Bo Burnham graced Wichita State’s Hughes Metroplex with his presence on Friday, pleasing more than 1,000 people with his crude humor and silly sing-a-long songs.  

Before Burnham took to the stage, freshman Hunter Taylor, winner of the Bo Burnham Emcee Auditions, prepared the crowd with his own jokes. Not only was his first live stand-up show in front of so many people, he got to open for Burnham and perform alongside Sy, a professional comedian with an impressive resume himself.

“Hunter did very well for his first performance,” freshman Erin Warry said. 

When the show started, he seemed nervous, but as the night progressed he opened up a little and seemed to become more comfortable on stage. His jabs at Burnham were playful, but were evenly humorous when Burnham poked back throughout his set.  

Sy was the second comedian who took the stage. He recently performed on Conan O’Brien.  As soon as he started talking about his wrongful arrest at Target, his strong, black husband and embarrassing allergy regimens, the crowd roared. 

There is nothing funnier than people getting the wrong impression of you while going through a checkout line, according to Sy. He said that real life is where the humor lies. 

When Burnham hit the stage, he started with a recorded song and boisterous theatrical performance. His use of voice-overs and back tracks really made the show, and accounted for the rolls of laughter and clapping from the audience. Burnham was highly interactive with the crowd, stopping between songs and jokes just to poke fun at someone or bring attention to people walking in and out of the theater.

Burnham seemed less offensive than his YouTube videos, and focused more on making fun of himself rather than certain groups of people. The show stretched on family friendly due to the use of profane language and sexual innuendos, but was much tamer than his Comedy Central special, “Words, Words, Words.” The Student Activities Council rated it for mature audiences due to the crass nature of many of the comedians’ jokes. 

Still, the show provided an entertaining evening for current fans or new listeners. 

“We actually had no idea what the show would be when we showed up,” senior Olivia Burress said. “A friend gave us the tickets. He was shocking but way funny. It was probably one of the better date nights I’ve been on.”

Burnham will not be back around these parts for a long time and is taking a break from touring. The only show he has schedule for the rest of the year is with Daniel Tosh in Portland, Ore., on Nov. 25.