Damn, was that fun. Rifftrax Live was beamed nationwide Thursday night with only a few satellite glitches along the way. The show rocketed by for those of us onstage, and the live theater audience in Nashville was the kind you want to take home with you. And as reports around the country have come in, I’m even more amazed. Hearing that people of all ages joined in singing about eating brains is the kind of thing that doesn’t happen at most movies.
I want to thank Legend’s pair of David Martins, who were everywhere they were needed before they were asked. For those who laughed during the pre-show slides, give a round of applause to Rifftrax writer Conor Lastowka who cooked up the funny and served it as a brilliant crowd warmer-upper. Thanks to our production guys and gals in Nashville, and to Erik and crew back at Rifftrax for keeping the site from going the way of Bela Lugosi.
Of course Big thanks to Veronica Belmont for deftly navigating our weirdness and keeping the whole thing out of the “Boyz-Only” club. Thanks to Rich Lowtax Kyanka and his videos, which make me laugh every time I see them. And to Jonathan Coulton for his steady supply of talent, funny and as our own Bridget would say, terrific phrasing.
Most of all, a heartfelt thanks to all of you for showing up. You made all the difference, you made it that much more fun. It’s a good bet we’ll be doing this again.
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BILL adds –
A post-show photo courtesy of David G. Martin: The Cast of This Evening’s Play.
N.B.: As this picture shows, I am constantly distracted by my Skoal-chewing. And Kevin is NOT allowed to touch people.
57 responses so far ↓
1 MSTJon on Aug 25, 2009 at 9:39 am
Trust me when I say a good time was had by all. Glad to know all of my worries (mostly technical ones) were unfounded. And thanks for the freebies, I was prepared to pay up to $5 for the awesome short. $None is an even better price!
Any chance of seeing the entire event show up in some sort of download to burn form?
I’ll be at the next one with bells on!
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2 chrismartindeed on Aug 25, 2009 at 9:40 am
Oh, yes, it was fun… until I was thrown out of the multiplex for trying to lick my elbow.
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Reply from Houndstooth Mind on August 25, 2009:
Ya, thanks a lot Connor!
Reply from chrismartindeed on August 26, 2009:
Were you able to do it?
Reply from Houndstooth Mind on August 26, 2009:
No, I, very politely, asked the stranger next to me to do it for me and that’s how I got booted from the theater. I tell ya manners count for nothing these days!
Reply from chrismartindeed on August 27, 2009:
So unfair, considering your careful regard for etiquette.
In my case, I missed by an inch and wound up licking the elbow of the lady seated next to me. So my expulsion was more than justified.
3 Darth Chimay on Aug 25, 2009 at 10:02 am
And thank you, all three of you, for putting on a helluva show… and for keeping your pants on.
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4 Earl Fando on Aug 25, 2009 at 10:05 am
I’m gutted that I missed it. Any chance a Plan 9 DVD release of the live riffing will appear on the site someday? I’d buy it almost instantly.*
*I would have wrote instantly, but my Internet connection isn’t quite that fast.
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Reply from jenifersf on August 25, 2009:
Earl! You missed it?? Many condolences, friend. I weep openly for you.
Reply from Earl Fando on August 26, 2009:
I appreciate the condolences. I briefly considered going to a local showing of Julie and Julia and loudly heckling the film, but that sad substitute would have only depressed me.
Plus, those Meryl Streep fans can be quite violent.
5 MemphisJoel on Aug 25, 2009 at 10:15 am
Hey, the Nashville show was awesome!
I was one of those people hanging around afterwards pestering you for handshakes and autographs.
You couldn’t meet a nicer bunch of people.
Thanks again to all the guys for the funny.
(and for autographing Page One of Bill’s script for me!)
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6 Ben on Aug 25, 2009 at 10:32 am
Well, I paid for 2 tickets, but then had a family emergency a couple of hours before the show. I hope this wasn’t a “once in a lifetime” thing. sigh
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7 Alan on Aug 25, 2009 at 10:48 am
I had a great time at the Woodland Hills, CA, showing. I had never seen Plan 9 before, and I knew it was going to be bad, but I was astounded at the ineptness of every aspect of the movie — acting, writing, set design, blocking, special effects, and the list goes on.
Next time, how about you guys are on screen the whole time? We can always hear the Riffers at home, we’d like to see the Riffers at a live event.
