This was our last show with Josh. We didn't know that at the time. If
I had, I would have  made a bigger deal out of it. Josh and I had 
been performing together since 1988 in high school. I didn't 
know this would be it. Had I known I would have relished playing the
god-forsaken "Uke song" a little more. We did 2 shows this night, 
which was insane. We even had an opening act.  I can't remember his 
name for the life of me. I'm sorry if you're reading this. He was a 
very cool guy who dug us.

Gag has talked extensively about this show for years. It was VERY 
talky. There was little or no physical humor in this show. This show 
was half Steve gets crazy and pisses off Dale.  This show contained 
France (Royale With Cheese), Ice cream Training and Me and Hootie. 
Hootie in particular sucked terribly. By the time it came around, 
the audience had listened to an hour and a half of solid dialouge. 
This show also debuted two of our classics, Flash and Stereotypes. 
It also contained Dan's first line ever. In 
the one really "different" sketch that I remember , "Sketch 13", Josh, 
Dale and Steve sit on stage and begin the sketch. It's looking
like another Steve Vs. ? sketch when some one blows a line. The 
scene then turns into a parody of Apollo 13 which had just come 
out that summer. Dan's only line was screamed from the control 
booth where he was running lights,

"Not the blackout." 

(Slight echoes of "I just asked for some more ice.")

At the end of the night we played Auld Lang Syne at midnight. 
It was my first New Year's show and I stayed on stage and 
neglected to kiss my girlfriend at Midnight. Christ did I catch 
hell for that. 

My last images of that night are illuminated in a nostalgic/champagne 
haze. Josh standing on stage taking requests, playing the first 
few bars of any song and then turning it into the NA NA NA part of 
Hey Jude. (I think that started because that's how Blow Me ended and 
our version of Auld Lang Syne).

Unbeknownst to us an era was ending. Within a year we'd lose a 
Janet, gain a Mo and move into a new golden era....where I ruled. 
Not really but it seemed like a dramatic end. 

- Eric

***********

These shows marked the end of another era: our association with Mitch, the
guy who ran The Comedy Revue.

Enss Mitchell had pretty much decided to keep going when Fox Valley's "Laugh
Factory" closed. He moved the club into downtown Aurora, renamed it "The
Comedy Revue" (there's an exciting name) and allowed us to perform between
opening acts on the grand opening night in Sept. of '94. We opened for Rich
Hall that night.

On Dec. 31 of the following year, Mitch's dream came to an abrupt end. He
had been speaking with us about performing there regularly on Sunday nights
or late weekend shows and at that point, I believe Josh was gung-ho on the
possibility of sticking around. We were all psyched. After the second show,
as we watched Mitch count out the cash and pay us (it was a lucrative night
for everyone; selling out 2 shows) he informed us that this was the last
performance at the club; he was closing the joint and moving to California.

So within a little over a year, we went from opening act to headliners with
our OWN opening act. That's always made me proud. I also remember the guy
who opened for us DRAMATICALLY changing the tone of his routine for the
second show, becoming TOTALLY filthy and reaping TONS of laughs. And the
Hootie sketch wasn't THAT bad. But I wouldn't do it again. Hey -- Hootie was
a white guy. And say what you want about Mitch (not a white guy) ... he
never gave up on us as an opportunity to make him some quick cash and he
always thought we were funny.

- Dale

********
There is one more thing that should be mentioned about this show. Eric
mentioned he and Josh onstage afterward, singing songs. That was the
beginning of the tradition of the after-show, show. From that point on, we
always did a long encore, taking requests, singing out entire songbook. That
has become part of the New Year's tradition. And I have to keep correcting
Eric on this, so, here goes again: HOOTIE DID NOT SUCK!! It wasn't great,
and it didn't go over very well, but it didn't suck. But the France (the
Royale with Cheese sketch) didn't go over so well, either, and it should
have. Also, how nice of Eric not to mention how I went up badly on the lines
to Flash (which I think I now do in my sleep) the first time through, and
just stood there on stage, wiggling my pelvis Elvis-style, going, "yeah ...
yeah ... yeah" while I tried to remember the lines.

- Steve