International comedian Russell Peters had a little fun in Windsor on Saturday night (Nov. 19). Not only did the iconic Canadian funny man headline a sold-out Caesars Windsor Colosseum with his Act Your Age World Tour, he popped into Turbo Espresso Bar after the show for a little Hip-Hop DJ action.
His comedy is known for using light racial stereotypes, especially his own Indian background, but tonight he let loose on just about every race, colour, creed and background imaginable – and that was just in the first five minutes. There was a lot of US humour for the Americans in the crowd as well. He’s quite funny, and according to the 5,000 plus at the show, his humour is totally acceptable, because it’s relatable and not insulting. But we all knew that going in.
His humour makes us laugh at ourselves. In this show he takes on aging, world affairs, and cancel culture, among other things.
I found myself laughing harder at the white references, while the others laughed more at references to their own cultures. That’s what separates Peters from the raunchy comedians that thrive on racist jokes. He plays with the crowd and laughs WITH the crowd, not at it. It’s a win-win scenario and a moment for all of us to step away from the cancel society he speaks about – as soon as we walk out those Casino doors, you’ll see it, hear it and feel it in your everyday life.
In some ways, a Russell Peters show is a bit like a heavy metal concert. It’s not how we live our every day lives – we let our freak flags fly a little, sing about things that we don’t usually sing about and when we go back home, we return to our regularly scheduled programs.
Peters always takes us through life using the eyes of his parents, relatives, friends, and fans, and uses his travels throughout the world to spark conversation. For this tour he’s headed around the world, including some upcoming shows in Asia and Australia.
We all need a good escape from the torments and realities of life and Russell Peters is as good an excuse as there is. With more than 60 comments on a Caesars Windsor post about the show, fans are raving about it – Tammy Kelly wrote “Fricking hilarious”; Stephanie Wasilewski-Johnson wrote “Thank you for the good laugh!!!”; and Kathy Melanson chimed in “Russell had me and my friend laughing the whole time he was on stage!!! Thanks for the great show.”
Later that night, Peters could be found spinning records and mixing beats at Turbo Espresso Bar. He obviously has a passion for rap and hip-hop and his old-school turntable skills were fun for those in attendance.
For more about Russell Peters, visit https://www.russellpeters.com.
Russell Peters
Caesars Windsor
Windsor, ON
November 19, 2022
All photos by Dan Savoie
