On the final night of the Just For Laughs Vancouver festival, on February 25th, 2023, Ari Shaffir took the Vogue Theatre stage as the headliner of a unique and hilarious evening.
Ari Shaffir, a New York based standup comedian, known for his dark humor and counter-culture nature, started the night with a 15-minute set without any opener, which is abnormal. He then acted like he forgot to bring an opener and brought out fellow New Yorker comedian Dan Soder to perform. Shaffir then came back and performed another 15 or so minutes, and then acted like he really needed to sneak off to pee, and surprised the crowd by bringing out L.A. hailing comedian and podcaster Tim Dillon to perform for 10 minutes. Ari returned and finished out his set with a final 20 minutes.
Shaffir’s set covered topics like mouth kissing your own dog, dosing your friends with drugs, the insanity of Kanye West, and the similarities between St. Patrick’s Day and 9/11. He holds nothing back on stage, and delves into topics that most steer clear of. He isn’t a shock comic, but rather he explores all the nooks and crannies of our society. Shaffir’s unique perspectives had the whole theatre laughing through tears throughout the night.
Shaffir’s ability to handle hecklers was commendable. A member of the audience yelling out comments, to which Shaffir quickly replied with a sharp-witted retort, leaving the audience cheering and laughing, and the heckler looking like a fool (read a dumbass).
Dan Soder, who took the stage before Shaffir, was incredibly funny and polished. His set covered topics like kids too old to breastfeed, mass shootings in the USA, and his mom calling him sexy. Soder is an extremely talented writer and his jokes were perfectly timed and executed.
Tim Dillon’s set was high energy and succinct. He covered topics like Trans kids in the news, Meghan Markle opting out of castle life, and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy constantly asking for money. Dillon’s unique perspective and ability to make the crowd laugh was impressive.
In conclusion, Ari Shaffir’s set was the highlight of the final night of the Just For Laughs Vancouver festival. His ability to explore taboo topics with a comedic twist is unmatched. Dan Soder and Tim Dillon’s sets were also outstanding, but Shaffir’s set left a lasting impression. The festival ended on a high note, with the audience leaving the theatre with tears of laughter and memories that will last a lifetime.