Some of the best audiences a comedian could ever ask for are in the midwestern United States.  Unlike many of the "City Audiences" who look upon stand-up comedy with a take-it-or-leave-it attitude, the crowds in the midwest always seem genuinely excited to be at the show.  Not only that, but they often make the show a big event, with even a Wednesday night gig in the middle of nowhere feeling like a huge party that everyone has been inivted to attend.

That said, I typically spend March of every year touring throughout the "flyover states" in the middle of the country.  It's always the perfect time to be there, it seems, because the ten feet of snow has melted, yet it's still cold enough to get people into a comedy club.  Once summer kicks in, the people find nice things to do outdoors and the clubs stuggle to keep going until autumn brings everyone back for more laughs.

As much as the midwestern tour is fun and rewarding, it can be a bit of a drag at times.  See, it's not the kind of tour where I can slide into town on a Wednesday and be back home on Sunday.  When traveling through the midwest, I'm so far from home at any given point that it makes sense to go ahead and book a full month at a time.  For about five straight years, I haven't even seen my apartment on St. Patrick's Day.  Since I'm not working every day of the week, that leaves me sitting in random hotels on the off nights, often in little towns I've never heard of where there is nothing to do.  The weekends fly by, with huge crowds laughing at every single line I say...but the early weekdays seem to be nothing but boredom and endless cornfields.

So, imagine how nice it was when, in the middle of a tour from Illinois to South Dakota, I was offered a last-minute gig in the fine city of Minneapolis.  Not only was the money good, but it offered me the chance to spend a night in one of the coolest cities in the country.  On top of that, I was getting a paid night in a three-star hotel instead of putting myself up in some "ma and pa" shack in the middle of nowhere.  As luck would have it, Minneapolis was on my way to South Dakota anyway, making the trip much easier altogether.  I quickly accepted the offer, no questions asked.