Thank you for bowing deeply. We applaud you with a standing ovation, whistling, and cries of “Encore! Encore!”.
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8 Krud on Aug 25, 2009 at 11:44 am
The whole thing was awesome. Though I wasn’t sure if the opening trivia slides were RiffTrax-centric, until we got to this particular one:
Movie Mistakes - Keanu Reeves was cast in the lead role of “The Day The Earth Stood Still.”
Our theater roared with laughter. (And that was before most people had arrived!)
Best evening at the movies in years. YEARS, I tell you!
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Reply from Richard on August 26, 2009:
The same thing happened in San Diego.
I never went to any of these “Live from” events, and the slides seemed basically normal so I thought they were the usual fare.
Then that one came up and the crowed went wild. From that point on we all watched a bit more intently.
Great show. Put the whole thing on DVD. If you do it, they will buy.
9 blackmyron on Aug 25, 2009 at 11:52 am
The show was indeed fantastic and the theater I was in was packed full. I hope you’re planning on doing more shows in the future!
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10 PD on Aug 25, 2009 at 12:00 pm
I’ve never laughed so hard in a theater in my life. I’m so glad I could share that experience with my friends and a theaterful of fans.
Thanks from Tuscaloosa, Alabama!
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Reply from Mirkwoodlodge on October 14, 2009:
Hey, I was at the Tuscaloosa showing too! I had to drive two hours in the pouring rain to get there. Well worth it, though.
11 John on Aug 25, 2009 at 12:17 pm
I have not laughed so much since…the last original episode of MST3K! (luckily I can laugh watching the dvds too!) Saw the broadcast in Orlando and the whole audience was roaring. Once the Christians were all eaten then it was laughter the rest of the night once the show started. Only saw one minor glitch the whole broadcast so am already in line for the next one. The Rifftrax guys (and gals) all rock!
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12 sgiffy on Aug 25, 2009 at 12:45 pm
It was truly an amazing show. I don’t think I have heard so many people laughing a theater.
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13 Kerrie on Aug 25, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I’ll echo the sentiment that I’ve never laughed that hard in a movie theater, nor heard so many people laughing so hard and loud at the same time. It was phenomenal.
We loved it in Albuquerque!
Despite this exchange in Plan 9:
“Hey how about ballin’ it up in Albuquerque?”
(audience cheers)
“That’s a strictly 9 o’clock town!”
(audience boos)
Sincerely hoping that we get another Rifftrax event nationwide very soon!!!
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14 derekl999 on Aug 25, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Any cbance of you guys making a few random “hating Fort Worth” mp3’s so I can add them to the Stewardess short? Was hoping they’d be on the download, but I guess it was only a Live thing.
I almost thought for a second that “Fort Worth” would be the secret password for the bonus stuff!
Also, I tried to score the poster after the event ended, but the clerks said they had to mail it back. I was clueless as to why, figured maybe they’d be autographed and used as prizes. Now that I see that there will be some theaters showing it on Sept 2, I’m wondering if the posters were dateless (as were some of the attendants! so they could be recycled. Any chance of them being sold after the events are done?
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15 Joe on Aug 25, 2009 at 1:58 pm
My wife, myself and our two kids (13 & 11) had a BLAST! We laughed more at this show than any comedies we have seen in theaters lately. Such fun!
Thank you to all of you for a great night.
We WILL be there when you do this again!
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16 Dale on Aug 25, 2009 at 2:16 pm
My wife, myself and four fellow Riffers joined a sold out show at the theater in Beaverton, Oregon. Yes, there was singing during JoCo’s Brains, and gut busting laughter through out the short and movie.
Thank you sirs, may we have another?
Really!
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Reply from randommanthefirst on September 3, 2009:
Hey, I was at that same theater!
I got there late since I had to drive from Hillsboro though, and had to sit in back separate from my brother because the theater was so full.
Other than that it was fantastic.
17 mrgnexus on Aug 25, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Thank YOU, guys.
It was one of the best times I’ve EVER had at the movies. Very fun.
Right before the show, my friend turned to me and said, “Am I nuts? I just paid 15 bucks to see Plan 9!”
After the show, we both felt we got off cheap.
It was a great show with a nice receptive crowd here in Lakeland, Florida. I’m anxious to see more Live! Rifftrax! Action! in the future.
