Young American Comedy Tour Hits City Theatre 11/25

Comedian Mike Young returns to his Motor City roots this fall as he brings some of comedy's hottest rising stars to Detroit as part of the Young American Comedy Tour.

His homecoming is appropriately timed for 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, the biggest bar night of the year, at the City Theatre. Mike Young will be joined onstage by comedian J. Chris Newberg, among others. DJ Bam will provide the beats and fans of WRIF's Drew & Mike should be on the lookout for an appearance by Mr. Skin.

The tour, inspired by both the Blue Collar Comedy Tour and The Kings Of Comedy, came together two years ago when Young gathered a group of up-and-coming comedians from LA's Comedy Store and took to the improv circuit for a 10-day trial run. Audiences responded to its 2-hour-long variety show format and the next tour grew to 30 cities. The Young American Comedy Tour incorporates DJ's, hip hop, even go-go dancers - with stand-up comedy at its core.

A Southfield, Mich. native and Los Angeles resident, Young hosts each show and performs his own brand of comedy - taking the stage as the guy who's not yet ready to grow up. His Richard Pryor-meets-Seinfeld material is inspired by real life experiences. The subject matter is deep but not dirty, Young said. He toured last year with Bob Saget and has performed with Dave Chappelle, Wanda Sykes and Dave Attel. "These guys are the top of their class," said Young.

Comedians like Mad TV's Bobby Lee, Steve Byrne and Sebastian Maniscalco have all been featured in the tour's rotating cast. It provides ample exposure for comedy's next breakout performers. Young now plans to anchor monthly performances in Detroit, and establish the tour as Motown's answer to the Apollo Theatre - a comedy mainstay drawing discerning audiences. By re-focusing his efforts with regular Detroit dates, Young hopes to "save the city though laughter."

He considers Detroit audiences to be some of the greatest in the country. In light of the city's economic challenges, Young believes there is no better time for the Young American Comedy Tour. His brother, RoBert Young, produces the shows. "He's a great, creative head to have on your team," said Mike Young. "He's been behind everything I've accomplished."

Though he prefers to remain behind-the-scenes, RoBert Young envisions the tour as having the potential to become bigger than the sum of its parts. "We want to see how many faces we can put a smile on and bring laughter back to Detroit," he said.

Tickets ($20) go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, October 16 and may be purchased at OlympiaEntertainment.com, the City Theatre, Fox Theatre and Joe Louis Arena box offices, Hockeytown Authentics in Troy (without service charge) at all Ticketmaster locations and Ticketmaster.com. To charge tickets by phone, call (800) 745-3000. For additional information, call (313) 471-6611.