Fans of Dave Chappelle reportedly booed and demanded refunds after the comedian chain-smoked and slurred his way through a performance Thursday in Detroit.
During the 9:30 show at The Fillmore Detroit, Chappelle shouted at
hecklers as he rambled, the New York Daily News reported.
A representative told TMZ: "Out of the 50 shows on the tour, Thursday was definitely not his best set. On the flip side, the incident inspired some additional sharp-witted material and (Friday) he came back with a vengeance."
The Detroit News described Chappelle, 41, as “thoughtful, studied, and howlingly funny” during his first show. Signs posted warned fans against such things as pictures/videos, heckling, shouting, talking, and texting during the show.
The comedian disappeared from the limelight after leaving his Comedy Central series "Chappelle's Show" in 2005.
Tickets to the show sold for about $240, and the venue said it is not responsible for artists’ content, TMZ said.
In a video of the show posted on TMZ’s website, fans boo and the comedian hushes the crowd. One man says “Let's hear some of the act!" Chappelle responded: "Well sir, it's a little late for that. Right now I've gotta get off the stage because it's 2:00 in the morning."
The crowd corrected him, saying that it was 1 a.m.
Fans later took to The Fillmore’s Facebook page to post their complaints.
“Horrible, don't go. Second show last night was ridiculous. Walked out. Did not get what I paid for . . . refunds please!” Heather Becker wrote.
“Can we get a refund lol was at the 2nd show and he was wasted,” Tony Harder wrote.
But not everyone was upset. Keith Dewberry wrote: “Went to the show to the second show last night. Dude did a spectacular job. He didn't do many jokes, but he freestyle (sic) it all night. Crowd interaction was great. Someone wud (sic) yell something and he wud make it a joke. #funny . . . I understand some ppl (sic) were frustrated with the flow of show but all the stuff he was saying was funny. Ppl need to lighten up.”
Fans shared mixed reactions.
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