September's hour-long CD/DVD, the society-skewering, take-no-prisoners Why Do I Do This?, was honest without being condescending—at least not overbearingly so—and Burr's recurring role on the gone-too-soon Chappelle's Show was pure, naive straight-man brilliance. But for comedy fans in the know, nothing captures the essence of the Letterman regular like his legendary performance on the Philadelphia date of the 2006 Opie & Anthony Traveling Virus Tour. For 11 grainy, shaky minutes, Burr whips an unruly audience into submission with the most vitriolic, name-calling, Rocky-bashing assessment of their existence imaginable, all the while noting aloud his remaining time—reveling in it, even. By the set's end, the crowd has been won over, and Burr's balls have been certified bigger than any of his comedic predecessors (not least of all for shilling his CD in the midst). Google it and feel your jaw drop in awe. Just don't try to recreate the experience when he appears at Zanies.
Thu., Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Nov. 14, 7:30 & 9:45 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 15, 7, 9 & 11:15 p.m., 2008
