In his “Loud and Clear Tour,” Trevor Noah brought his loveable accent and dimples to Denver’s Red Rocks. Coincidentally, his show fell on the exact time as the series finale of Game of Thrones, one of the most religiously watched television shows to date, proving how dedicated his fan base truly is. The steps of the venue were filled with fanatics willing to miss the much-anticipated results of the dragon queen’s torching of King’s Landing, and that is really saying something in our society today.
Noah has made a household name of himself over the last few years, having taken over for Jon Stewart on the Daily Show in 2015, in addition to a hefty career in standup preceding that. Noah has also left a substantial mark on the literary world, writing a New York Times bestseller, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, which details what it was like for him and his family growing up in South Africa during apartheid and the unstable beginnings of freedom that came with its removal. The experiences have made Noah worldly, to say the least, and his intelligence shines in his humor, creating a highly respectable candor that can be appreciated by most. The theme of Sunday evening that stood out was his politicized humor that can be found each night on his show, and as most of us know, Noah surely leans to the left.
The weather remained gloomy the entire morning of the performance, but that is never something to deter Coloradans from catching their favorite acts. By the time the first opener, Vince August took the stage at 7 p.m., the chill of the night was already setting in. August entertained the full house with anecdotes comparing the youth experience today to his time, including playground equipment and pay phones. Josh Johnson followed, grabbing big laughs surrounding the retellings of family game nights, friends dating, pets and one particularly hilarious argument with a ceiling fan.
At 7:35 p.m., the main comedic attraction swept the stage following a video of him performing on various other stages. Noah opened his sold-out performance by complimenting Denver’s local leaders on their lenient, “rockstar” approach to laws, specifically, marijuana and the recent decriminalization of hallucinogenic mushrooms. He had the crowd exploding in laughter at his renditions explaining his experience with his racial ambiguity and being a polyglot, or someone who knows several languages — Noah speaks eight.
Noah has a sincere way of poking fun at people of all types without crossing the border onto true offense. For example, he took a segment to describe what he views are white people’s top five favorite things, a listing which could have turned vicious, but the jabs were balanced out with loving adorations. His set was paired with hilarious, spot-on impressions of the likes of Donald Trump, Barack Obama, pilots and at one point, even his own penis.
The comedian made a point to spend much of the night supporting women, citing the recent laws in the South as preposterous and expressing sympathy to those who have had violence inflicted upon them by his fellow persuasion. In light of the recent abortion restrictions, Noah went as far to condemn the male fans in the crowd for masturbating, but it is safe to say that was all in good fun. By the end, there were few statements from the comic that were not met with eruptions of full-mouthed laughter.
Noah’s fans left Red Rocks with full smiles and memorable quotes to relay back to their jealous friends and family who missed the event. Until the tour ends, his fans will have to eagerly await the arrival of his next book, The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library, which Noah wrote alongside Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham. Luckily, we can all continue to enjoy his show and relish in his standup genius and hope he returns. “This is one of the best nights of my life,” Noah exclaimed. “I am enjoying stand up more and more and hope to continue with it.” Nice.