Fun Fun Fun Fest Day 2 – Let the Laughter Heat the Comedy Tent

Every November on the banks of Austin Texas’s Lady Bird Lake comes the lesser of Austin’s three major festivals – Fun Fun Fun Fest. And even though South By Southwest and the Austin City Limits Festival are more well known Fun Fun Fun Fest feels something quintessentially Austin.

In the open space overlooking Austin’s ever-changing skyline are four stages that show off the diversity of Austin’s citizens. Each stage has, for the most part, its own theme. The Black Stage is a headbanger’s paradise as heavy metal rages from open until close. The Blue Stage features hip-hop and DJ acts that pump up the crowd and get the body moving. The Orange Stage, the biggest of the stages, offers the main non-heavy metal music headliners as well as the rockier side of music. And then there’s the Yellow Stage, covered by a tent, where hilarity from comic acts ensue. And on the second day of the Fun Fun Fun Fest the Yellow Stage did not disappoint.

Fun Fun Fun Fest offers up a good opportunity for many local Austin acts that haven’t made it just yet. The Real @ChrisTrew Show, a comedy show with some different acts and performers, surprised many of the early comers. Whether it was as belching girl or a gay male couple airing out their dirty laundry, The Real @ChrisTrew Show had won over man of the Yellow Stage’s early fans.

I’m pretty sure you don’t need an explanation of where and what the Miami Improv Machine comes from or does. The second day’s main improv comedy show infused some energy into the crowd with dance antics spurred on by declaring “Aye Papi!” When Cashtronaut (pictured far right) is falling off stage during one game to sell the funny he deserves a special shout out.

If you aren’t familiar with actress/comedian Jenny Slate it might be time to go familiarize yourself. Slate offered up some pretty sexually charged comedy that may be too raunchy for this article. But her highest points were definitely when she was doing bits about her family, complete with ridiculous voices for her parents. Just know when her parents launch into a rendition of “The House of the Rising Sun” it’s about to get pretty freaky.

Andrew Polk made a special, albeit brief, appearance before the next act. And while he didn’t do much, his one-liner about defining a bisexual girl as “[someone] who likes mean and attention” got the crowd in an uproar.

Doug Benson, who apparently cannot stay away from Austin for more than a few weeks, serendipitously got to be on stage as 4:20 came and went. Between “two-to-zero legged cats needing butt carts to get around” and the plethora of jokes about the movie Taken and its not-yet-made sequels, Doug regaled the crowd with a tale about his disappointment with a “complete head to toe massage.” Let’s just say it wasn’t as complete as he would have liked.

Next came Craig Robinson and his funky six piece band, who weren’t afraid to get the already high (in more ways than one) crowd into the act with lots of call and response musical stylings. Robinson did a marriage song bit, riffing off the fact that brides have “Here Comes the Bride” played but the grooms have nothing. He decided that the groom deserved the theme song to Rocky before launching into an 80’s song medley to get the white crowd back singing.

And if Craig Robinson and his band didn’t rock hard enough, Tenacious D made sure to rock your socks off. The D played a smattering of songs across their three albums as Jack Black and KG blew the roof off. Only Tenacious D could get as big an ovation for a KG recorder solo as they could for their closing to songs “Tribute” and “F**k Her Gently.” Jables and the Rage Kage shall always lead as two kings.

That wraps up the second day of Fun Fun Fun Fest’s comedy extravaganza. Come back tomorrow to get a more music themed recap of both days and some thoughts on tomorrow’s headliner Sarah Silverman.