Review: Dave Chappelle showered local fans with love in St. Paul show

Dave Chappelle has put on better Twin Cities shows. But his Feb. 16 appearance at Grand Casino Arena was his most comforting one.

On the heels of other famous comics postponing visits to the area due to the ICE surge, Chappelle arrived to entertain a community when it needed it most.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner,” he said near the top of a nearly one-hour set. “But you didn’t need me!”

Maybe, maybe not. Chappelle, who had turned in two more intimate shows at Varsity Theater the night before, made fans feel like they were getting a reward for showing so much backbone in the last few months and supporting their immigrant neighbors.

He wondered if the people in Springfield, Ohio, near his hometown, would be able to show the same nerve if and when federal agents conduct similar raids there.

“I don’t have as much faith in the whites of Springfield as I do in the whites of Minneapolis,” said Chappelle, who has frequently cited the city as one of his favorite places in the world.

The appreciation started before Chappelle even hit the stage.

The pair only delivered seven songs, all to backing tracks, but they poured so much energy into the rhymes that it felt like a full concert rather than the 20-minute set that it was.

Before DJ Trauma brought out the main event, there was a 1996 clip from “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in which she asked Prince why he remained in Minneapolis.

“It’s so cold, it keeps the bad people out,” Prince told her.

Chappelle then emerged in a sleeveless Purple Rain T-shirt and launched into a mix of old and new bits that reminded you why he remains one of comedy’s most celebrated figures.

He largely avoided jokes about transgender people, territory that has triggered controversy and protests in the past. But he was far from timid when it came to joking about other groups.

The truth is most of his material was wrapped in affection. The one exception was his frequent use of a derogatory term for gay people that was dated and unnecessary.

But for the most part, Chappelle was on good behavior — or on what passes for good behavior for a comic who thrives on pushing buttons. There was a hilarious routine on looking at “Raiders of the Lost Ark” with fresh eyes and another on how he tried to get Will Smith and Chris Rock to hug it out on “Saturday Night Live.”

His chain smoking may be a nasty habit, but his cigarettes were great props as he used the puff pauses to aid his impeccable timing. He punctuated punchlines by slapping the mic against his leg, his version of a drummer snapping a rimshot.

But this was mostly a night about honoring the Twin Cities, something he also did in 2021 in the wake of George Floyd’s murder when he surprised a Target Center audience with a mini-concert from Usher and Justin Bieber.

There were less big names this time around, but the evening was just as satisfying.