It’s been nearly 20 years since I first saw The Kids in the Hall television show, which quickly became my favorite of all time. Finally, this past weekend, I got a chance to see them live when their “Live As We’ll Ever Be” tour blazed through downtown Los Angeles at the Orpheum Theater. My expectations were high, and this Canadian quintet didn’t disappoint.
     The show opened up with a hilarious video clip (“Rape Kevin”):

     Live sketches from The Kids followed that had me crying and uncontrollably giggling. Highlights included an appearance by Buddy Cole (Scott Thompson). He delivered one of his famous monologues, this time about how Jesus was a homosexual. The Chicken Lady (Mark McKinney) waddled out to have phone sex. Cathie (McCulloch) had a heart-to-heart with Kathie (Thompson) about the new fabulous “meth diet” she’s on. Even Gavin (“this kid at school . . .”) made the stage, bursting with excitement when a couple Jehovah’s Witnesses showed up on his doorstep. David Foley worked his “time machine” at separate points throughout the show to his advantage (like turning back the clock to last call so he could get another beer). Kevin MacDonald serenaded the crowd with a half-written song convincingly “improvised” on the spot.
     But my favorite piece of the night was the Gut Spigot, where McCulloch and McKinney portray traveling salesman giving their infomercial-type pitch for the “Gut Spigot.” The duo strutted boldly around the stage, posing every few seconds in stances of masculinity and contemplation, enthusiastically hawking the miracle of the Gut Spigot to their potential customers. (Click here for the transcript).
     Overall it was a night I will never forget. Witnessing the genius of The Kids in the Hall in person is something every fan should do. The quality of material and execution of their performances are still fresh and vibrant after all these years. The Kids haven’t lost a step or become stale; instead they’re still raising the bar. Hopefully they continue to tour so more people can have the opportunity to experience their talents live like I did.
     The full sketch rundown is available here. Also, more photos of the “Live As We’ll Ever Be” tour are at the Flickr tour photo pool. But before you go there, check out this new clip (“Car Fuckers”) that was unveiled on the tour (presumably to help give The Kids a mid-show break):