Sometimes that midnight text you get isn’t a drunk dial or a booty call at all, as fans of comedian Dave Chappelle found out this week. Chappelle spread the word that he would be having a secret show in Portland, Oregon, and thousands of people showed up to the Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland at 1am on Wednesday morning to see him. Chappelle said he expected about 200. Never underestimate people who want a free show, Dave - especially people who text message and Twitter.
The stunt is reminiscent of the outdoor party Chappelle hosted in 2004 in Brooklyn (which became the film Dave Chappelle’s Block Party), free tickets were handed out and people traveled hundreds of miles for that event. Chappelle was a one man show this time around, no house bands, music acts or entourage at the late show, and the peaceful crowd dispersed after an hour. [Photo: GettyImages]
July 19th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Yeah, we’ve stopped caring about him since he threw it all away.
December 10th, 2009 at 12:50 am
Threw it all away? What did he throw away? If you mean giving the money back, I was never more proud to see someone stand up, I mean really stand up for the artistic integrity. I’ve followed him even closer since that happened. How many entertainers do you know of do free shows?