The Polarizing Comedian Opened At Country Artist Zach Bryan’s Stadium Show In Indiana
“I don’t know, this is a crazy decision,” stated comedian Shane Gillis as he took the stage as the opening act for country artist Zach Bryan. “This is Zach’s idea.”
Presently, Zach Bryan is on his The Quittin Time Tour, which has been playing stadiums across the country.
Stopping in Indiana to play at the Notre Dame Stadium on September 6, the announcement of the pairing of Shane and Zach was largely seen as an interesting idea, albeit a perplexing one.
Would the mixture of the performative mediums of comedy and live music be received well by an audience?
Shane Gillis Does Stand-Up For 80,000 People
Following a performance by Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy, comedian Shane Gillis was next in line.
Going on just before Zach Bryan, he reportedly did a 30-minute set, with subjects ranging from high school football to a trip he once made as a child to Notre Dame.
Kicking things off, Shane shared that not only was this lineup Zach’s idea, but Zach also asked Shane if he wanted to do his set before or after Zach’s.
Shane’s off-color response got some strong laughs, and Shane continued by noting that he had seen a post from a Zach Bryan fan who was unfamiliar with Gillis’ brand of stand-up.
“‘I’m bringing my 10-year-old son to the show, and he’s very excited, but I’ve never heard of the Shane Gillis guy,’” Shane recalled. “‘Do you think I could let my son see it?’”
Shane then gleefully reported that the top comment was, “‘No!’”
Shane Gillis rose to mainstream notoriety amid his hiring in 2019 as a featured cast member of Saturday Night Live, which was swiftly followed by him being fired before his first appearance on the late night sketch comedy show.
His firing was largely attributed to an impression he had done of an Asian on his podcast, Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast, which he cohosts with comedian Matt McCusker.
Since then, Shane has been a reoccurring guest on Joe Rogan’s podcast and has continued making waves in comedy for his decidedly politically incorrect humor.
Watch Shane Gillis’ opening remarks at the Zach Bryan show, here (viewer discretion advised due to foul language):
Shane Gillis also joined Zach Bryan on stage as Zach performed “Revival.” See the humorous moment, here:
@oklahomanoutlaw Shane Gillis joined Zach Bryan on stage for ‘Revival’ last night at Notre Dame Stadium! #ZachBryan #ShaneGillis #zachbryannotredame #zachbryanconcert #notredamestadium ♬ original sound – Oklahoman Outlaw
Responses To Shane Gillis Opening For Zach Bryan
The Observer, which is an independent paper covering happenings at Notre Dame, covered the Zach Bryan show at Notre Dame Stadium, and it quoted two attendees who had differing feelings on the inclusion of Shane Gillis.
One attendee, named Kirra Halfman, noted she had seen Zach last summer, but enjoyed what Shane’s presence brought to the show, saying, “I feel like the atmosphere was just a lot better at this one. I really like how we had Shane Gillis as an opener … knowing he was such a huge fan [of Notre Dame], it was cool to watch somebody fulfill their dreams.”
Another attendee, named Andrew Severino, told The Observer, “I like Shane Gillis and most of his jokes but I think he’s at his best when he’s like making fun of himself, I’m not a fan of ‘mean jokes’ and I feel like being mean doesn’t align with Catholic values.”
Online, comments were divided as well, with one commenter writing, “I was there…can confirm! It slapped!”
Still, others said comments like this, “This is barely funny. Low hanging fruit banter.”