This BYOB trolley tour is turning Philly into a moving comedy club

All aboard for various laughs You can now check out iconic Philly sites on a historic trolley but instead of a guide stand-up comedians take the mic Billy Penn headed to the new Stand-Up and Drink BYOB Trolley Tour from Punch Line Philly and Founding Footsteps on its inaugural weekend last Saturday The tour is seasonal and will run through May every Friday and Saturday at p m I really love these shows stated Seamus Millar a manager at Founding Footsteps Miller is also a stand-up comedian and hosted our show The comics seem to like them and the people seem to like them as well I feel like we all get to bond over being in this intimate setting Fair warning this alcohol-fueled trolley tour is only for adults over On the night we attended the material was often blue ranging from sex work to huffing nitrous balloons Our ride s lineup featured local comedians Nicole Phoenix Shane O Connor Meg Goetz and Jon Delcolo Attendees boarded the vintage car and soon we were off The crowd was a mix of visitors and locals with bags full of alcoholic seltzers and beers Comedian Meg Goetz preforms on the stand-up trolley Photo by Hector Nu ez I just think this is one of the funnest shows in Philly disclosed Goetz whose set included bits on engagement confusion and paranormal activity You drink a little bit You laugh a lot and I feel really connected with everybody on it Comedy shows are live and invariably involve a certain back and forth with the audience maybe there s a heckler or someone has an extra loud laugh The trolley however adds an extra element to the show because the city itself becomes part of the performance During Goetz set we passed different distractions including loud music blasting from an outdoor party and another driver honking repeatedly at our trolley However these moments soon became fodder for material I wish I had my keys out Phoenix joked during her set after the latter affair We could have keyed him Our bus driver took us through iconic Philly sites passing Independence Hall City Hall down the Parkway to the Philadelphia Museum of Art over the Schuylkill River and around Fairmount Park all during golden hour I constantly forget how pretty Philly is Phoenix stated When you cross the bridge you can see Center City from the Art Museum area It s just beautiful Seamus Seamus works at Founding Footsteps and hosts the trolley show Photo by Hector Nu ez According to Millar the tour was still tinkering around during its first weekend testing out timing and routes Each comic reacted to the unique venue in different options Usually you re in a dark room and you can only really see a couple of people O Connor reported I was like Oh I can see all the people and I can also see out the window He added And I get distracted really easily In addition to the comedy the city sites provide their own sense of entertainment competing for the audience s attention It s definitely a challenge compared to the venues that we re used to Goetz explained But I also don t mind if people are looking out the window or whatever The experience itself is a little bit more invigorating The windows are open you feel the breeze you re drinking and you re guffawing Phoenix declared that she loved the unknowns that the trolley brings The people that were playing really loud music in the park she disclosed I was like hell yeah It s a beautiful day in April That was my favorite part genuinely because it s like this is the the greater part silly thing that s happened the whole time Millar hopes that this unconventional show will attract more guests to come and see live stand-up in the city Our trolley had around people aboard a decent turn out according to him This is better than chosen of the stages I ve literally performed on in the city he explained because honestly as a local comic you ll be doing shows for like two people sometimes He declared that if all goes well the tour will add additional dates throughout summer And don t worry the trolleys will have air conditioning The cool thing is you never know who you re gonna be hanging out with because we ve had people from this scene truly blow up he explained So it s kind of a fun thing where you get to be on this trolley with somebody that could potentially be a bigger name in the future Who knows The trolley passes over the Schuylkill River Julia Binswanger Billy Penn Our penultimate destination on the tour was Parks on Tap at the azalea garden between the Art Museum and Boathouse Row It was dark by the time we got there and we had time to rediscover our land legs and get a drink Then it was back off to Punch Line Philly where attendees could order another complimentary beverage with their ticket Phoenix was enthusiastic about the trolley as a venue She felt the show was a unique way to bring people together Comedy is alive and well in Philadelphia she noted You might know specific headliners but I would definitely encourage you to see local comedy There are so various superstars legit super-funny people You will find them in bars You will find them on trolleys You will find them in basements But there s amazing comedy happening all over Philly We re in perilous times she added We need district So anybody who s coming out here to laugh is the shit The post This BYOB trolley tour is turning Philly into a moving comedy club appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY