Rose City Comedy Club: More Than Just Rose-Colored Glasses
It’s been on my list of comedy clubs to visit for quite some time. So how does Rose City Comedy Club stand up? Is it worth the hour and a half to two-hour drive from Dallas, TX just to watch some live comedy?
(All photographs taken by Nicole Farris-Drake. Instagram: @eastnastynicky)
On one of my most recent podcast episodes, stand-up comic and resident of Tyler, TX, Tyler Elliott, had been singing the praises of Rose City Comedy Club.
Shortly after, I noticed one of my upcoming podcast guests Scott Bedgood was performing there on a Friday night. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to refresh myself with Scott’s material and check out this new venue.
It’s no coincidence that Scott’s show found its way to my feed. For months now there’s been a steady increase in Dallas and Ft. Worth comics showing up on my timeline standing on a stage draped in red curtains, garden lights, and wooden pallets, with their names on a TV in the background and the Rose City logo behind them.
Pictured: Stand-up comic Tyler Elliott.
This spot I've never been to seems to be doing a better job at grabbing my attention than some of my favorite local DFW clubs.
Case in point, instead of watching Letterkenny’s K Trevor Wilson in Plano, TX, a longtime hope of mine, I’m driving two hours out to watch Scott Bedgood and a bunch of Tyler stand-up comics I’ve never heard of. Why? Well, their promotional game was just better, showing up more in my social media feed enticing me to purchase tickets before I even noticed the show in Plano was happening. I’ll get more into why that is later.
For now, I’d like to give you my first impressions of the venue. For starters, I know nothing about Tyler, TX. Nothing. So, as I completed the long drive on Friday night, I really didn’t know what to expect.
I was pleasantly surprised to pull up to a venue located directly off the road with large windows allowing me to see both the stage and the seating area illuminated like a shining beacon of comedy.
The venue is as cozy and quaint as they come. It has the charm of an old downtown building being brought back to life without losing its roots. And because so much of the decor and many of the production items appear to be affordable amazon purchases, the club has a very blue collar common man feel about it… which I very much like.
I can’t tell if the chairs were purchased from a high-end vintage store or an office garage sale, but they’re comfy, and the backs of the chairs in front of me hold my beer can perfectly.
Speaking of beer cans, did I mention that it’s BYOB? That’s right, no pesky two-item minimum and no weird unexplained service charge on your tab.
Draped on each side of the stage backdrop made of pallets are long red curtains that open occasionally when a comic walks onstage.
When they do, I catch a glimpse of a large Rose City Comedy Club logo projected on the brick wall, and below that is a TV with beautiful digital fireplace playing on it. While no actual heat is being produced, it still serves to make the space feel warm and cozy.
While the details of the club may appear modest and affordable, it is by no means cheap. The execution of using these elements to their maximum potential was a key feature that I couldn’t ignore. There were no dangling wires (except for the purposely draped garden lights of course), no weird duct tape fixes, and nothing that appeared neglected. The entire setup was very DIY, but it was also very deliberate. At no point did it ever feel amateur or shoddy.
The average show goer won’t notice what owner/operator Khristopher Blakeman does to keep the show moving, however the more perceptive audience member will appreciate his subtle orchestration throughout the evening.
The spotlights, the room lights and probably a few other things that I didn’t notice were set to remotes that he could control from his seat behind the ticket station, and the PA system was small but actually a mini line array system!
Sorry to geek out on the audio. It just means that the PA was small but mighty, and perfectly crafted for the room. Indeed, this room sounded better than many venues I’ve visited with much larger and more expensive systems. Proof that it’s not about having the best equipment, rather it’s about having the best equipment for the room.
I’ve always admired folks for their attention to detail with seemingly meaningless things. Things that you don’t think make a difference until you take them away and it feels like something is off or something is missing. Kristopher seems to share some of this obsession.
