Thursday, Dec. 27 marked the 6th annual Windsor Comedy Festival and based on the laughter from the near capacity crowd it didn’t disappoint.
Hosted by L.A. comic Maxi Witrak, the show opened with Detroit-based R&B band N4 Structure fronted by Denise Davis, winner of the 2018 Detroit Black Music award for Entertainers of the Year with her band The Motor City Sensations.
The first half of the show featured four finalists in the international competition of Next Best Comic. First up was the comedy duo “The Twindians”, twin brothers Vengan and Rangan Anandan. Born in Greenville, S.C. of East Indian descent, now living in New York, the brothers got the show off to a hilarious start with their unique brand of humour. Also featured were Justin Pedick, originally from Detroit, Atlanta attorney Brian Stoltz, and the eventual winner, decided by audience applause, New Jersey’s Kerby Darius. Also performing during the first half of the show were 2017 Next Best Comic champion and Windsor resident Paul Montanier, 2016 champion Thomas Calnan and last year’s host, Rob Mailloux. The show had a nightclub feel to it with VIP tables set up in front of the stage, a nice touch to the evening.
Part two of the evening opened with another great musical performance by Denise Davis and N4 Structure and then performances by Atlanta’s Yedoye Travis, L.A.’s Connor McSpadden and the night’s headliner, back for a return engagement to the festival, L.A. comedian and actor, Ian Bagg. Bagg noticed within moments of taking the stage that someone in the second row had brought a young child to the show and took full advantage of the situation. The show was definitely geared towards an adult crowd and Bagg mercilessly joked about the situation and engaged the mother and child, arguably getting the biggest laughs of the night.
The 7th edition of the Windsor Comedy Festival is slated to take place on the same date, December 27, 2019.
From the front row to the liner notes, Dan lives for the high-voltage energy of the photo pit. Whether he’s capturing icons like Pink or shooting artwork for Burton Cummings’ latest album, A Few Good Moments, Dan thrives on rock and roll grit. A core photographer and writer for 519, he doesn't just document the music, he captures the raw, loud heartbeat of the show.
www.27thfloorphotography.com
