The charm of Ali Wong comes from her deliriously funny, but vulgar comedy shows.
After experimenting with stand-up comedy after high school, Wong started to gain fame following her first Netflix special “Baby Cobra,” released in 2016. Her second Netflix special, “Hard Knock Wife,” was released in 2018.
Since then, Wong started her “Milk & Money” tour through the United States, most recently visiting Salt Lake City on Sunday.
The venue, Abravanel Hall, was packed full to the brim with excited fans. It was a “no phone” show, so unfortunately pictures and videos were not allowed.
Upon entering the hall, loud rap music replaced the usual sounds of classical music. At the center of the big stage stood a stool and microphone. People kept filing in as the show was about to start. I’m pretty sure all 2,811 seats were full that night.
The opening act was Taiwanese-American stand-up comedian Sheng Wang, who has performed on Comedy Central and “2 Dope Queens.” His act was hilarious, pointing out several aspects of aging and how people know they’ve stopped caring after buying their first pair of pants at Costco.
After Wang’s act, it was finally Wong’s turn. Despite her short stature, she strutted confidently onstage. Wearing a signature bodycon dress, her distinctive voice yelled out, “Hello, Salt Lake City!”
“My manager begged me not to do my show on a Sunday in Salt Lake City,” she started off. “But I believed in all of you guys.”
Living up to her famed Netflix specials, Wong continued to spout off profane jokes, stopping occasionally to lift her dress to bring a shock factor. She talked about the unfairness between female and male comedians, Utah’s Chinatown, how men are scared women are becoming the breadwinners, and cheating — a lot of jokes about cheating.
“Six years ago, I begged my then-boyfriend to propose to me every day. Present-day me is like, ‘Who was that?’” she said. “I envy all of you single people, because you are all so FREE.”
Joke after joke, Wong went strong for an hour. If I could list all the jokes, I would. However, most of them would not be appropriate.
The audience gave Wong a standing ovation as she danced off the stage. Her husband, Justin Hakuta, was selling posters and her merchandise at a table outside of the hall.
Would I pay $50 to see her again? Yes, no doubt. If you want to check out her comedy specials, they are available on Netflix.
