omega Stage Supreme,” (aka main stage) “The Mighty Tent,” (oddly facing Omega) and the elusive “Club Intimacy.” Considering the theme, I get the decision to host the festival at a landmark as playful as the Santa Monica Pier, but it didn’t come without challenges.

Things felt a bit intense from the moment of arrival and hitting the arc over the bridge, it was confirmed. Looking at the heard of people shuffling against each other made me want to turn around and head back to the safety of the comedy clubs, but then a moment of acceptance, this was a festival, time to dive in and experience it. The will-call line was disorganized; staff was riffling through stacks of envelopes, lists and plastic containers looking for misplaced badges, those who had badges were still waiting for printed tickets as they were rumored to be over sold. Mine were in the misplaced pile, thankfully a familiar face was attempting to humorously scalp his guest passes out front. Score for me. I latched on to my saving grace and began my journey into the massive crowd.

First stop was Club Intimacy to enjoy the very first stand-up set of the day by the one and only Patton Oswalt. Getting to the tent through the maze of security check points, food and bathroom lines was a challenge in itself but that was shortly followed by disappointment that no begging, bribing or VIP badge was going to get you in due to fire code restrictions. I Houdini my way in (because nobody stands in the way of me and standup!) and once inside, it was actually pretty spacious and finally felt safe. Patton Oswalt kicks off the 15 min sets of greatness bashing my wonderful home state “Florida is not America’s Dick, It’s America’s sweaty ball sack.” Demetri Martin, points out “Intimacy is another way of saying ‘trampled to death on a pier.’” Hannibal Buress, discusses working with Tracy Morgan “How much time do you want me to do? Tracy: ‘You be the date rape drug and I’ll be the big black dick!’ umm…that’s a very strange way to measure time man, I’ll do 15 min” and Tig Notaro doesn’t disappoint with her self-deprecating humor “I was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer and had to get a double mastectomy. I made jokes about my small chest for so long, that they were just like ‘You know what? We’re sick of this. Let’s kill her!’” This was the end of the comedy tent for me, now time to experience the music.

For those who couldn’t get into Club intimacy, Zach Galifianakis took the stage in “the Mighty Tent” to give them their only dose of stand-up. By the time I made my way over I could only catch a glimpse of the unrecognizable thin and polished comedian saying his final words. Now I follow the heard over to the Main Stage where Sandler is said to perform.

I am tired of shoving and finally locate the backstage/artist area. Yes! I can breathe! This is where the magic has been happening. Actors, Comedians, Agents, Producers, anyone who is anyone in comedy is here. I head to the bar to get a well needed cocktail and am star struck for one of the first times as I am surrounded by cast members i have idolized since childhood from SNL, Mr Show, Happy Madison, Conan O’Brien and so many others my brain almost imploded. i had to remind my self to stay cool and pretend to fit in while I was having conversations that I would replay in my mind for the rest of my life.

Triumph The Insult Comic Dog stole the show singing ‘Cats are Cunts’ and ‘somehow’ managing a duet with the great Conan O’Brien. Then I watched from backstage in aw as Adam Sandler brought us back to our adolescence with his spectacular performance of Piece of Shit Car and Medium Pace (One of my perfect moments of the evening.)The crowd was growing restless by the time Tim & Eric hit the stage and it was clearly time to wrap things up before this turned into a tragedy at the pier article. Finally, Tenacious D takes the stage and the crowd goes wild singing along to every word and just when you thought they couldn’t be more amp’ed, Andy Samberg and the rest of The Lonely Island takes them by surprise catapulting the performance to a level that will be difficult to beat next year!

The Festival came to a close and I luckily found a secret exit that saved me from what I imagined to be a cattle like experience leaving the pier. As I sat in my car in traffic I was able to reflect on the overwhelming intake of one of the most magical comedy experience of my lifetime. Regardless of the technical difficulties that always come with year one of a festival, and knowing that i missed a ton of great acts due to the endless shuffling around, i am filled with childlike euphoria and can not wait to see what they bring to us next year!

Setlist:

Club Intimacy
The Angry Back Up Singer, Sasquatch, The Abe Lincoln Story, The Neil Hamburger Band, Dynasty Handbag, Beardyman, Patton Oswalt, Demetri Martin, Hannibal Buress, Tig Notaro, Will Forte, Sarah Silverman

The Mighty Tent
Molly Bryant, Nancy & Beth, Eric Idle & The Jeff Davis Experience, Reggie Watts, The Mighty Boosh, Zach Galifianakis, The Mr. Show Experience

Omega Stage Supreme
Garfunkel & Oats, Craig Robinson & The Nasty Delicious, Fred Armisen, Princess, The Gregory Brothers, Triumph, Adam Sandler, Tim & Eric, Tenacious D

About the Author

Mikala Lee is a delightfully crazy comedy nerd. She is a social media pro, has coordinated multiple comedy festivals, and she is loved by all that is comedy.

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