Bridgetown is a festival of endurance and I am already fucking it up. In previous years, I’ve walked away with pneumonia, the flu, and in one case even a stye that made my eye swell shut. I had to walk around and accidentally meet famous comedians I’ve looked up to for years with the grossest thing that’s ever happened to my face. It was worse than puberty.

Andie Main with Robbie Pankow (left) and Marcus Coleman (right).
Andie Main with Robbie Pankow (left) and Marcus Coleman (right). Andie Main

Now, as a 36-year-old, I thought I would have learned about moderation. But clearly I haven’t, since I found myself at Trio Club until closing time, watching everyone karaoke their hearts out. I did everyone a favor by not singing.

My Bridgetown kicked off on Tuesday, watching Derek Sheen and Patton Oswalt at the Schnitz. Sheen is a close friend of mine, and we’ve done lots of great shows and even more shitty shows together, so it was very special watching him crush it in front of 3,000 people. My heart swelled with pride for him, and then broke when Oswalt, 30 minutes deep into a masterclass on comedy, started talking about his late wife, who passed away a year ago. He was able to take the worst day of his life and write jokes about the reality of mortality that were so affecting I don’t have any words to do the performance justice.

Last night, our locals did the city proud at Earthquake Hurricane. Bossanova Ballroom was standing room-only, and Alex Falcone, Katie Nguyen, Anthony Lopez, AND THE GODDESS MASQUERADING AS BRI PRUETT opened with riffs on dentists and bathing in fountains. A couple of surprise guests dropped in, like Ian Karmel and Janeane Garofalo, and even though the show ballooned into a two-hours-plus marathon, the pacing was smooth and it felt like no time had passed at all. Lopez and Shane Torres in particular were polished, sharp, and brutal.

Earthquake Hurricane
Earthquake Hurricane Andie Main

I think this is my sixth time attending the festival, and my first performing—and one thing I know is that I gotta take plenty of naps and stay hydrated. Later on tonight, I’m performing at Lez Is More at Bunk Bar, which has some fantastic locals, like Kirsten Kuppenbender, Caitlin Weierhauser, and Whitney Streed. If I weren’t performing, I would be sure to check out The Goddamn Comedy Jam or Let’s Do it with Bri Pruett. I’m def gonna catch The New Negroes and Whatever Forever (which has Andre Du Bouchet—one of the trailblazers who was part of the alternative comedy movement). In the meantime, time for a power nap!