Southern Comics Bring The Funny to the Kenndey Center

The "wellRED Comedy Tour: From Dixie with Love" made a stop at Washington's DC's Kennedy Center on Friday, July 20th. The tour stop was featured as a portion of the annual Kennedy Center District Comedy Festival. Comedians Trae Crowder, Corey Ryan Forrester, and Drew Morgan, who make up the trio, refer to themselves as Liberal Rednecks. All three showcased a natural going comedy style, which wasn't only funny but also informative and teachable.

Opening the show and serving as our master of ceremonies was Corey Ryan Forrester. Of the trio, Forrester is the most animated and vulgar and animated. Ideally, this works in Forrester's favor as an opening act needs to fire up the crowd, and Forrester succeeds in that regard. One of Forrester's funniest bits involved Chick Fila and protests. I wasn't familiar with Forrester before, but he has earned a new fan in me, and I look forward to watching his journey as a comic.

Drew Morgan was next on the bill and was the weakest, in my opinion. Morgan, who comes from a Southern Baptist background, didn't connect with the audience how Trae Crowder and Corey Ryan Forrester did. Morgan is a talented comic, but his jokes provided more of a chuckle than straight out hilarious moments. There also numerous dead moments in Morgan's set, which is never a good sign during a comedy show. The audience around me seemed to be engaged in Morgan's set, but for me, he just wasn't as funny as his counterparts.

Closing out the night was the viral sensation and comic Trae Crowder. I first noticed Crowder's back in 2016 when he made a YouTube video discussing transgender bathroom issues. Since then, I've followed Crowder's rise to fame. I truly appreciate his willingness to always call out our current administration without fear of backlash.

Initially, I expected the majority of Crowder's set to aim at our current President; instead,

Crowder's set features a few jokes towards him. Crowder's set included highlights about growing up in the south, his newfound celebrity, and his attempts to educate some of his old friends back in his home state of Tennessee. One of the funniest bits in Crowder's set tied together those against the "Black Lives Matter" movement but enjoyed The Dukes Of Hazzard.

The "wellRED Comedy Tour: From Dixie with Love" was a great night out filled with laughs, social commentary, and teachable moments. Walking into the show, I expected a night with redneck caricatures and stereotypical southern jokes; instead, I walked out with a newfound respect for these country boys.

Final Grade B-