It isn’t a stretch to say that the 90s sketch comedy group The State are one of my all-time biggest influences. Not only did the show lead me to years of performing comedy, but I also learned html in order to create an impressively ugly fan site.

I previously saw The State live just after their MTV show ended, at the now defunct Carolines in Times Square. If you told me then that I’d bring my wife to see them in Chicago in 2023, I would have had a few questions. But I wouldn’t be suprised to hear that those sketches meant as much to me in 2023 as they did back when MTV actually played music videos. Getting a chance to relive those sketches without having to break out a VHS bootleg was pure joy.