The Bay Area is a little over a week away from premiering the highly anticipated ID10T Festival at Shoreline Amphitheater. The massive outdoor comic-con hybrid, created and hosted by Nerdist's Chris Hardwick, will feature some of the biggest and best acts in music, stand-up comedy, comic books, video games, and so much more.
A major highlight of the festival is undoubtedly its incredible comedy presence in the Monster Energy Drink Comedy Tent. The festival will play host to a number of the most unbelievably talented and hysterical comedians working today, and we've narrowed down our list to ten comedians that we think you absolutely should not miss during the two-day event. This was one of the hardest lists to write, as we found ourselves laughing hysterically at jokes from each comedian we came across, but these are just a few of our highlights.
Matt Braunger
Performing: Saturday, June 24
Website: www.mattbraunger.com
If you saw his Netflix special Big Dumb Animal when it premiered on Netflix back in 2015, you know exactly what we mean when we say Matt Braunger is one of the funniest gentleman out there in the comedy world today. Braunger just finished taping a brand new comedy special full of new material he shot at the Bridgetown Comedy Festival in his hometown of Portland, so its safe to say that ID10T Fest will more than likely encounter some big laughs when Braunger takes the stage for his set. We were lucky enough to catch a set he did back at Cobb's Comedy Club in San Francisco when he performed on Tom Papa's live podcast, Come To Papa, and we promise you that you're in for a great treat.
April Richardson
Performing: Saturday, June 24 AND Sunday, June 25
Website: aprilrichardson.squarespace.com
Having shared the stage with the likes of Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Jimmy Pardo, and Chris Hardwick, comedian April Richardson has surely become a force within the comedy world. A master storyteller with an energetic sense of humor, Richardson's sets are autobiographical in an incredibly humorous way. She'll be performing at both days of ID10T Fest, so you really have no excuse to not check out her set at some point during the weekend's festivities.
Greg Proops
Performing: Saturday, June 24
Website: www.gregproops.com
In Patton Oswalt's book Silver Screen Fiend, Oswalt recalls coming to the San Francisco comedy scene for the first time, describing each of the comedians he saw that would go on to achieve stunning careers. One of these comedians was Greg Proops, whom he described as "a snide superego who could make you piss yourself simply with the way he said the name 'Adolphe Menjou,' like a dirty in-joke both of you were sharing in a foxhole." Since his beginnings in comedy, Proops has become a world-renowned stand-up, spent time on both the British and American versions of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, written a book, and he's currently the host of The Smartest Man In The World podcast.
Nikki Glaser
Performing: Saturday, June 24
Website: www.nikkiglaser.com
The former host of Comedy Central's Not Safe With Nikki Glaser will be making her appearance at the Comedy Tent on Saturday, and it's a set you surely don't want to miss. Both Glaser's stand-up and previous talk show resume (including Not Safe and Nikki & Sara Live) touch heavily on sex-related topics, but in an incredibly open and funny way. Not many comedians are able to do that in this day and age without sounding overly perverse, and Glaser harnesses the ability to do in a successful way. Glaser released her debut stand-up album, Perfect, in early 2016, and it's an hour-long set that's guaranteed to make you laugh.
Brian Posehn
Performing: Sunday, June 25
Website: www.brianposehn.com
A self-professed nerd and heavy metal music-junkie, Brian Posehn is a genuine and hysterical voice in the comedy world today. With sets that are filled with jokes about music, family life, and nerd culture, Posehn's act will leave you roaring with laughter. He premiered his newest special, 25X2, earlier this year on Seeso, and even hosts a podcast on Earwolf where he plays Dungeons & Dragons. Make your way to the comedy tent and add a little Brian Posehn into your life. SLAAAAYYEEEER.
(Editor's note: A personal favorite of mine is still the joke he told about Slipknot and making Clown sad. I don't know if he still tells it, but fuck, that was funny.)
Michael Ian Black
Performing: Saturday, June 24
Website: www.facebook.com/realmichaelianblack
Michael Ian Black is one of the most interesting acts out in the comedy world, not just for his stand up, but for his massively insightful podcast, How To Be Amazing With Michael Ian Black. Beginning his comedy career as a member of The State, and having starred in several television comedy series and movies, written numerous books, Black is a forced to be reckoned with, and one of our must-see acts at ID10T Fest.
Jonah Ray
Performing: Saturday, June 24
Website: www.twitter.com/jonahray
Since starting his career as a writer's assistant on The Andy Milonakis Show, Jonah Ray has certainly made a name for himself in the world of entertainment. He created a stand-up show for Comedy Central with Kumail Nanjiani called The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, became a co-host and founder of The Nerdist Podcast (which has nearly 800 episodes under its belt), and has released two stand up records, with his most recent being Hello, Mr. Magic Plane Person, Hello. Most recently, he's taken on the role of Jonah Heston in the incredibly successful eleventh season of Mystery Science Theater 3000, which hit Netflix in April.
Garfunkel & Oates
Performing: Sunday, June 25
Website: www.garfunkelandoates.com
The comedy-folk duo comprised of Riki Lindhome ad Kate Micucci will be making their stop at the Comedy Tent on Sunday's date of ID10T Fest. Having met at Upright Citizens Bridage, they began working together on comedy and music. Several tracks and many performances later, Garfunkel & Oates became a reality. Since their inception, their music has appeared on countless television shows, and they even scored an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Original Music & Lyrics for their Vimeo special, Garfunkel & Oates: Trying to Be Special.
Michael Che
Performing: Sunday, June 25
Website: www.michaelche.com
As the co-anchor of "Weekend Update" on Saturday Night Live, and famously well-known for being unapologetic in his comedic deliveries, Michael Che is easily one of the most anticipated sets for ID10T Fest. He's blunt and straight to the point, with fantastic comedic timing and a set that is sure to bring the house. With numerous festivals under his belt already, including Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and the Montreal Comedy Festival, ID10T Fest is the perfect addition to his resume, and the perfect addition to your day.
Mike Phirman
Performing: Sunday, June 25
Website: music.mikephirman.com
As one-half of the musical comedy duo Hard 'N Phirm, comedian and musician Mike Phirman is sure to be one of the highlights of this year's ID10T Fest. Phirman has released a plethora of music, which you can check out on the website link we provided above, so he's got a reasonable amount of material to pull from, in addition to any new material he's sure to have been working on. Plus, given that the festival is hosted by Chris Hardwick, the other half of the duo, we're thinking there's a good chance Hard 'N Phirm will reunite for a song or two. We need to hear "El Corazon" again!
Tickets for ID10T Festival are available now. The festival will be taking place at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA on Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25. You can purchase tickets here.
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