Trevor Noah took the stage at Eastman Theatre’s Kodak Hall Sept. 27 and delivered a 90-minute stand-up comedy routine that touched on American healthcare, MRI machines that resemble microwaves, and what he characterized as the “Eff around and find out” attitude of the federal government.
His routine had the 2,300 people at Eastman Theatre’s Kodak Hall laughing throughout.
“My favorite joke of the night was when he did an impression of the MRI just because it was so ridiculously accurate,” senior Maggie Beer said. “I had tears coming out of my eyes.”
It was the second time the former host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” headlined Meliora Weekend, where he last performed in 2016.
The anticipation surrounding the event, however, left some fans disappointed. Tickets this time around went for $15 apiece for students and ranged from $30 to $45 for non-students. They were issued in two waves — both of which sold out within 48 hours — according to the Office of Alumni Relations and Constituent Engagement, which organized the event. More than 800 people joined the waitlist.
“I found it a little bit ironic that for somebody who has been advertised as headlining the event, the chances of somebody getting to see the ‘headliner’ were actually pretty small,” said first-year Gaurav Barve, a fan who was unable to get a ticket.
Wil Sylvince, an actor, screenwriter, and stand-up comedian, opened for Noah. Sylvince’s set took the audience through his life from growing up with Haitian parents to majoring in electromechanical engineering in college.
Noah, who took the stage with a cast on his arm, entered to rapturous applause from the audience that did not abate until he walked off.
The 41-year-old Noah has been an A-List celebrity since rising to prominence as the successor to Jon Stewart as host of “The Daily Show” in 2015, where he remained until 2022. Since leaving his perch at “The Daily Show,” he has hosted five successive Grammy Awards, and has continued touring as a stand-up comedian while running his podcast, “What Now? with Trevor Noah.”
He opened his set at Kodak Hall with some light-hearted teasing of the sign language interpreter, a bit that paralleled a moment from his previous Meliora Weekend appearance, then launched into a series of quips about his experience with American healthcare, noting the injury to his arm.
“I didn’t know you could get hurt playing pickleball,” Noah said.
He talked about the MRI he had following his injury, describing the machine as a “human microwave” with the “voice of God, but God doesn’t like you.”
Noah then joked about the expense of American healthcare, and how despite the cost of his cast, it was all worth it to get patted down and “intimate” with a Transportation Security Administration agent.
He acknowledged his “Rochester friends” and the city’s rich history, particularly surrounding Kodak and the novelty of disposable cameras.
“You will never get better than what Kodak came out with,” Noah said. “It meant something.”
Noah finished off his set with an impression of President Donald Trump that weaved in puns about protecting public toilets and an imaginary alien invasion. He described the United States as the only “first world country with third world problems.”
As the crowd exited Eastman, many people were smiling, laughing, and recounting Noah’s skits.
“It was a great show and I’m so glad I got the chance to go,” first-year Phoebe Hamblett said. “I think he was the best comedian I’ve seen.”
