Review: Dave Chappelle at RAC Arena
Dave Chappelle @ RAC Arena
Thursday, February 2, 2023
10/10
Thousands of fans converged on RAC Arena in Perth last night for the first date of Dave Chappelle’s 2023 national Australian arena tour.
It’s been eight years since Chappelle has been in town, and with a sold-out arena eagerly anticipating showtime, the nervous energy began building from early evening.
Upon arrival, it was delightfully surreal to observe everyone surrendering their phones and digital devices as a condition of entry to the show. As a society so dependent on our devices these days, some people looked comfortable and liberated as a result, while others seemed to be twitching anxiously as though they had lost a limb.
Whether this had been orchestrated for engagement and immersion purposes, or in efforts to keep the night’s content from breaching the walls of the arena is not completely clear, but with the presence of multi-angle professional cameras perched around all angles of the stage, you can expect the tour will form the basis of an upcoming Netflix special.
The stage itself was strategically placed in the centre of the Arena floor. Directly overhead hung a four-way jumbo-vision covering the comedy pulpit below to ensure even those sitting way up in the nose bleeds could have the best view possible. DJ Trauma, Chappelle’s personal touring DJ, was perching on the south side and warmed up the crowd with hip-hop classics and 80s chart hits as punters trickled in from the lobby bars armed with their max-limit of allowed drinks.
The biggest surprise, and possibly the most sensational performance of the evening, was the announcement of special guest comedian and famed roast-master himself, Jeff Ross. Delivered to the stage via an array of security, Ross took to the stage wielding his microphone like a weapon as he instantly ripped into Kanye West in Hitler’s bunker, Harry and Meagan’s latest Netflix special, gynaecologists and more.
Ross, a comedic master and headliner in his own right, went right where you would expect him to go – gritty, shocking, and gut-punchingly hilarious. Nothing was off limits as he ended his perfectly-timed set with his bit about the Royal family’s attitudes towards race, which then segued into the bedroom antics of the recently deceased Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip.
Chappelle Show regular Donnell Rawlings was up next for a guest set, but Jeff Ross proved a hard act to follow, and returned to the platform soon afterward for some quick-fire comedy roasting of a group of brave volunteers from the crowd, eager to be insulted by the icon.
Displayed on the jumbo-vision hanging above was the ominous red “N” symbol along with a loud Netflix ‘Ta-Dum,’ which then morphed into the perceived title of the evening’s special “LUNATIC MANIFESTO.”
With lights now dimmed, the capacity crowd rose to their feet, knowing the main even was next. DJ Trauma dropped the classic O.D.B. track Shimmy Shimmy Ya as Dave Chappelle then hit the arena, calmly taking drags from his lit smoke whilst being escorted and ushered by an army of security though the makeshift pathway of bodies like a President on a re-election tour. The carefully-cultivated atmosphere felt like a sporting event, a concert, or even a cage-match (with life ironically imitating art due to events that were to unfold later).
Chappelle was immediately right at home with the crowd and began delivering his expertly-crafted material like an artist at the top of their game. Riffing off the spectators in the front rows seated around his feet, he told tales of going to Floyd Mayweather’s strip club whilst high on shrooms and mistakenly asking for $15K in tipping dollars.
Ironically, it was around the exact moment that Chappelle’s material transitioned into how he was tackled on stage whilst performing at the Hollywood Bowl in 2022, that a loudly audible commotion was heard coming from the back tiers of the arena, as a couple of unruly types (aka drunk bogans) thought it would be the perfect time to throw down against one another. Whilst Chappelle did pause momentarily to ask what was up, he simply lit up another smoke and moved ahead with his material unabated, before asking for a drink to be delivered to him on stage.
Controversial to some and hilarious to others, Chappelle remains a staunch defender of his comedy, and comedy in general, as the purest form of art and the embodiment of free-speech. Seeing him deliver such a well-executed masterclass showed why he is regarded by many as the GOAT of stand-up comedy.
There is no denying that turning stand-up comedy into such an unforgettable national arena show is no easy feat, but there’s also no denying that there is one and only Dave Chappelle.
ZAC NICHOLS