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Rock Brings Sharp Commentary To Tampa

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By SARAH HOYE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 3, 2008

Updated: 07/03/2008 06:37 am

TAMPA - Comedian Chris Rock was all jokes when he performed his latest stand-up routine, "No Apologies World Tour," on Wednesday at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's Carol Morsani Hall.

Wearing a jade green suit, he delivered punch lines in front of a diverse audience of 2,235 people. His slender frame paced an empty stage that featured a movie screen, also green, with his initials "CR" in black as a backdrop. He appeared at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla., on Tuesday.

Rock, known for his cutting commentary on politics, current events and celebrities, had the nearly sold-out crowd (the hall seats 2,600) already cheering when the house lights went dim. He arrived on stage shortly after 8 p.m. following a short warm-up set from the evening's host, comedian Mario Joyner.

At times Rock gesticulated wildly and often contorted his face - he even caught himself off guard when he made himself laugh, leading to an immediate audience reaction.

The show began with Tampa-tailored cracks, with particular mention of the city's reputation for having a large number of strip clubs.

"Tampa is the strip club capital of the world," he said as onlookers clapped. "They teach lap dancing in the third grade here."

The former "Saturday Night Live" regular, who made it big as a stand-up comic following his HBO debut in the early '90s, then congratulated the city for the success of the Tampa Bay Rays. However, he didn't get he memo that the team changed its name, calling them the Devil Rays. He was quickly corrected by the crowd.

"Just the Rays? Well, the Devil Rays lost and the Rays are winning," he said, making the crowd happy.

Rock spent plenty of time talking about the upcoming presidential elections, picking at Sen. John McCain's age, Sen. Barack Obama's name and Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign tenure. He also made digs about interracial couples and shared his disgust with mortgage rates and gas prices.

"We invade a country with oil and it costs more," he asked and the crowd erupted. "If I invade IHOP, pancakes will be cheaper."

Rock gives his final performance 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $55.50 to $99.50 and available by calling (813) 229-7827.

Reporter Sarah Hoye can be reached at (813) 259-7832 or shoye@tampatrib.com.

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