Bert Kreischer

A bit of a different entry for the concert log — this one's a comedy show, not a band. Bert Kreischer's Permission to Party tour rolled through PPG Paints Arena, and we grabbed tickets at the last minute and decided to make a night of it. Went with Mike and his girlfriend, which made it the perfect kind of show to go to on a whim.

Stopped at Mad Mex in Robinson on the way in. If you've been, you know — big margaritas, big burritos, exactly the kind of pre-show meal you want before a Bert Kreischer set. Got out the door, fought the usual Friday-night Pittsburgh traffic into the city, and rolled into PPG just in the nick of time.

We had seats in the First Niagara Club, which was a nice surprise for last-minute tickets — comfortable, good sightlines to the stage, and the kind of section where you can actually settle in for a long set. We sat down just as the openers were wrapping up and Bert was about to come out, so the timing worked out exactly right, even if it wasn't planned that way.

Bert is Bert. The guy is a force on stage — pacing, sweating, shirt-off-by-the-end, telling stories that build and build until the whole arena is howling. The crowd was completely on his side from the first minute, which is how it always seems to go at his shows. An arena full of people drinking and laughing for two hours is hard to beat as a Friday night.

Not the kind of show I plan months in advance, but exactly the kind of night that turns out memorable when you say yes to last-minute tickets and good friends.