Comedian Bill Burr explores Modesto after his sold-out show. What did he see and do?
With a sold-out show at the State Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 21, it was clear that Modesto loves comedian Bill Burr. Judging by his Instagram posts, it appears the affection is mutual. Or maybe the opportunity for a little bit of a roast, considered an honor by a legend like Burr.
In one post, Burr records himself in front of our iconic arch as he declares that all towns should have something like it. Reading aloud the motto, “Water, wealth, contentment, health,” he says, “Not saying it’s true, not sure I felt that when I was up here. It’s kinda funny to say’ ‘water, wealth, contentment, health’ and then have a f---ing McDonald’s right next to it.”
Panning over to the McDonald’s directly across the street from the arch, Burr then pans over to the mural on the opposite side of the street, calling it nice before thanking Modestans for a great show the night before.
Fellow comedian and Modesto native Marcella Arguello commented, “My hometown! Glad you had a memorable one,” just above actor Jeremy Renner’s comment, “My hometown!!”
Burr also acknowledged the venue, calling the State a cute, old, movie theater, and said he was spending time walking around the city before heading to his next show in Stockton. He said as an “old man,” there were not many places he hadn’t been before, and it appeared this was his first time in Modesto. His show here came just a few weeks after he hosted “Saturday Night Live.”
Another post chronicled his day out in Modesto through a reel of photos. The first stop was a breakfast at Good Day Lucille, where he showed off his South X Southwest biscuit sandwich. He followed that with a trip to the Modesto Children’s Museum and a tour of our city’s many murals.
Several photos show him taking snaps with locals before ending the post with a photo of a sign for Joanna’s Bail Bonds. A photo posted on Good Day Lucille’s Instagram showed staff posing with Burr and thanking him for visiting.
Burr’s stop in Modesto was one of the shows on his tour through the Central Valley that started in Fresno and continued through Stockton before ending in Visalia on Nov. 23.
A post on the Modesto Reddit page asking people what they thought about the show has many comments about what an excellent show it was. One comment reads, “He killed it! He knew it was a smaller venue so he barely stuck to his set list and ad-libbed the whole time, but in the best way possible.”
Several comments also complained about the difficulty in getting tickets. The show sold within minutes of them going on sale. “So bummed. I was online ready to buy tix at 8am for presale and it sold out before I could check out,” read one comment that echoed many others.
Given the enthusiasm for his show, perhaps Burr will return. Our iconic arch will still be there to welcome him back, and likely the McDonald’s, too.
