We had mixed feelings feelings about Festival Supreme’s inaugural showing: A promising line-up was dragged down by uneven performances and flat-out abysmal logistics. But there were enough moments of sublime hilarity that we’re willing to give the Tenacious D-curated festival a second shot. With a move from the overcrowded Santa Monica Pier to the more comedy-friendly Shrine Auditorium as well as a more focused line-up, we think the chances are pretty good that this year’s Halloween-themed Festival Supreme will rock our effin’ socks off—here’s why.
More music, more comedy, less awkwardness
We loved last year’s line-up—at least on paper. But we were left scratching our heads as otherwise hilarious comics tackled musical sets that were too boring for a concert and too flat for a comedy show. At the same time, the straightforward stand-up sets were relegated to an undersized tent. This year’s venue change should go a long way to fixing the capacity issues, and a much sharper schedule has electrifying music acts on one stage and esteemed stand-ups on another. Meanwhile, the musical comedy combo acts have been given a dedicated stage and a stacked line-up to boot.
The line-up is airtight
Speaking of that line-up, we’re going to put our faith into this year’s bill actually living up to its potential. On the stand-up side, you can look forward to Norm Macdonald, Maria Bamford and T.J. Miller, as well as shows from Drunk History and Comedy Bang! Bang! Meanwhile, the other end of the lineup promises honest-to-goodness kickass music sets from over-the-top performers like Dethklok (the animated metalheads from Metalocalypse), Peaches and Eagles of Death Metal. As for that little bit of in-between, we expect less floundering and more hilarity from the headlining trio of Cheech & Chong, the cast of Workaholics and Tenacious D.
The State is reuniting
Maybe you missed out on the State when the sketch-comedy group’s self-titled show aired on MTV in the mid-’90s. But if you’ve seen Reno 911! or Wet Hot American Summer—and, to an extent, Party Down and Burning Love—you’re already familiar with the cast and its potential for bizarre characters. All 11 original members of the troupe are reuniting for the fest, and—not to play favorites—we couldn’t be more excited to see Michael Ian Black, Thomas Lennon, Ken Marino and Michael Showalter on stage together. Expect to hear a lot of people yelling “I wanna dip my balls in it!”
Three words: Circus of Death
Festival Supreme is getting its own Halloween-themed, Coachella-like art park this year with the Circus of Death. Installation specialist Steven Hull recruited local artists to create a menagerie of warped exhibits: a monster merry-go-round, an iceberg tunnel and a marionette castle, all set to a composition from Butthole Surfers frontman Gibby Haynes and intertwined with a rideable ghost train. The whole thing is punctuated with music sets from the likes of the Haden Triplets and self-described porn-pop performer Actually.
It’s not in Santa Monica
Sorry Westsiders, but the Santa Monica Pier is just one of the most logistically awful places to hold a large-scale event, and it was one of the reasons so many fans left last year's fest feeling frustrated. Thankfully, Festival Supreme has packed its bags for the Shrine Auditorium, with four stages split between the outdoor grounds, expo hall and the main theater. The space isn’t exactly intimate, but we’ll gladly take a dark auditorium and stage lights over mid-afternoon sunshine; it feels like a far more appropriate environment for a comedy show. We can only hope that moving between stages won’t come with the nightmarish entry issues that plagued the similarly indoor-outdoor FYF. One thing is for certain: Getting to the Shrine will be a hell of a lot easier than getting to the Pier, thanks to ample parking lots and an adjacent Expo Line stop.
Festival Supreme starts Saturday, Oct. 25 at 2pm at the Shrine Auditorium. Check out the full lineup and schedule below.
