“Don Rickles is my favorite comedian of all time.”
Mine too! A few years ago we were in Vegas (my wife was raised there) and her brother (who runs the family business there) called to say that he had some reservations for us for the midnight show at the Sahara to see Don. Evidently he had generously tipped the Matre’d because we were seated directly in front of the microphone. Well, after a warmup act, Don came out and promptly got my wife up on stage. I won’t describe what happened except to say that we’ve never forgotten that night! He “got” us and just about everyone in the room and it was the best show I’ve ever attended! And after two hours of entertainment, he sat down on the edge of the stage and was just himself for about another hour talking to all of us and sharing his philosophy of life. My wife reminded me the other day that as a teenager, she used to go watch Don (through the bars) when he was just a lounge act. What a wonderful career he’s had.
Great story!
In stand-up comedy, the best seats are NOT at the microphone - they are in the back. That said, glad you had such a great time. I was sitting in a restaurant in LA years ago and the Don made the rounds shaking everybody’s hand! Nice man.