For instance, there were moments when a comic would walk through the red curtains on the side of the stage and the curtains wouldn’t completely close behind them. A tiny sliver of an opening, maybe a quarter of an inch, would let the slightest bit of light shine through from the backstage area into the showroom.
Kristopher would immediately rush to close the curtain behind them to ensure the crowd had zero visual distraction while the performance was happening.
Would the venue still be ok without this attention to detail? Yes, it would be fine, but the fact that he cares about these details makes it better than “just ok.”
In addition to the venue itself, I realized there was something even more special than the room and the stage. It was the resident comics of Tyler, TX. I spent the evening watching comics that I’d never seen before. Comics that live and work in Tyler, TX.
Pictured: stand-up comic Jason McAdam
Comics that may not have the means or the desire to drive two to three hours just to go to Dallas or Ft. Worth for an open mic or an unpaid (or poorly paid) comedy set at a larger club.
I realized that cities like Tyler are inconveniently located from cities with already established comedy scenes. That’s troubling because from where I sat on Friday night, Tyler has some really funny people that would likely not take the stage if it weren’t for Rose City existing.
How many funny people have we missed out on in these areas simply because the opportunity to go to an open mic, or perform on a weekend show didn’t exist?
Having a club in Tyler allows an opportunity for its residents and the residents in the surrounding towns to not only experience comedy as an audience member but to potentially experience it as a performer.
But it’s not just a club for the locals.
Pictured: Gordon Mayhall performing at the open mic.
Rose City Comedy Club is steadily establishing itself as a destination for comics traveling from the larger surrounding cities. It’s perfectly surrounded by comedy towns like DFW, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Shreveport, New Orleans, Little Rock, and Oklahoma City.
Whether it’s a scheduled stop on a touring comic’s road trip between major cities or a quick drive out while visiting one of those cities, it just makes sense to put it on the itinerary.
After all, the folks living in these more rural cities are not going to make the drive to these larger cities just for your comedy show unless you are already extremely well established.
So why not go to them and potentially tap into a fan base that doesn’t get to experience a great comedy show as often as the more established comedy scenes?
Speaking of the audience, if you are a resident of Tyler, I encourage you to go see what one of your own has built in your town and support what they are doing. The venue and the comics are well worth your time and money, and you can feel the buzz in the air when a show is happening.
There’s something building in your town, and it’s only going to get bigger. Join in on it now so you can ride the wave of excitement together.
If you’re like me and you live an hour or two away, I encourage you to check out their upcoming shows. Maybe plan an overnight trip to Tyler and experience the whole town before the comedy show. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the venue and its performers.
This excitement brings me back to my previous thoughts on why Rose City Comedy Club showed up in my feed more than K Trevor Wilson's show in Plano, TX on that same night. To clarify, no shade towards Mr. Wilson. He’s still awesome and a favorite of mine.
When Rose City books a show, both the comics and the venue seem to be genuinely excited about it, and together they put in a shared effort to promote it.
The venue sets up a camera for its comics to record their sets, leading to comics constantly releasing clips from their shows and, in turn, promoting the club. It seems like such a simple concept, but larger, more established clubs are not doing this for their performers.
I might be off the mark, but it seems like the key difference boils down to the level of excitement. Perhaps some of the more established scenes are a tad burnt out and a bit lazy. There might be a touch of snootiness, with the belief that they no longer need to invest in promotional efforts.
It's possible they mistakenly assume audiences and customers will always be loyal to them simply because they exist. If that's their mindset, a reconsideration is in order.
Case in point: I love my DFW comedy scene, and yet, on a Friday night, I opted to drive to Tyler, TX.
I want to emphasize that Rose City Comedy Club isn't just a "little engine that could" story. It's not merely a good venue for the area. It's simply a good venue that has now secured a spot in my rotation of places that I’ll visit a few times each year, and I genuinely hope you consider making it a part of your comedy venue lineup as well.
Travis Wright is the host of the “I’m a fan of…” podcast. If you enjoy music and comedy, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and check out the You Tube Channel. Thanks!