For as long she’s been on the comedy grind, Iliza Shlesinger has made it a cornerstone of her operation to keep her head down and put on bigger and better shows with every visit she makes to every market.
That mindset has certainly played out and paid off in Boston, as the Emerson grad return to town this fall for not only biggest show she’s ever put on in the city, but also the biggest show of her career.
Bringing her Hard Feelings Tour to TD Garden tonight (October 13), Shlesinger isn’t simply playing to the largest crowd she’s ever taken the stage for. Beyond that, she’s realizing a dream that she’s had her mind set on for quite some time. So, when it came time to get back out on the road, after years of selling out rooms all over New England, she knew it would have to be bigger than ever, and didn’t even have to think twice about where to go next.
“Before we launched this tour, the idea of playing TD Garden was brought to me, and I didn’t even hesitate,” Shlesinger tells Vanyaland. “I’ve been building this market throughout my entire career, and the Boston fans have always been so supportive, and they’ve always been so warm and welcoming to me, I guess because it isn’t a sporting event. Of course I have some history there having gone to Emerson, but I also just have an intense love for the city and the crowds. Having played in and around Boston and New England for so long, it just seemed like the right move, and I can already feel that it’s going to be an incredible, energetic, and awesome night.”
Make no mistake, Shlesinger isn’t a total stranger to huge crowds, having performed in front of a few significantly larger audiences than would fit into a theater over the years. But when it comes to all of the elements that have made her shows such well-rounded experiences, it makes sense, even to Shlesinger herself, that her high energy and physicality be delivered most appropriately in an arena setting, for all groups and types of people to enjoy.
“Of course, I always want women to leave my shows feeling good, but it’s never at the expense of men,” says Shlesinger. “This is a show for young women, couples, and everybody on every spectrum because, at the end of the day, stand-up is about being human and I have a really energetic act, so I feel like it will lend itself perfectly to a space like an arena.”
Throughout each of her six stand-up specials, Shlesinger has always made it a point to share a socially meaningful message, as those sentiments are intrinsic to who she is both on and off the stage. But this time around, she’s mixing it up a little bit.
Although those elements won’t be completely washed out with this new hour, she’s using this latest batch of material to focus more on the hard-hitting, whimsical fun that her brand of comedy exudes.
“There’s a lot of physicality in it, that distilled fun that people like about my act,” says Shlesinger. “There’s voices, body movement, things take a weird direction. I pride myself on the fact that a fan once told me that my brand is consistently off-brand, and I like that. I like setting up a joke and taking it to a different place. This is one of those hours where you strap in for it, and before you know it, it’s over. I like the idea of people leaving the arena and trying to figure out why their face hurts, in a good way of course.”
As an artist who looks at her career in terms of landmarks and moments, and there are a lot in this instance along a road through comedy that started in Boston and has since stretched from Foxwoods to sold-out runs at The Wilbur and Chevalier Theatre, Shlesinger has earmarked those moments by punching in and always giving one hundred percent to a city that she loves. To her, even though she’s put the work in and has looked forward to it for a long time, the show at TD Garden is as much that of her fans as it is hers.
Not to mention, given her long-running history here, Boston isn’t just another city to Shlesinger. Sure, she isn’t a native Bostonian, but after having lived here while paying a college tuition, she’s really come to an understanding of the complexities that make the city such a vibrant hub for culture and excitement.
“[Boston is] one tough motherfucker of a city, it’s a ride or die city, and a very diverse city. Because it’s the east coast and it’s cold, people are tough, but they’re warm and loving,” says Shlesinger. “When fans give me Boston gifts and tell me ‘Boston loves you’ in that familiar accent, I feel like I’m home, even if I never paid taxes there. It’s definitely not something I take for granted to be able to feel at home in only a few cities across the country, and Boston is definitely one of them.”
A milestone like this almost inevitably kickstarts some sort of reflection, and while she could pass along advice to young comics about keeping your head down and stick to the craft that you love, the now-experienced traveler within her seems to be a bit more boisterous with the words of wisdom – even beyond keeping track of airline miles and hotel stays.
“If I’m talking to my younger self, I would say to try and enjoy cities more,” says Shlesinger. “I started doing stand-up before Uber was a thing, so taking a cab wasn’t always the easiest thing, but when you can really get to a place where you’re not too hungover or tired to really explore a city, from farmers markets and up-and-coming suburbs to eating the food that is from that city, it really makes you a better traveler when you can get a real feel for a place.”
With everything that is in play for Shlesinger as she reaches the biggest milestone mark of her time on stage so far, it’s no accident that it’s taking place in October in Boston. Where a big part of her touring plans revolves around taking in the fall time of the Northeast, Shlesinger is psyched to be able to introduce the newest member of her family to what she’s loved most about a city close to her heart for so long.
“I’m really looking forward to taking my daughter to the commons and taking pictures of her there,” says Shlesinger. “For years, those pictures were of my dog in front of the ivy covered walls and around the fall foliage, so now I’m just excited to be able to deck my daughter out in Celtics, Red Sox and Emerson gear and get some Boston pictures of my little baby.”
ILIZA SHLESINGER: THE HARD FEELINGS TOUR :: Friday, October 13 at TD Garden :: 100 Legends Way in Boston, MA :: 7 p.m., $35 to $65 :: Advance tickets