Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus Comedy Tour

Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus was a stand-up comedy tour hosted by American radio personalities Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia that featured a roster of comedians from their radio show, Opie and Anthony. There were three editions of the tour between 2006 and 2008; the first consisted of 4 dates, the second had 8 dates, and the third consisted of a single show.[1]

Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus
Stand-up comedy tour by Opie and Anthony
Start dateAugust 5, 2006
End dateSeptember 2, 2008
Legs3
No. of shows13

History

By 2006, Hughes and Cumia, plus comedian Jim Norton on third mic, had been hosting Opie and Anthony on the uncensored subscription-based satellite radio service XM for over a year, from New York City. In April 2006, following the cancellation of The David Lee Roth Show, the pair signed a deal with CBS Radio to simulcast the first half of the show on several of its terrestrial radio stations. Their deal with CBS allowed them to receive the green-light for the tour,[2] ideas for which took shape in the following weeks and artist representative Peter Pappalardo was hired as the tour's organiser.[3] Hughes and Cumia originally envisaged a package comedy tour with several comedians that were regular guests on the radio show, plus theatrical elements. Pappalardo tried to incorporate as many suggestions that the hosts and local promoters had come up with, and sold the tour as "an anything goes type of atmosphere" while adhering to local laws.[3] Each stop on the tour featured the O&A Village, a series of exhibits and attractions including women giving back rubs while dressed in nurse outfits, booths designed by fans of the show, and a "petting zoo" featuring show regulars such as Twitchels and Stalker Patty.[3] The Boston Globe described the tour as "a moving festival more comparable to Lollapalooza or Ozzfest than a typical stand-up event."[3]

Tours

2006
Rich Vos performing at the 2006 tour

The first ran for four dates in August and September 2006, and was billed as The Comedy Event of 2006. The second date, held on August 26 at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, broke the record for the best selling comedy show at the venue previously held by Jay Leno.[4] The tour is noted for the show in Philadelphia, where Bill Burr went on a 12-minute tirade attacking the audience after the previous comedian, Dom Irrera, was heckled heavily by the crowd.[5] Video of the rant was filmed by an audience member and was subsequently posted on various platforms, including YouTube. The video was a bonus feature on Burr's comedy special Why Do I Do This?, released on DVD in 2008.[6]

2007

The 2007 tour kicked off with one show in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 14. An additional seven shows were announced for the summer, which started on June 16, one day following the show's month-long suspension from XM Satellite Radio for the Homeless Charlie incident.[7] Burr turned down an invitation to perform on the 2007 tour due to the relentless booing, saying "I earned my Purple Heart" on the last one.[7]

2008

In 2008, plans to stage a full tour were cancelled in favor of a single show at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, on August 2, 2008.[8] Two days later, Hughes and Cumia announced on the air that the tour would no longer continue, due to the booing that newcomer Mike Birbiglia received when he appeared on stage. Hughes revealed that Dave Attell and Jimmy Fallon turned down an offer to perform due to the hostile crowds.[9]

Tour dates and line-ups

Dates

Line-up
Comedian Show 1 Show 2 Show 3 Show 4 Show 5 Show 6 Show 7 Show 8 Show 9 Show 10 Show 11 Show 12 Show 13
Bill Burr X X X X
Bob Kelly X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Bob Saget X X X X X X X X X X
Carlos Mencia X X X
Dom Irrera X
Frank Caliendo X X X X
Greg Giraldo X X
Jim Breuer X X
Jim Norton X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Jimmy Shubert X
Joe Rogan X
Louis C.K. X X X X X X
Mike Birbiglia X X
Mike Destefano X X
Otto & George X X X X X X X X X X X
Patrice O'Neal X X X X X X X X X X X
Ralphie May X X X
Rich Vos X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Rick Shapiro X
Stephen Lynch X X X X
Tracy Morgan X X X

References
  1. Exclusive: Dates for Opie and Anthony Travelling Virus Comedy Tour leak
  2. "Opie & Anthony: Something Wickedly Funny This Way Comes". Archived from the original on 2015-02-17. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  3. Zaino III, Nick A. (August 4, 2006). "Shock-jock radio hits the road". The Boston Globe. p. D2. Retrieved October 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Opie & Anthony Comedy Tour A Hit". Friday Morning Quarterback. August 14, 2006. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  5. The Mouth That Roared: Q&A With Comedian Bill Burr, The Man Who Told Philadelphia To Go F*ck Itself, Hard, And Lived To Tell
  6. Bill Burr
  7. McCarthy, Sean L. (June 15, 2007). "Comedians tour with Opie & Anthony, take two". The Comics Comic. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  8. 970 AM's lineup could be all the talk
  9. Hinkley, David (August 5, 2008). "970 AM's lineup could be all the talk". New York Daily News. p. 68. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  10. Barenaked Ladies are making 16 multi-track studio recordings for their new single, "Easy," available for paid download from their...
  11. Opie and Anthony bring their tour to Mohegan Sun
  12. Review: Comedians tear up Opie and Anthony tour stop at Tweeter
  13. Opie and Anthony Traveling Virus Detroit Michigan
  14. Opie and Anthony Traveling Virus Comedy Tour at Jiffy Lube Live
  15. Opie And Anthony's Travelling Virus at PNC Bank Arts Center
  16. Sick comedy infects Philadelphia
  17. Summer concert schedule for PNC Bank Arts Center announced
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