Last night, The Vanguard celebrated its second anniversary with a party. On top of the glorious sausages, quietly formidable selection of whiskey and bourbon, and $2 Pabst the Bay View restaurant offers customers year-round, the event promised specials, prizes, special guests, and surprises. We aren’t sure if he falls under the “special guest” or the “surprise” classification, but Kyle Kinane dropped in and performed a set.
Fresh off the release of his latest Comedy Central special, Loose In Chicago, the comedian made his first Milwaukee appearance since slaying at Turner Hall in May 2015. After that show, Kinane apparently ate at Vanguard, which helped establish the connection. This show was decidedly different. Around 11:45, Kinane emerged from the bar’s basement, where he said he’d been drinking during the Packers-Bears game. After being brought to the small makeshift stage, he battled occasional feedback, both from the monitors and people unaware they’d happened upon a comedy show.
He proceeded to do about 35 minutes, most of which was off the cuff, but with some material thrown in. He talked about the unending search for happiness, his friends who chide him for still renting, his love of renting (“Something’s broke? Fix it, anybody else! I’m like a little prince. Fix. My. Shit. Any. Body. Else.”), and how this year has been like a “very gradual rapture” with god assembling a magnificent concert.
“Fuck Trump becoming President,” Kinane started. “If the Cubs win the World Series, that’s the creator’s way of saying, ‘There you go. Aaaaand we’re out.’ The Cubs winning is the Series finale for humanity.”
It was shorter and less polished than his recent stops in the city, but who cares? Kyle Kinane performed a surprise set at a sausage place in Bay View. Vanguard couldn’t ask for a better way to celebrate two years in business.