It was a balmy night of improvisational music and looping at the Grog Shop Friday (April, 04, 2025) night, when comedian / musician / improvisor / motivational speaker / poet / you name it Reggie Watts stopped by to perform his fusion of music and comedy.
Local musician RA Washington opened with a very laid-back set. “This is Bertha,” he said, showing off his large amalgamation of synths, cables, and other electronic noise machines he had on a table. In the vein of Reggie Watts, RA also looped and created beats on the fly. When he tired of one, he’d say something like, “On to the next shit,” and then start a new beat. He didn’t actually sing until the final song, when he had the crowd chant the chorus, “This is the last time,” over and over, sort of creating a live loop. RA is a veteran beat maker, and has been at it for over 30 years, starting on cassette tapes, and it was clear he knew what he was doing.
As is the case with most shows at the Grog shop, Watts’ show was one of low frills. He came out before the show started and set up his own stuff on wooden stools. When he was done setting up, he explained that he was going to walk off stage and come back in a few minutes, just to create the illusion that the show was starting. He came back out, and the crowd played along. Furthering the laid-back nature of the show, he later asked if anyone had a vape pen he could see. Someone passed up one, and Watts took it backstage to “inspect it,” coming out a few seconds later blowing a big cloud.
If you’re not familiar with Watts, it’s a hard show to fully describe. It’s mostly him with some synths and a few mics, layering beatboxing, vocal harmonies, and spontaneous melodies to make up songs on the spot. That’s the simple explanation. He could really go anywhere, though. You might get a long tangential poem with multiple characters. You might get a “cover song” that’s unrecognizable. You never know.
Since Watts’ shows are improvised, there really isn’t a setlist. It’s just whatever he comes up with in the moment. In a funny twist, he did pretend that there was a setlist and that people were waiting for certain songs, or that he had it all planned out. “This is usually the time in the show when I do my poem,” he’d say, and then he’d break into an extended poem in an antiquated, posh British accent. “Twiddle me this, and twiddle me that,” he started, and just sort of kept going with different characters and ideas until he didn’t want to do it anymore. It was pretty impressive.
Right from the start, it was evident he seemed to know an unusual amount about Cleveland for someone not from here. He was making references to not just specific parts of town but also knew what they looked like. He also went on a long tangent using the word Cleve. “Cleve it to Beaver.” “Cleveing is believe.” And so on. He eventually said that his grandma was from Cleveland and where she lived when he visited her growing up, but it gave the show a hometown / local vibe.
Early in the set, he pretended like it was time for his famous Ghostbusters theme, “Because everyone is waiting for it,” he said. None of that is true, but he really committed to the bit and sold it quite well. Then he broke into a version of the Ray Parker classic that was altered pretty much entirely in arrangement and tempo. He also hilariously didn’t seem to know any of the lyrics and changed the ones he did know.
There was a keyboard on stage, although he didn’t use it much, just enough to sit down a play a song or two, which included a song about registering a water carbonator with a QR code. As with all improv, there were some bits that worked better than others, but overall, the crowd loved it. One person was laughing so hard during this bit that it was surprising he didn’t pass out.
Most impressive, and the consistently best parts of the night, was Watts’ ability to make beats and create beatboxing loops on the fly. They were all very catchy, and the crowd was really moving to them as well. At one point, after he finished a song, someone asked what it was called. Watts said they didn’t have names since he just makes them up, but that’s how strong the beats are.
The night was one worth attending, for sure. The intimacy of The Grog Shop is a perfect setting for a show like Watts’. He’s no stranger to the stage, both small and large, but it’s the intimate venues that really make one appreciate the performance. He interacts with the crowd and makes them part of the show, feeding off their energy, which is vital to a show that relies on improv. It was Watts’ fourth appearance at the Grog Shop, and hopefully, he’ll be back soon.
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