Cooking with gas

No performer has ever sold out an event at UB as quickly as Dane Cook. As the lucky 1,783 ticket holders herded into the CFA on Friday, scalpers outside despondently called out for extra tickets, with hobo-like desperation in their eyes. It was a pitiful sight.

The show sold out in an hour and twenty-five minutes, which was faster than the sell-out times for well-known comics Dave Chappelle and Jim Breuer. Although the name may be less recognizable, Cook showed UB that he is tantamount to any contemporary comic in America.

When Dane walked out to the animated, sold-out crowd, he received a roar of applause more reminiscent of a rock concert than a comic performance.

However, this was nothing new for Cook. He's been doing stand-up comedy for 14 years now and his following has gradually expanded over time. Of late, there's been an upsurge in Cook's popularity, as he's been named Rolling Stone's "Hottest Comic" and his CD, "Harmful if Swallowed," has sold over 130,000 copies.

Cook's material, as could be expected, was filthy, profane, and totally offensive. If his audience were a congregation of 17th century Puritans, he would have been stoned and condemned to hell before he got off the stage. That is, after they had the laugh of their lives.

His material is fashioned for a college audience, as it deals with themes like sex, alcohol, and parties. On the topic of hosting parties, Cook skipped over some typical material to comment on how strange things end up getting broken.

"Weird sh** breaks. (Doing an impression) 'Uh Dane, your refrigerator door just broke off,'" he said.

He also observed that some people will drink anything at parties.

"They drink anything ... 'Hey dude, you want a hot glass of p*ss?'"

Aside from topics directly associated with the impurities of college life, Cook delved into other topics, like home-makeover shows and watching "The Price is Right" on sick days.

"(It's) the one show you have to watch whether you're eight or 88. Bob Barker is still the host. I don't even think he's alive anymore. He's CGI or something," he said.

After bringing up the subject of home-makeover shows, the audience didn't give the topic a warm reception.

"You guys like that stuff? No? Then get the f*** out because I'm going to talk about this s*** for the next 14 minutes."

His scripted material was right on, but his comic genius came through in his improvisation. When the lighting person lost focus of Cook for a moment, Cook lambasted him.

"Wait, did you just faint?" Cook responded immediately. "You have one job, keep the light on me. What, are you getting bl**n up there?"

In another instance, a heckler yelled something negative at Dane but he made light of the situation with his natural sense for humor.

"Now there's this bad energy in the room, like Daddy just hit Mommy at the dinner table," he said.

His perfect execution of jokes was accompanied with physical humor and energy comparable to the stand up comedy of Jim Carrey and Robin Williams. He acted out all of his stories with intensity and spontaneity, engaging the audience every moment.

But his unabashed attitude was what won over the audience.

"He was even better than what I saw on T.V. He was really good, really funny and really honest about everything," said business major Josh Seff.

"I liked the raw comedy. He said the things you think of but you'd never say them out loud," said communication major Casey Letzon, adding, "I think he's hot, too."

After being interrupted by shouts of "I love you" from his female audience, Dane acknowledged his admirers with his typical honest, and totally shameless manner.

"I'm getting laid tonight. Bunch of sl**s."

Cook's performance received a standing ovation. After the show, fans were welcomed to meet him, a session that lasted for well over two hours. Although his performance was far from "classy," he was certainly a class act with his fans, delivering an unforgettable show.