The Sacramento Kings could take a lesson from comedian Bill Engvall on how to fill Arco Arena. Be funny. Not just funny, but really funny. In that regard, Engvall was an MVP on Saturday.

Engvall, best known for his partnership with Ron White, Larry The Cable Guy and Jeff Foxworthy in the "Blue Collar Comedy" tour, showed off his vast comic chops in his solo, almost sold-out show. Watching the seats fill up, Engvall's mass appeal was obvious. The demographics ranged from grandparents to grandkids, with every stage in between represented. So, it was no surprise that Engvall's most offensive term was "douche bag," used it to describe one of his very famous "Here's your sign" victims. The phrase refers to people who ask really stupid questions.

Engvall, who had no warm-up act, strode onto the stage in a Sacramento Kings jersey and began 90 minutes of storytelling. Each story contained enough jokes and observations to keep the show moving. His stories included a man at the airport caught with a rock, a copper wire and a wad of gum stored where no one wants to search; why reaching the age of 80 means you no longer have to filter what you say, (you just don't care); and the exploits of his 53-year-old buddy dating a hot 24-year-old and the obvious humor (and physical pain) associated with that.

I could relate to most of his material. Engvall spent a lot of time talking about his marriage of 27 years to wife Gail and the obvious differences in the way males and females approach life. Some of the issues included vacations, renaissance faires and one that elicited a jab in the ribs from my wife, taking a walk. Throughout it all, Engvall never missed an opportunity to tell the crowd how much he loves his wife and family.

The evening was enjoyable but as this was my first time at a comedy show at Arco, I had a few observations. First, $12 to park my car to attend? What are my alternatives? The second was that, as I am used to watching comedians in a more intimate club setting, I had hoped that there would be cameras and JumboTrons so I could see Engvall's facial expressions as he hit his punchlines. That would have made the crowd feel more a part of the live aspect. On a positive note, the sound was perfect and the seats were comfortable.

Engvall, after genuinely thanking the crowd for coming,  announced at the end of his show that he had just signed a deal to host a TV game show and will be going back on tour with Foxworthy and Larry The Cable Guy soon. That elicited a cheer from the crowd reminiscent of a slam dunk at a Kings game.

The Comedy Guy

Steven Bloom is the founder of SacramentoComedy.Com, the Official Guide to Sacramento Comedy. This web site is dedicated to interviews, comedian bios, videos and consolidatiing all of the Sacramento comedy events to a single site. You can send your questions directly to The Comedy Guy at Steven@SacramentoComedy.Com