John Crist
Submitted photo from Shore Fire Media
LIMA — John Crist has been to nearly every city in Ohio except Lima.
That will change when he takes the stage for his next show on the “Jokes for Humans” tour at 7 p.m. Thursday at Veterans Memorial Civic Center, 7 Town Square.
“Our tour took us to probably 150 dates across the U.S. and we’ve probably been almost everywhere,” the comedian said. “The unique thing about performing in a city like this is if you go to Cincinnati, Dayton or even Toledo, people have driven from cities like Lima to see the show. I think the smaller the city, the better because the crowds are so appreciative and in awe so there is always good fun in that.”
Crist, famous for viral videos like “Honest Football Coach” and “Every Parent at Disney,” said everything in his show will feature completely new material.
“It’s the second weekend of the tour so it’s all fresh,” he said. “If it’s your first time seeing me, it’s nothing that you’ve ever seen on the internet. And if you’re wondering what it’s going to be about, look around and turn on the news. There are so many things going on in the world relating to dating, family, culture and religion so it’s good to all come and laugh together.”
That is exactly what Crist would want people to take away from his performance.
“Everybody is a lot more similar than they are different and we have a lot more good going than bad,” he said. “If you look on the internet, it can be depressing for a lot of people with politics the way they are, division and anger and certainly diseases of despair. And laughter is such a good medicine that I say it during the show: a lot of people come in here with issues, struggles and problems and you’re going to leave here tonight —and I pause for a second — and you’re going to leave here with the same problem, but you’re going to feel a lot better about your world and your neighbors and the people next to you.”
That kind of perspective is something that comes directly from how Crist was raised.
“People ask me all the time what I do and when I tell them I’m a comedian they ask what kind of jokes I tell,” he said. “My dad was a preacher so I grew up in church and was homeschooled outside of Atlanta so everyone wants to talk about everything that’s happening in the world through that lens. They want to hear about how I feel about parenting, the internet, social media, dating, relationships with your parents and going to church.”
For more information on John Crist, visit his website johncristcomedy.com.
For more information on the show or to purchase tickets, visit bit.ly/3zBl0bm.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.
