Comedy Show Review: Chris Tucker - Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood

Disclosure: I was invited to see Chris Tucker’s comedy show in exchange for this post. All opinions here are my own.

Comedian and actor Chris Tucker emerged onstage at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood in an all-black suit with a tiger striped jacket and black sneakers. Looking as dapper as ever, he showcased Michael Jackson-esque dance moves to Bruno Mars’s “24K Magic”. He feigned a cramp after, saying “I’m 50, I can’t move like I used to [sic]. You should’ve stopped me.”

After joking about cramping more as one ages, Tucker claimed he was wearing track sneakers to outrun anyone who came onstage. “It will be Rush Hour 4 to anyone who comes up here,” he said, performing karate moves. Making a reference to the Dave Chappelle performance where an audience member came onstage and attacked him, Tucker made another reference to an unwanted stage appearance: the 2022 Oscars. “Chris Rock and I have the same name — people thought I was the one who got slapped,” he joked, adding that his family got phone calls asking how he was doing.

Like most comedians that come down to Hollywood, Tucker poked fun at the atmosphere. “I saw a man trying to outrun cops in handcuffs,” he said before running and flinging himself on the floor, kicking his legs. “You guys have funny crime stories down here.”

The Florida sun was also a target of Tucker’s jokes. “It’s so hot, I saw the devil in the pool down here…I don’t even see birds fly down here, they walk! They say, ‘it’s too hot to fly, I’m going in the pool with the devil.’”

Tucker’s show contained spot-on impressions of public figures, including late friend Michael Jackson, Al Gore, Donald Trump, Barry Gibbs, and Bill Clinton, arguably his best impersonation of all. No one was safe from Tucker’s jokes — not even himself. “I bought two houses next to each other,” said the comedian about his poor spending habits. “I was borrowing things from myself,” he added before asking himself to borrow sugar in a neighborly fashion. Tucker also sprinkled in a few jokes about the alleged money he owes the IRS.

Tucker further showcased his immense talent with French, Italian, and British accents when speaking about his travels. What was more impressive, however, was his singing voice. From R Kelly to Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson to Prince, Tucker proved once again he was the king of imitation. The audience applauded and sang along, transforming the comedy show into a mini-concert.

Even his low-brow material caused the audience to erupt in laughter. On the subject of truly knowing someone’s sleeping habits before you wed, Tucker made a wide array of fart noises, naming them different wars. “Vietnam,” said Tucker before quickening up the brief pause between “farts”. This followed the Civil War, which had a slower pace of fart noises.

Tucker’s religion came into play as he joked about hiding his cross necklace while traveling in Saudi Arabia from the “religion police” who were killing those who showcased their beliefs. On a more serious note, he asked the audience members to pray for R Kelly, who was recently sentenced to 30 years in prison and Trump, whose wife died hours before the show.

Despite conflicting political and religious beliefs, Tucker’s performance brought audience members under one roof for the same reason: to laugh. And at a time when the nation is as divided as ever, it was much needed, even if only for a mere two hours.