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18 Terance on Aug 25, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Thanks for sending your show down the South Carolina way, Kevin! It was inspired and my face didn’t stop hurting for hours after the show from all the giggling and grinning. I hope you guys have another one in the works at some point cause I wouldn’t miss it for anything.
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19 mst3ktemple on Aug 25, 2009 at 3:42 pm
What a fun night. Everyone did a wonderful job. I can’t wait for the next show. Hopefully they can be done on a regulard basis. I’ll go to every one.
BTW, great work by the supporting cast too. I especially liked Lowatx’s Flour and Grain Expo bit and the tunes by Jonathan Coulton were fun too. To other fans out there, check out some of Coulton’s other work on his web site. I had never been there until after this show and there is some great stuff there.
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20 Kyle S on Aug 25, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I haven’t had that much fun at a multiplex since the Lord of the Rings “Trilogy Tuesday” event.
A fantastic show from top to bottom. Definitely one of the funniest things I’ve ever attended. Bravo!
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21 Michael Gmirkin on Aug 25, 2009 at 3:52 pm
This show brought together my two favoritest things in the world: Plan 9 from Outer Space and MST3- Err, RiffTrax… MST3K, okay, I said it!
I’ve still got my old school MST3K t-shirt. Somewhat holy. Literally. But I just can’t part with it. Usually I’m not such a dedicated fanboy, but c’mon, it’s MST3K!
Gotta’ say, I was nearly rolling on the floor laughing. Literally laughed so hard I cried at a few points. Especially the detective waving his gun around. Classic!
The flour & grain expo commercial was pretty damned funny too…
We were in one of the theaters with technical glitches, where the picture dropped out for a few second several times early on. To an enthusiastic “Ohhh…!!” from the audience each time. Rather amusing in itself!
So glad I got to see this in theaters, since I missed MST3K : The Movie on the big screen. Though I’ve watched it tirelessly on DVD since then.
So, I’ll just leave you with this final quip:
…and if my hands were METAL that would mean something!
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22 Jack B on Aug 25, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Lots of applause here (near Detroit) during the short for the Detroit references. I just wish I hadn’t seen so many versions of Plan 9 by you guys already. Still, had a great time, and I will be back for whatever movie you do next.
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23 mgroves on Aug 25, 2009 at 4:18 pm
This show was the funniest thing I have ever witnessed, and I would have gladly paid twice the price of my ticket to see this show. Please, please, please do another one, and I would love to buy a DVD of the whole live event as well.
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24 Houndstooth Mind on Aug 25, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Mike changed clothes?
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Reply from MemphisJoel on August 26, 2009:
Yeah, Kevin and Bill were out front glad-handing, and I was like, “Where’s Mike?! He thinks he’s better than me?!”
But I think he was really sweaty at the end of the show and was just changing shirts before coming out to sign autographs.
The guy looks like he could win the Tour de France, btw.
25 valdisfox on Aug 25, 2009 at 7:09 pm
And continued, loud applause back to you guys, Kevin! I never thought a live RT theater broadcast would ever be available in Lincoln (Nerdbraska), and nearly a full house, too! We laughed our corn-fed butts off, and best of all, my partner–NOT a Plan 9 fan, to put it mildly–was converted. To quote every inner impish kid in us riffers everywhere, “do it again, do it again!!”
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26 Libby on Aug 25, 2009 at 7:16 pm
I went to a showing in Cleveland with my sister and we laughed ourselves silly. Thanks so much for the wonderful experience!! I would love to go again.
Oh, and a person in the audience yelled, “Packers!” at a point before the movie started.
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27 Denise on Aug 25, 2009 at 7:22 pm
I actually live in Nashville, but i was out in Monterey, CA staying a week with my fiancee, and i’m so glad we both got to see it. i love plan 9, he’d never seen it, and it was a great way for us to enjoy it together. I hope theres plans for a dvd release.
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28 Jason Goldtrap on Aug 25, 2009 at 8:27 pm
If MST3K is Cheers, than Rifftrax is Frasier. Conversely, Cinematic Titanic is After M*A*S*H.
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Reply from jenifersf on August 25, 2009:
Eep, that’s harsh. I LIKE Cinematic Titanic!
Reply from MSTJon on August 25, 2009:
Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say if MST3k is Cheers, then CT is The Tortellis?
Not saying I agree with you, just trying to tighten up the comparison.
Reply from MemphisJoel on August 26, 2009:
I’m not into the whole CT vs. RT debate.
