Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The moment he took over for Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show,” Jay Leno became the king of late night, and despite moving on from the role, the Television Hall of Famer went on to host the car-themed “Jay Leno’s Garage” and the revived game show “You Bet Your Life.”

In between, the multi-faceted entertainer regularly returns to stand-up comedy, an occasion which filled up the red hot Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana on Veterans Day, where for precisely 90 minutes, he ran through nearly every cultural topic imaginable.

Though the floor and stands were filled by many generations, including a 100-year-old World War II Veteran, Leno, now 73, leaned towards discussing this current phase of life and was probably more relatable to those around that range, but nonetheless prompted everyone to chuckle.

Devoid of being overly raunchy, the headliner compared the pornography of back in the day to now, dissected the side effects of several prescription drugs and spoke up against cancel culture, all with his signature wit firmly in tact.

Along the way, he referenced the disgraced Bill Cosby, “Uber driver” Kevin Spacey and the constantly high Willie Nelson, plus a few minor yet humorous barbs at both President Joe Biden and Donald Trump before quickly backing away and insisting it would an apolitical performance.

Instead, he pivoted to remarking about political correctness, especially compared to how it used to be, rewriting the lyrics to Isaac Hayes’ funky “Theme From ‘Shaft’” to fit modern protocol and recalling how some previous interns seemed to speak a different language all together.

Given the Gary venue isn’t very far from Chicago, Leno even recalled opening for legendary singer/actress Freda Payne at Mister Kelly’s and dining at Mr. Beef where he got into a heated discussion with some fellow Italians over their exaggerated heritage on “The Sopranos.”

However, the runaway highlight had less to do with laughs than it did saluting a true American hero, the aforementioned centenarian, who he acknowledged and thanked, alongside all those who’ve ever served the country, sparking a unanimous standing ovation.

“We could not tell these jokes if it weren’t for you my friend,” Leno remarked while thanking the Hard Rock for its hospitality, and in turn, was met with a similar reaction, if only for his uncanny ability to make this increasingly heavy world temporarily feel at least a little bit lighter.

For additional information on Jay Leno, visit Facebook.com/JayLeno.

Upcoming concert highlights at Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana include The Best Of The Duets (Nov. 25); Blue October (Nov. 30); Brian McKnight (Dec. 2); Meshuggah (Dec. 5); Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular Birthday Edition (Jan. 6); Flo Rida (Jan. 19); Ron White (Jan. 20); The Commodores and The Spinners (Jan. 26); Tim Allen (Jan. 27); Marlon Wayans (Feb. 2); George Lopez (Feb. 3); Rod Stewart (Feb. 10); Hannah Berner (Mar. 1); Chelsea Handler (Apr. 26); David Foster & Katharine McPhee (May 4) and Jason Mraz (Jul. 19). For additional details, visit HardRockCasinoNorthernIndiana.com.

Related Articles

Laughs galore at sold out Genesee when Jay Leno rolls through marathon monologue Jay Leno: “The Hardest Working Man In Show Business” Tour at Genesee Theatre Hard Rock Live boards Gladys Knight’s radiant “Midnight Train” in the midst of its 50th birthday Daryl Hall’s solo, duo hits, guest Todd Rundgren, make Hard Rock Live’s “Dreams Come True” John Cleese (Monty Python): “At It Again” Tour at The Venue British comedy pioneer John Cleese looks on the brighter side of “Monty Python” life at The Venue Judas Priest’s “50 Heavy Metal Years,” the second coming of Queensrÿche electrify Genesee World’s best-selling soprano Sarah Brightman unwraps “A Christmas Symphony”