by Jeremiah Watkins, a comedian based out of Los Angeles who’s a staple at The Comedy Store as the bandleader of Kill Tony, part of “The Wave” at the weekly Roast Battles, and host of a recurring show called Stand-Up On The Spot. Watkins also has a podcast, Jeremiah Wonders.
But the news here is that Watkins recently dipped his toe back into the waters of comedy club touring this summer and relays this report.
I just headlined 3 weekends in a row on the road and just tested NEGATIVE for Covid. A lot of comics have been asking me about how the shows have been so I’ll fill you guys in. They were socially distanced shows INSIDE. 25% capacity. When people were eating or drinking at their table, no masks were required. All of the staff at the clubs wore masks the entire time I was there.
Things I did to keep safe
1) When flying I had hand sanitizer with me and any time I touched anything on the plane I would hand sanitize, and wore my mask the entire time
2) I brought my own mic to the clubs and had a separate mic stand the clubs had for me that I only touched all weekend
3) When I wasn’t in the green room or on stage, I tried to wear my mask as much as possible
4) I didn’t do meet and greets after the show (which was a bummer because I love meeting and talking to people and taking pictures after the shows) but I did a Q&A from the stage before I closed the shows in its place.
5) I usually sell merch after the shows but didn’t do that either to be safe, to avoid close contact with people. If you want to grab a shirt, you can grab one on my new site!
I actually felt very safe being back on the road, and some of the stuff I did may have been overkill, but who knows…
Just wanted to let my fellow comics know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and progress is being made for us to return back to some kind of normal with standup comedy. Keep your heads up and make sure you’re taking necessary time for self-care during these weird times. Love ya and can’t wait to gig with all my pals again!
PS. Thank you to Acme Comedy Club in Minnesota, Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington, and Goodnights in Raleigh for providing safe places for me to do what I love