That said, I’d love for Kevin and Mike to get to sing “Let Me Be Frank about Frank”, to Frank. Just one more time.
(I hope CT didn’t force people to ‘choose sides’ or anything.)
29 jenifersf on Aug 25, 2009 at 9:25 pm
I would pay AGAIN to download a recording of the live show.
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30 Lisa M on Aug 25, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Amazing show. I have to say, the audience in Gainesville, FL was one of the best I’ve ever experienced. No one took cell phone calls, kicked the back of my chair, brought a screaming kid, got up six times to blunder past me - it was fabulous. Rifftrax fans are really the best! (Also surprising was the distinct lack of frat boys, which was gratifying.) My friend and I laughed so hard our jaws hurt. I think I speak for everyone (who already pretty much spoke) when I ask when we can get the DVD!?
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31 Montagthemagician on Aug 26, 2009 at 5:03 am
A friend of mine got married last weekend and I had to spend the night of the live show at a bachelor party getting drunk and watching want-to-be strippers stumbling around a dance floor instead of having a riotous time watching the live riffs. Any chance you guys could get together and do it again for me? I can bring at least 2 friends along if that makes it worth it.
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32 Mos Stef on Aug 26, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Psh, thank you guys! Here in Vegas- with a glut of mediocre entertainment choices- it was packed with young teenagers to their parents, with a heck of a lot of college students in-between.
We had more glitches than most apparently- the synching was off the entire show and never caught up (thankfully it was a few seconds and 99% of the jokes fell perfectly). I’ve never laughed that much in a theater before, and all the extras included were just icing on a showgirl. If you ever decide to do it again I’ll be there… maybe an annual thing? It sure would be easier to dress like you guys than the cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show I can tell you that…
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33 Mark Peck on Aug 26, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Best time I’ve ever had at a movie. I can’t wait for the next one.
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34 Chris D. on Aug 27, 2009 at 8:49 am
For the next one you guys need to simulcast from the frozen MST3K motherland–the Twin Cities. How about the State theater? I’ll do my part to keep Jesse Ventura out of the building.
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35 Jmaes on Aug 28, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Tysons Corner Va was rocking! Conor’s homey’s represented well! More please!
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36 Katie on Aug 28, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Our theater was sold out!! People out front were hawking tickets! Boston loves RiffTrax!!!!!!
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37 UberNeuman on Aug 29, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Thank you and everyone for the putting on a fantastic show that evening - it was just so much fun and I’m hoping this will be the first of many RiffTrax to hit the big screen.
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Reply from UberNeuman on August 29, 2009:
The above message wasn’t meant to written by Balki or Tommy Wiseau…
Reply from UberNeuman on August 29, 2009:
oh, hell, I give up…. I am Wiseau….
Reply from Earl Fando on August 30, 2009:
Tommy! Why the hell did you hit Lisa?
38 Stephanie on Aug 29, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Having only recently come out of mourning for MST3K, I happily discovered via Facebook that there was a rebirth…Rifftrax!!! Imagine my surprise when my hubby whisked me away to Ann Arbor, MI to see a showing of Plan 9 for my birthday. I have to say that the magic is still there. I am restraining myself, barely, from telling the child, “you’re on your own for college,” and ordering the entire Rifftrax catalog tonight! I only wish I would have discovered Rifftrax sooner…news spreads slowly in Ohio!
PS: you totaly should have ripped on Detroit more during the flying stewardess short. The Ann Arbor theatre let out a collective “turn around while you still can!” when the voice over mentioned they were flying over Detroit! Good times!
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39 Infinitewell on Sep 27, 2009 at 7:09 pm
I had a blast in Little Rock! Thank you guys so much for organizing such a unique show. I think the funniest thing you said the whole night was, “Tor sorry.” God, that was hilarious.
Oh, and I’m glad you mentioned that Bela Lugosi’s part was occasionally played by other people or I might have totally missed it. Don the right hairpiece and a long cape and the illusion is complete!
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40 Amber on Oct 17, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Friends took me to the movies and had no idea it was Rifftrax!!!! It was the best “movie” that I have been to for years! I can’t wait until you guys do this again! “All we want to do is eat your brains, we’re not unreasonable it’s not like we’re trying to eat your eyes!” going to sing that at the next zombie movie!!!!!!!!!
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41 MSTFan on Oct 19, 2009 at 11:40 am
Awesome evening!! Please, Please do this again!!!
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