Nothing was safe from snarky criticism when Jon Stewart took over Binghamton University’s Events Center, not even the Student Association programming board who booked Stewart.
“[They went] all out for the set,” Stewart said, poking fun at the stage design. “It’s a real sheet, isn’t it?”
Stewart performed Friday, March 27, to an audience of close to 5,000 people, a mix of students and local residents. Stewart, the host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” openly mocked everything in sight, from the city of Binghamton to the Events Center staffer seated in front of the stage.
But Aaron Butler, vice president for programming for the Student Association, said the stage was what Stewart had requested in his rider.
“In all honesty, when his management came to see the venue they said it was perfect,” Butler said.
Stewart wasn’t just unimpressed with the stage; he ripped on the Southern Tier as well.
“This place is kind of a shithole,” Stewart said, referring to the Greater Binghamton area. “There was nothing that I passed [on the three-hour ride from New York City] that I couldn’t milk.”
Vince DiGiulio, a senior biology major, said the limited amount of Stewart’s Binghamton material was fine.
“He’s obviously not familiar with the area, so the only way he can connect with us is through generalizations,” DiGiulio said, “which still do their job of making us laugh.”
Stewart’s talk, which lasted close to an hour and half, included hot news topics like the NCAA tournament, gay rights, the economy, drugs, teen violence, religion and, of course, politics. However, there was no mention of Stewart’s now-infamous feud with CNBC’s famous financial figurehead, Jim Cramer.
“I don’t think he had any sort of obligation to mention the feud,” DiGuilo said. “However, I think that would have been a great topic to spend time on, as opposed to the section on his computer troubles.”
Stewart poked fun at what he indicated was an irrational fear of homosexuality in the world, specifically by right-wing politicians who fear the sound of “a man’s balls slapping another man’s ass.”
“Who gives a shit?” Stewart added. “You can’t crazy-proof the world. You are who you are, you are what you are and you do what you do.”
Discussing President Barack Obama and the news coverage of America’s first black president, Stewart questioned why black people are tolerant of white people.
“I don’t know why black people are so nice to us,” he said. “We ruined everything nice they had.”
Karen Yee, a senior psychobiology major, said she was pleased with Stewart’s material overall.
“He got me on how he started the show,” Yee said. “Everything worked, from the cheap cloth the school used as ‘background,’ to the pinata, to religion, to his children.”
There was one sticking point, however. Yee said she was not pleased with his material on computer gaming and said it was “extremely graphic.”
Stewart’s performance at BU is one of the last of the school year besides Spring Fling. Despite the comic’s notoriety, the show failed to sell out.
DiGiulio said the ticket price of the show, $26 for students and $32 to $47 for the general public, may have been the cause.
“Twenty-six dollars is a lot to spend for a show featuring one act when he is not particularly well known for his stand-up. However, it is by no means unreasonable,” DiGiulio said. “He is a big name, and with that comes extra costs. I’m just glad the prices weren’t at all inflated paying for things like a curtain for the stage.”
Butler said he agreed $26 was a steep price for students, noting the recession as a reason why the show didn’t sell out.
“I thought it was going to sell out,” he said. “The timing, right before spring break, and nobody has been home to get money from their parents. I’m disappointed, but it was great. I’m very happy with the way things turned out. He did a great job; it was really funny.”
Stewart closed the event with a brief encore story about Sept. 11 and putting life into perspective. He said he was depressed for months after the terrorists attacks and just looked for signs of normalcy. This sign, strangely enough, came from a homeless man on his stoop.
The man was masturbating, Stewart said. Then he looked up at Stewart, and continued to masturbate. According to Stewart, that was the sign that life will go on.
“We’re going to be OK,” he said.