Before Thursday night’s Student Government Association’s fall concert, I didn’t have high hopes.
The first time I heard the name Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias was when SGA announced the concert. I don’t even recall the name being on our concert poll last spring. I had never watched or listened to the comedian, though I did enjoy “Coco” in which he had a cameo.
For me, the concept of a comedian as the fall concert was underwhelming, and I think many students initially felt this way. In recent years, we have always had a concert in the fall and spring. We were used to rocking out to The All-American Rejects, Juicy J, Judah and the Lion and CAM entertaining us (I say CAM because Scotty McCreery was not the star of that show in my opinion).
I’ll admit it though: Fluffy really nailed his performance.
I’ve watched several Netflix comedy specials, but none of them were like Iglesias’ performance. There was so much production value to the show. The lights were incredible as he stepped onto the stage; it was like watching a rockstar enter. The stage was kept smoky the whole time like a concert, which really added an element of pizazz or showmanship.
Furthermore, the audience went crazy when he appeared, with almost everyone in the arena standing and cheering. Again, I wasn’t a Fluffy fan before the show and neither was my boyfriend who went with me, and we both were floored by the fans’ level of admiration for the comedian.
Furthermore, Iglesias did a great job of making his comedy personal by both talking about subjects specific to our community and interacting with the audience.
The comedian spoke about Pal’s Sudden Service and stopping to take a picture in front of one, and that may have been the biggest hit of the night for the Freedom Hall audience. He even admitted that he had seen photos of the franchise and thought the images were photoshopped.
Iglesias also took time to answer questions from audience members, which doesn’t seem like something most comedians would do as part of their set. And while his Q&A was of course informational, he kept it witty and even made jokes with his responses. That shows his real talent.
Additionally, the show opener, Alfred Robles, was great at warming up the audience. While he definitely didn’t get the rockstar reception that Iglesias did, it was hard not to enjoy his set. Robles’ stories really drew the audience in, and he had many people around me cackling over his jokes about cohabiting with his girlfriend.
I guess this is my apology to SGA and Fluffy. I doubted that I would enjoy the night and entered Freedom Hall ready to walk away disappointed and wishing for a musician, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the “Beyond the Fluffy” tour.
