In just a couple of years, Kevin Hart has gone from relatively unknown comedian to Hollywood heavyweight. Even though he’s starred in blockbuster comedies “Ride Along” and “Think Like a Man”, Hart still loves doing stand-up, and he wanted to make his latest tour, “Kevin Hart: What Now?”, his biggest and boldest one yet.
So Hart decided to do what no comedian in the US has ever done: a show at a football stadium. He chose his hometown of Philadelphia and Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles play, for the historic event. And he then did the unimaginable: he sold out the stadium (all available seats), with a total of 53,000+ attendees.
Being a diehard Eagles fan and a fan of Hart as an individual (though I’m still trying to erase “Get Hard” from my memory), I walked into the Linc Sunday night thinking this was going to be a “once in a lifetime” event, especially knowing the show was going to be filmed and released as his latest stand-up movie, to be released by Universal on October 14, 2016. And, since I held a ticket on the field in Row 23, the chances of getting picked-up on one of the dozen roaming cameras and maybe making it into the film would be pretty high.
Hart has an interesting request for those attending any of his shows on this tour: you are not allowed to have cell phones or cameras on, and cannot be texting, tweeting or talking on the phone at any point during the show or you will be escorted out of the arena with no refund. Security roamed the aisles throughout the show looking for rule-breakers.
The show got underway a half hour late, and began with the three “Plastic
Cup Boyz”, who kicked things off with three increasingly unfunny and vulgar sets. Joey Wells, who also served as MC, would have been enough by himself. But an entertaining thing during that time happened right in front of me. A couple sat down, and the man, clearly looking around for someone, decided to take out his phone and make a call. A female security officer came over and gave him a chance to turn-off his phone, but he didn’t understand why.
The man’s significant other leaned-over to him several times and said, “Babe, turn off your phone.” His response was basically, “What? No.” The female officer returned moments later with a few of her friends and the couple was escorted out. In all over 50 people were kicked-out throughout the evening. A few days earlier in Syracuse, 150 people got caught with their phones on and paid the ultimate price.
One of the coolest aspects of “What Now?” was having the big time film equipment everywhere. Leslie Smalls, the film’s director, walked on stage before Hart to get some “movie shots”, asking the audience to clap lightly, then loudly; laugh cornily, then rambunctiously – all while looking at the spot where Hart would standing in a few moments. You wouldn’t think, especially with such a crowd, that you’d need all of this “cover” footage, but apparently you can never have enough, especially for a one-time-only event.
Hart’s presentation starts-out with him as James Bond in a several-minute opening montage sequence, finishing with Hart popping onto the stage. His stool, black towel and water cup soon followed. As for the material, it had its highs and lows. For the first 15 minutes, Hart told stories about a raccoon in his yard that went “Bang! Bang!” with its fingers and about his son taking out the trash. I had heard Hart tell these stories before on talk show appearances. To think that he would want these jokes to be in a movie that won’t open for more than a year was a little stunning.
For the most part in his act, Hart shies away from stories and jokes about being a celebrity, instead choosing to talk about his semi-dysfunctional family and friends. Yet a short bit about being recognized by a fan in an airport bathroom was one of the highlights of his set. Other tales about birthday presents and text messages didn’t quite make the mark – at least for me. And saving the last 20 minutes or so for purely sexual-based material was not a strong way to end.
But the show wasn’t over after all. Following his final story he asked everyone to now turn on their phones (stating “You won’t get thrown out now, I promise!”) and hold them to the sky. That moment, with thousands of glowing phones lighting-up a packed football stadium, was as “exciting” as things got. None of the moments I anticipated ever materialized: Hart did not personalize this event AT ALL. He didn’t wear an Eagles jersey. He didn’t reference any of the Philly teams. There were no fireworks or special effects. And he didn’t promote any of his 2016 movies by bringing out co-stars such as Ice Cube (“Ride Along 2”) and Dwayne Johnson (“Central Intelligence”) or any celebrity friends for that matter. The only souvenir was the paper wristband that got me onto the field.
I doubt that anyone walking out of the Linc at 11:35pm was thinking that they had just been part of a truly incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and that’s because it simply wasn’t. I, like millions, enjoy and respect Kevin Hart and his incredible yet formulaic success story. But this Philly homecoming show was a celebration by Kevin Hart for Kevin Hart. There wasn’t much showmanship – and it showed.