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Vancouver comic Ed Hill to perform in Airdrie

Fresh off the release of his first stand-up comedy special, Vancouver-based comic Ed Hill will be performing at Fitzsimmons Brewing Company on Nov. 12 and 13.
COMM-EdHill
Vancouver comic Ed Hill will be bringing his introspection-based comedy to Airdrie on Nov. 12.

Fresh off the release of his first stand-up comedy special, Vancouver-based comic Ed Hill will be performing at Fitzsimmons Brewing Company on Nov. 12 and 13.

Hill, whose one-hour stand-up special Candy and Smiley is now streaming on Apple TV and Amazon Prime, said his upcoming shows in Airdrie will mark his first time in the city in two years, as well as his first time doing stand-up in the community.

“The last time [I was in Airdrie] was two years ago, so it will be nice to be back,” he said. “I’ve actually never done a show in Airdrie, as I was there visiting a friend who happens to live there. My impression of the place is that it’s very quiet and clean, so I’m happy to be going back.”

Hill has performed throughout Canada, as well as internationally. He said he is the first comedian of Taiwanese-Canadian descent to release a full one-hour comedy special. Candy and Smiley, which was named one of the top 10 comedy specials of 2021 by Paste Magazine, came out this March.

According to Hill's bio, he was voted Best Vancouver Comedian in 2015 and 2016 by Vancouver Courier Magazine, and was named as a 'Comic to Watch' in 2018 by Reader's Digest. He has also appeared on AXS TV's Gotham Comedy Live, and has been invited to perform at the Just For Laughs Northwest Comedy Festival, the Hong Kong Comedy Festival and the San Francisco Comedy Festival, among others.

He said his current tour is a follow-up to his special, and is his attempt to bring a brand new set of jokes and stories to stages across the country. Candy and Smiley was filmed in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and followed a unique format, with Hill performing to just a small gathering of six people. His current tour includes stops in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario.

Similar to the jokes in Candy and Smiley, (which is named after his parents' adopted names) Hill said the Fitzsimmons audiences on Nov. 12 and 13 can expect a performance with a story-driven structure that delves into his musings on life and relationships.

“I’m not a set-up-punch line comic and I’m not a one-liner,” Hill said. “My material is typically personal, so it surrounds either who I am and my introspections about the world, or about my relationships with people in my life – my family, friends, so on and so forth.”

While his recent special focused mostly on his bicultural identity as a Taiwanese Canadian, Hill said his current act is more about his relationships. Specifically, he said much of his new material is about the women in his life.

“A big introspection I’m having right now is realizing the true strength I’ve learned in my life come from the women in my life,” he said. “Either my grandmother, my mother, my wife, or any other women. They have been a huge contribution to my understanding of strength, so I’m hoping to relay that in my show.”

Having recently returned to in-person performances after more than a year of disruption due to COVID-19, Hill said he has relished the opportunity to be back on stage. However, when asked if it feels like stand-up comedy is “back to normal,” he waxed philosophical on what “normal” really means.

“I am one person, and don’t know what’s normal and not normal,” he said. “All I know is there’s something about live entertainment, whether it’s music or comedy – but comedy especially – and there’s a certain energy in the room that you cannot emulate through digital means.

“I think now, with people coming back to watch shows in person, that energy is definitely back.”

For more information on Hill and his ongoing tour, visit kingedhill.com

For his new special, check out candyandsmiley.com

Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19

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