Hannibal Buress put on a Fundraiser Extravaganza Featuring Dave Chappelle, Eric Andre, Lil Rel Howery, DJ Tony Trimm and Vic Mensa at The Chicago Theater.

Published by Sara Dahms at September 5, 2018

Buress announced the on Monday and in less than one week delivered an experience that was everything and more than what audiences have already come to expect from a Hannibal Buress production. I love it when music and comedy come together and Hannibal always manages to balance the two art forms just right. There was music, dancing and plenty of laughs and on this particular evening, it was all in the name of raising money for the arts/tech center that Buress is set to open late 2019. Hannibal played master of ceremonies for the evening and was absolutely hilarious. He also made mention of his recent decision to stop drinking. He’s now 8 months sober and has never looked better! All the best to you, Hannibal!

A long and amazing list of special guests came out on stage all night long- all people who have insane projects going on right now.

Buress brought Eric Andre first. Eric did a set and was hilarious in his own right but then Hannibal pulled a money move and asked his buddy to stay on stage with him and riff a bit before bringing out the next act. When comedians who have great chemistry together have fun with it on stage, it can be pure magic and as anyone who has watched their show is aware, Hannibal Buress and Eric Andre are an undeniably hilarious team!

Chicago native Lil Rel Howery came up next, and he is absolutely killing it right now! He was just on the dais of the Bruce Willis roast, he received the “Breakout Comedy Star of the Year” award at Just for Laughs comedy festival and is starring in his own TV show called, “Rel” which premieres this Sunday on FOX. The sky is the limit for Lil Rel Howery. Thanks for the funny!

Anwar Hadid and Vic Mensa at the “Anti-bait Truck” event in Chicago

Another Chicagoan you should know, Vic Mensa is a local hip hop artist who gained national attention last week when he and Anwar Hadid hosted an “Anti-bait Truck” event in Chicago and gave away thousands of pairs of shoes. Mensa came through for those of us in attendance at Hannibal’s event as well because he brought party. The first thing he did was tell everyone to get up on their feet and that man kept us dancing all the way until Hannibal came back out to introduce the final artist of the evening, our very special guest, Mr. Dave Chappelle.

I am a huge fan of Dave Chappelle’s so when Hannibal added him to the lineup just hours before the show was set to begin, I was super grateful that I had already purchased my ticket! Chappelle took the stage and gave Chicago the condensed version of his headliner show, “Controlled Danger” that he brought to JFL, but with plenty of new material peppered throughout his performance. This show was a phone free event, so it’s hard to say exactly how much time he did. I can only judge by the amount of cigarettes he smoked and it was a three-cigarette performance, which is the perfect amount of time in my book. Dave Chappelle is unique in that each time I see him, I am convinced that he has reached the highest level a comedian can achieve…. and then I see him again and he does new material and he reaches even higher heights than he did before! It’s a truly remarkable gift that he has and I am so glad that he’s back and sharing it with the world! Bravo! From soup to nuts it was an amazing show and the good times didn’t end at The Chicago Theater.

Hannibal Buress kept the party going at Cerise for a rooftop after party and Dave Chappelle even made an appearance behind the turntables while the dance floor went crazy. It was an evening to remember and one thing is for certain; when Hannibal Buress says, “Pop up,” do yourself a favor and buy a ticket. It’s always more than a show, it’s an experience.