Tom Segura: Sledgehammer

Glad the crowd enjoyed it!

I like Tom a lot, I really like Mostly Stories and Disgraceful, and I liked ball hog too. But I think I laughed maybe 3 times in this special. Maybe he got too healthy and too successful to laugh at himself or find real humour in situations like he used to, but this is felt a little bit flat..

Why is comedy so bad now? Are they so scared to get cancelled they won't say anything remotely funny any more? Seems like Dave Chappelle and a few others like Sam Morrill are the only funny people left willing to take a risk. I don't need it to be "edgy", god forbid, right?! But comedy used to be a LITTLE bit edgy.

Pryor, hicks, carlin Chappelle.... Little bit of bite. And I'm not taking about being transphobic or offensive I'm taking about saying funny things that actually make you think, or maybe things that are actually true that you haven't articulated yourself.

This just isn't funny enough.

This was my fourth stand-up comedy from Tom Segura, a comedian that I enjoy watching or better listen to. Sledgehammer wasn't my favourite though, that was Disgraceful from 2018, but it was still good enough for my wife and I to have a pleasant evening. There were enough good kinky jokes to bring some smiles on our faces. Those are just the best jokes. I think the venue where this was recorded didn't add to the quality of the show. It's a round podium so sometimes he talks to you with his back, certainly not something I would pay for, but on television he's of course always facing you. The show wasn't very fluent either but other than that it was okay, good enough if you're a fan of him.

If you were to watch this special never having heard of Tom Segura you'd conclude Tom Segura is not a very funny man. You'd prob turn it off after the first 10 minutes. It's borderline hacky, unnecessary edgy, and leaves you with an impression that Tom is not a very good person(and doesn't know it).

But the special does get better after 18 minutes, there are some funny good-old-Tom stories, he's great at using call-backs.

I think the target audience for this was Tom Segura's super-fans, and if you're one, you'll prob enjoy it: "Sledgehammer" feel like an inside joke - there are multiple references to the universe of Tom's life that only followers would know which I think creates this intimacy/cult following.

Overall, I would not recommend "Sledgehammer" I think watching his "best of" on youtube or listening to podcast is better - which is not WEIRD.

By now Tom has honed in his voice and point of view - so he finds the funny effortlessly. Why those funnies are not in this special I do not know.

Another lazy special from a man who delivered some great memorable bits in the past.

Yet now, for a second special in a row, he is just doing podcasting with pauses for easy name-dropping caused ovations.

Tom is just coasting on his fame and doing nothing of the actual stand-up work like coming up with premises, developing bits, making original punchlines. He is just telling a stories like any random person would. Followed sometimes by his signature and still funny noise making.

This would be trashed broadly if not for his developed and loyal audience that don't seem to acknowledge he isn't doing stand up anymore.

And I was nervous for this special to air because my husband and I...feel asleep at the show. I feel like about half way thru I started nodding off and my husband around the same and we only had one drink. I was embarrassed and nervous you would see us sleeping esp because Im a Tom fan; seen all his specials and love his podcast with Cristina...but looking at the other reviews, guess it wasn't so far fetched after all that we thought it wasn't as great as his others and couldnt stay awake. And it was worse live in my opinion sadly :/ I think if he would've engaged more with the audience it would've helped.