Pete Holmes
Disconcerting fact about Pete Holmes: he voices the baby on those irritating E-Trade commercials. Other than that, though, he’s a pretty engaging comedian who seems comfortable in his neurotic skin. Unlike his glum, lethargic peers, Holmes sweats for his jokes, yukking it up and welcoming his audience into a progressively more interactive set. On his 2011 album, Impregnated With Wonder, he comes across as a 32-year-old white male bitterly shaking his fist at a broken world—then realizing he’s only got 32-year-old-white-male problems and making fun of himself because it’s the right thing to do. Holmes’s animated, sometimes exasperated material touches on having to pretend to like museums and how Facebook has gone out of its way to make privacy uncool. His ability to seem genuinely verklempt with each joke—completely shocked by society’s conventions—hooks us; we help him build his shoddy bridge of logic and cross it with him, laughing and nodding and thinking, “Yes, you’re right, Pete, having Google on smartphones really is ruining lives.” Fri-Sat 10/5-10/6, 8 and 10 PM, Lincoln Lodge, 4008 N. Lincoln, 773-251-1539, thelincolnlodge.com, $15.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
When I saw Kinane at Just for Laughs this summer, he was in heavy futility mode, because if you’re a self-admitted mess—”first-generation white trash,” he says—the happy times are inevitably followed by dark consequences. Kinane plays with and pokes at that irony. 11/15-11/18: Thu and Sun 8 PM, Fri-Sat 8 and 10:30 PM, Up Comedy Club, 230 W. North, 312-662-4562, upcomedyclub.com, $20.
Best Bets: Theater | Comedy | Dance | Visual Art | Lit | Film | Music
Ones to Watch: Theater | Comedy | Dance | Visual Art | Lit | Film | Music
Fall Arts Calendar: An event for each of the season’s 80 days
