There’s nothing like seeing your favorite comedian live. Stand up comedy has grown a lot in popularity over the last few years, and it has brought a resurgence of comedy clubs across the country. As you probably can guess, seeing a show in a great venue can enhance the experience that you have.
With that said, here are a few of the top comedy clubs and other venues to see your favorites perform. If you are able to get tickets to a show at one of these locations, it will definitely be worth your effort. To help make things easier to navigate, I’ve broken down the top venues by their respective cities.
New York City
Broadway Comedy Club: This is one of the iconic venues for comedy in NYC. Bill Cosby, Robin Williams, and Andy Kaufman all performed here at one point. Unfortunately, the original club shut down for a few years. However, a lot of the staff from the club wanted to revive it and collaborated to bring it back. Today, the current location is a couple of blocks away from the original, but it has the same atmosphere. This is one of the best places to catch the next up and coming comic in a legendary performance area.
Carolines on Broadway: Carolines is one of the hardest comedy clubs to get access to—as a performer. Some of the biggest name in comedy find it tough to schedule time on the stage here simply because of the reputation that the club has gained over the years. Comedians like Norm MacDonald, Ken Jeong, and Jeff Ross have become regular performers here and have helped the club to stay relevant over the last few years. It might be one of the toughest clubs to get into as a performer, but tickets to see a show here can usually be found with a bit of effort. If you’re in New York for a night or two, this should definitely be on your list of venues to check out.
Los Angeles
Hollywood Improv: Hollywood Improv is one of the most popular comedy clubs in the LA region. Los Angeles is already well known for being a breeding ground of comics and actors, and Hollywood Improv is one of the best places for getting a start. Names like Jeff Garlin, Michael Kosta, and Joe Rogan have become regulars at Hollywood Improv lately. Tickets can go quick for these shows, so it is important to plan ahead if these are acts you want to see. However, even when it’s not a recognizable name up on the stage, you can be assured that it will be a hilarious event.
The Comedy Store: The Comedy Store was started by the parents of legendary comedian Pauly Shore. Even though he has passed the height of his popularity since movies like Bio-Dome, Encino Man, and In the Army Now have faded into the past, he still has a lot of star power. Performers like Dave Chappelle, Gallagher, and Chris Rock have all performed here. It’s gone down as one of the hottest places to be in an already hot city.
Las Vegas
The Mirage: The Mirage is well known as a casino, but it also has a lot of performances throughout the year. Currently, comedian and ventriloquist Terry Fator is performing here. He was the winner of the show America’s Got Talent, and now has a residency set up at The Mirage. If you’ve seen him on TV, you know how funny he is. If you haven’t seen him yet, then get to it. The next time you’re in Vegas, he is one of the funniest acts you will ever see.