Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Long before either Howie Mandel or Arsenio Hall became household names on TV, they were cutting their stand-up comedy chops in clubs, and though the Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana drew a couple thousand fans when they toured together, it was the next closest environment to those roots.

Separately or combined, they made the state-of-the-art venue inside the casino of the same name feel quite up close and personal, frequently interacting with a more than willing crowd when they weren’t delivering a steady stream of laugh out loud material.

Hall got the evening of showbiz titans started, entering to the “whoo, whoo” popularized on “The Arsenio Hall Show,” then quickly getting down to the business of riffing on everything from the uniqueness of Black names, mumble rap versus Motown, smart toilets, the poor guys who used to date Kardashians and a little bit about politics.

After winning “The Celebrity Apprentice” and personally crossing paths with host Donald Trump, he had some thoughts on the second termer, such as his dancing skills (or lack thereof), in addition to prior President Joe Biden being prone to fall both down and up the stairs.

Mandel is also no stranger to television, including judging on “America’s Got Talent” and hosting the game show “Deal Or No Deal,” yet stuck to the edgier side of dial, just like he used to.

That meant quips on feminine products, Spanx, rectal examinations, playing a nasty prostate joke on a doctor and to a drop dead hilarious bit on his trophy wife, whom called “the participation kind.”

He went on to interview two security guards and responded to an unusually high amount of shout-outs, at one point wondering, “Was it ten percent off your ticket if you have Tourette’s?”

However, there was nothing like having both superstars share the stage, which gave the chance for a bit of mutual admiration and upped each of their already sharp games, especially when Hall got Mandel to tell the origins of his classic rubber glove skit and was later prompted to recall Reverend Brown from “Coming To America.”

Even “AGT” hypnotist Chris Jones surprised the former germaphobe judge he once got to shake hands, spawning a segment where the Chicago native worked like-minded magic on an audience volunteer and then threw it back to the co-headliners’ craziness to close out another winning Hard Rock combination.

For additional information on Howie Mandel and Arsenio Hall, visit HowieMandel.com and ArsenioHall.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana include Marsha Ambrosius and Rahsaan Patterson (Feb. 15); Three Dog Night (Mar. 7); Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics, The Manhattans featuring Gerald Alston and Enchantment (Mar. 8); Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons (Mar. 28); George Wallace, J. Anthony Brown, Michael Colyar and Ted Carpenter (Mar. 29); Los Lobos and Los Lonely Boys (Apr. 5); Tyler Henry (Apr. 6); Walker Hayes (Apr. 19); Hollywood Undead and Tech N9ne (May 1); Marilyn Manson (May 3); George Lopez (May 16); Chippendales (May 17); Travis Tritt (Aug. 16) and Sting (Nov. 23). For additional details, visit HardRockCasinoNorthernIndiana.com.

Related Articles

Hard Rock having comic side of “Talent” judge, “Deal” host Howie Mandel alongside Arsenio Hall Stand-up and TV superstar Jerry Seinfeld cracks up a sold out Hard Rock Live audience Hard Rock rings in third birthday with The Jacksons’ homecoming, Eve 6’s alt-rock freebie Pianist/producer David Foster, singer/actress Katharine McPhee make a Hard Rock power couple “Last Man Standing” and movie A-lister Tim Allen autobiographical, edgy at sold out Hard Rock Host, actor, comic and “Celebrity Apprentice” Arsenio Hall gets back to late night laughs at City Winery Elite artist, songwriter and producer Babyface brings Hard Rock Live loads of chart-toppers Close Enemies and Tom Hamilton from Aerosmith rock City Winery like the “Sound Of A Train”