Columbia’s second annual Cola Comedy Con brought audiences to tears on Thursday with a night full of laughter and clever jokes, the start of a weekend long event .
The night started off with a Q&A panel with comedians like Joe Pettis, Scott Eason, Blayr Nias and John Gibson, leading up to the first stand-up event of the night: the “Stoned Cold Sober Show.” This event was a series of competitions between two comedians where each would give a stand-up routine and the audience would declare a winner with their applause.
Audience members like first-year Michael D'Agostino appreciated the breadth of different comedians to relate to and laugh with.
“They were good,” he said. “They had some good jokes, good sets, a lot of different topics ... and a lot of different small acts, which was nice.”
The event concluded with headliner Blayr Nias. Nias, who is a Massachusetts native and a resident of Charlotte, NC, brought a unique charm to the stage. Whether it be her autobiographical stories about moving to the South or referring to her future child as a “Zebra Baby,” Nias had audiences invested and laughing for the remainder of the night.
“I usually do comedy material based off what's going on in my life,” Nias said. “So, a lot of it’s going to be talking about how my body’s changing and the road to getting pregnant and all of that. It’s definitely relatable for everybody.”
Nias, who’s been doing comedy professionally for nine years, says she loves playing smaller venues like Columbia.
“I love going to cities like Columbia,” Nias said. “Everyone is smart and there to support the art and appreciate comedy. It’s like the perfect fit. Knowing that I have a smart fun and engaged audience and I was able to deliver that and get the laugh is the best part."
Most events at the convention are free and donations are being accepted for The Red Cross in an effort to help those affected by Hurricane Florence. Comedians at the convention, such as headliner Derek Sheen, said that he was excited to bring his comedy to a state that has been devastated by the natural disaster.
“I know that it’s been a pretty sh*tty week for South Carolina and North Carolina, so I’m kind of excited to get out there and just take some pressure off everybody” Sheen said. “Hopefully, ... everyone can have fun for 30 minutes or 45 minutes and not think about all their stuff being soaking wet.”
The event will continue for the remainder of the weekend with Sheen headlining on Friday. Sheen says he love doing comedy and making people laugh.
“I definitely enjoy the creative side of it. I would be lying if I didn’t do stand-up because I love the attention ... and the positive reinforcement,” Sheen said. “And the thing I hate about comedy is when I don’t get that.
The Cola Comedy Con pulls comedic talent from across the United States. Sheen, a Seattle native, came to Columbia from Washington. Another headliner, Dave Stone, came to Columbia from Los Angeles.
Stone will headline Saturday. He said he too pulls material from his actual life to make audiences laugh.
“Comedian’s always worry about if [their jokes are] original or weak,” Stone said. “Someone told me early on everything's been done except you.”
Stone, who’s been a professional comedian for 12 years, says he loves “not having to have a real job.”
“It’s fun to make people laugh,” Stone said. “Being able to provide something that everybody enjoys, which is laughter. Everybody likes to laugh.”
The convention will conclude with headliner Kyle Kinane. Kinane is touring comedian who has been on many well-known comedy shows such as “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” and season two of “The Standups” on Netflix.
The Cola City Comedy Con was created by John Gibson and gives many comedians an opportunity to make audiences laugh.
“If there were more John Gibsons in the world it would be better,” Nias said. “There would be people building up comedy again to where it could be where it was in its heyday.”
The convention will end Sunday night and tickets can be purchased at www.sodacitystandup.com.