About 2 million monthly listeners, a busy Bell Center, a tour of Europe, multiple Comedy Podcast of the Year at Gala des Oliviers – Mike Ward added the Videotron Center to his list on Saturday night when more than 11,000 worshipers attended the recording of an episode of Mike Ward Under Listening.
After a video montage tracing the history of the podcast since its inception in 2011, Mike Ward, imaged as a boxer, entered from the back of the room to a standing ovation.
He then climbed into his ring to the cheers of the crowd. With a beer in hand and a smile on his face, he settled into his throne before proving to everyone once again that he’s the king of French-language podcasts.
guests of honor
He received his guests, who were still unknown to the audience, at a table before he entered the stage. To the delight of the roaring audience, he first received his co-moderator Jean-Thomas Jobin, who accompanied him onto the stage.
Comedian Christine Morency, who for a few years was on TV, radio and pretty much everywhere, followed the ball and sat down at the table in a dress with “penis bouquets”, as she loves her humor.
Thomas Levac is well known in the world of humor and was recognized in the 2021 Gala des Oliviers in the Unscripted Humorous Podcast of the Year category. He also debuted alongside Christine Morency.
With its arguments about sexuality, autism and other rather raw topics, the quartet should have caused a lot of laughter among the around 11,000 spectators on Saturday evening, who got their money’s worth.
However, Mike Ward managed to avoid excess or more sensitive topics by once again leading the evening with an iron fist, as he has done so well in over 400 episodes now.
PASCAL HUOT/QMI AGENCY
alcohol flows
The biggest star on the scene, however, was the alcohol, which prompted both some confessions and comic moments reminiscent of Jean-Thomas Jobin’s viral fall at the Bell Center last year.
This anecdote was also an integral part of the evening. The latter then publicly announced that he would no longer abuse alcohol as much as he had in Montreal.
However, in order to send the device back to him, the public made a fuss of booing him every time he spoke until he caught a shooter.
Christine Morency also indulged herself, stringing drinks together and even asking for the bottle of rum to be brought to her table.
The crowd also indulged in alcohol, it being almost rare to see viewers without a glass in hand and if they hadn’t it certainly wouldn’t have stopped them from having a good time.
One member of the audience had quite the experience when he was invited by Mike Ward to stand up for a few minutes, a moment he will no doubt remember for the rest of his life.
The evening finally came to a close when the comedian was presented with his Guinness World Records plaque for entering the world record books and selling the most tickets for a podcast recording a year ago. The Bell Center was then filled to bursting on this historic evening.
“It touches me so much, tonight we’re just over 11,000, it’s only the third time a podcast has been recorded in front of so many people. “Thank you,” Mike Ward opened up.
“I started doing comedy in the ’90s and I didn’t think I would have such a long career,” he concluded, likely pleased with the evening.
A well heated crowd
Though his performance only lasted a few minutes, young Étienne Moore, who is currently making waves on TikTok, received a good dose of love and laughter as the curtain rose by stringing together a few little jokes.
Then he gave way to Josiane Aubuchon, a humorist who certainly deserves to be better known. The Next Stand-up Season 2 contestant was certainly a huge revelation to many in the amphitheater, who had a great time in her company and listened to her hilarious life stories.
The Denis Drolets have finally completed this first part in the best possible way. When the viewers in the Videotron Center heard the famous “Rince Crème” sound, they were already convinced. They also proceeded to produce an episode of their podcast, which is already well known and loved by the public.
PASCAL HUOT/QMI AGENCY
Despite some problems with the screens above the stage that necessitated the use of the jumbotron, the audience couldn’t have been fired up any better. This technical problem will also have allowed Josiane Aubuchon to gain a few more minutes on stage and not only win the love of the audience.