Boston certainly has no shortage of comedy stages around town, but since its grand opening, MGM Music Hall at Fenway has only boosted the game, as the venue has added some of the biggest names in comedy to its ever-expanding schedule.
Earlier this week, Matt Rife announced a stop at the Lansdowne Street venue on April 19, 2024 as part of a recently-announced world tour. In addition to the show in Boston, the 100-plus date, multi-leg tour will bring Rife’s charm, style, and unsinkable crowd work abilities across North America, Australia, and Europe between July 2023 and October 2024. The lengthy trek is just the latest exclamation point in a year where Rife has consistently capitalized on the feverish reception from his fans. Aside from his mostly sold-out shows all over the country, the Ohio native has released two full specials on YouTube, the latest being his eponymous second special, Matthew Steven Rife, which premiered back in April.
In addition to Rife riding the high wave into the city next year, it was also announced this week that comedian and late-night host John Oliver will be making a rare trip to Boston this summer for one night at MGM Music Hall on August 27. The show will close out a short tour for the Last Week Tonight host, and represents the first show Oliver has performed in Massachusetts since 2016, when he participated in the Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival at Mansfield’s Xfinity Center. In addition to his earlier work on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and manning the helm of HBO’s Last Week Tonight since 2014, Oliver has also lent his talents and fairly iconic voice to on-screen projects, such as 2019’s The Lion King, and worked a short three-episode stint on the animated Netflix series Big Mouth in 2020.