Wednesday nights at Mizzou usually consist of club meetings, work and studying, but Mizzou took a break April 13 to enjoy the stand-up stylings of Donald Glover. Glover is most known for his role as a football jock on the show Community. He’s also a 30 Rock writer and raps under the stage name “Childish Gambino.” My friends are huge Glover fans, so I decided to tag along for the show.
I had never been to a stand-up comedy show and wasn’t familiar with Glover outside of Community, so I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t anticipate that I would be doubled-over laughing the entire show. His opening act was DC Pierson, a member of DERRICK Comedy along with Glover. Pierson did a good job of warming up the crowd with off-the-wall jokes, especially one where he describes how ex-girlfriends and boyfriends should live in a special society.
Then it was time for Glover to take the stage. Receiving a warm welcome from the crowd, he began his act and said with a laugh, “So, who knows me from Community? This is going to be nothing like that.”
Glover’s stand-up was so funny because of his high-energy narratives and hilarious one-liners. He went from talking about the world of entertainment to his humble beginnings in California with his foster family. Glover seemed very down to earth and had no problem making fun of himself. In one of his stories, he vividly described how he and his brothers were never allowed to have any sugar, but they convinced their mother through crying to get them a sugary cereal. Because they weren’t behaving, she mixed the cereal with the Cheerios they usually eat. The ratio of sugary cereal to Cheerios was very small.
When his act ended, screaming audience members and applause begged him to perform one of his songs. He performed not just one song but several, including “Freaks and Geeks” from his latest untitled EP. After the mini-concert concluded, my friends and I tried to meet Glover. He was very nice in person and actually talked to his fans instead of running off to his tour bus. Those 5 bucks are the best I’ve ever spent.