[Joel Tena | OaklandSeen] Dave Chappelle’s comedy show in Oakland is fierce and tender, and this past weekend led the small ado

ring crowd at The New Parish on quite a ride. His appearance confirms that The New Parish is the newest, coolest spot to host national comedy stars in an only-in-Oakland way.

Dave Chappelle’s appearance was one of the most anticipated events in Oakland in the last few months, and the night seemed to just go on and on. New shows are being added almost daily, and if you are one of the lucky ones (the 200 or so tickets usually sell out in less than five minutes) you will definitely witness a comedic genius, albeit with a slight tarnish to his glow.

Don’t get me wrong, Dave continues to be cutting edge. Topics from Sunday night’s show ranged from Conan O’Brian (“I wanted to ask him how it felt” getting screw by the powers that be in entertainment) to Barack Obama (“Dave I need you help in Ohio… please don’t make any public appearance” before the election) to the Bay Area’s strong LGBT community presence (“Gay mafia is real”, “whisper revolution”, his “unusual” interactions with a member of the transgendered community) show that Dave continues to have the pulse not only of the Bay Area, but of the nation.

However, at times the flow of the event, which was more narrative in nature than you standard barrage of jokes, got a bit whimsical and wistful. The thread of his story was spun from end to end around his interactions with Alicia Keys, first at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards (where he passed up the opportunity to by host) and his former status as one of the hottest acts in the country, through to his recent attempt to get backstage to say hi to Alicia Keys (“But I’m Dave Chappelle”; “I know, and you still ain’t getting in”). After his emotional telling of celebrity stardom either lost or taken away… you never really end up knowing.

His most revealing moments were in conveying his thoughts on the John Mayer controversy of the last few weeks (“Hood pass?!? Man I gave you that!”). At it core, his telling of that controversy centered on his racialized world-view in a supposedly post-racial Obama’s America. Telling the story of his own family (mother half white, wife Filipina), Dave engaged the audience with thoughts on the fluidity and pain of race, both within his family and the audience itself, which reflected both Oakland’s amazing racial diversity and a still racialized world.

In the end though, his most ironic moment came with his thoughts on an old show biz saying – don’t let your actions make the news and overshadow your art (“If you need to, write a song about it!”). For many years it was Chappelle’s actions, and not his comedy, which made headlines. His here-and-gone celebrity status make up the most of his material now.

Regardless, Chappelle more than entertains the crowd with his stories and his unique perspective. Though Chappelle no long commands the influence he once did, in the end that might be for the best. We are able to sit down with him in an intimate setting that still allows us to get to know a guy who is both deep and carefree, cerebral and high-schoolish. We hope that Chappelle will make Oakland a regular stop for years to come.

Azhar Usman warmed up the crowd for Dave. From Chicago and of South Asian descent, he rocked the house with his jokes pointing fun at racial stereotyping in this country (“Skinheads… called me Bin Laden *and* Gandhi at the same time. How does one embody the spirit of both Bin Laden and Gandhi? ‘I will strike terror throughout the world… by fasting’”). Tickets for the shows set you back $60… which I guess is where Dave gets his line “I’m Rich, B*tch” from. As always, The New Parish continues to be a spectacular new addition to the growing list of Oakland night spots, and a great place for intimate shows with the nation’s best.