The Wells Fargo Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa has grown into the location of choice for live tapings among some of the country’s top comedians.
George Carlin, Dana Carvey and More...
George Carlin’s final taped performance—the HBO special "It's Bad For Ya" which was made just four months before his death—was done at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts. Other comedians who taped live shows at the venue include Dana Carvey, Lisa Lampanelli, and Kathy Griffin. Lewis Black also taped his comedy album here and even named it “Luther Burbank Performing Arts Center Blues,” after the venue’s original name. (It was nominated for a Grammy for best comedy album of 2006.)Why Santa Rosa?
So, why are all these big names coming to little ole Santa Rosa? It turns out that they like the people here. In interviews, they typically say something along the lines of folks in Santa Rosa being intelligent without being pretentious. (I guess being smart and earnest isn’t such a common combination elsewhere.) In an interview with The Hollywood Exclusive, George Carlin said, “I've always had good audiences in Santa Rosa. I get a lot of good smart people, left of center, and they like for you to take some chances. It's not like a Los Angeles audience."List of comedy DVDs and CDs taped at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts:
Lisa Lampanelli's HBO special
Scheduled for release in March.
