Featuring Joey Avery as its headliner, the November 16 performance brought big laughs from an unexpected lineup of comics.

Up for a night of unexpected laughs? Don’t Tell Comedy is a nationwide comedy company that pops up in non-traditional locations with a surprise lineup of comics. Featured on the OSC Podcast’s list of Colorado’s comedy destinations, every performance features local talent as openers for the secret headliner.

With no clue who was on the docket, I secured my tickets for November 16’s show in Cherry Creek. The secret location was revealed the morning of the show: Comrade Brewing, an intimate venue with a great selection of craft beers and personal pizzas.

This pop-up performance featured local comedians Ben Dailey, Hannah Jones and Ben Bryant as openers. Joey Avery, an internet personality currently on tour across the U.S., was the special headliner for the night. These four comics made for an unforgettable night of standup.

Ben Dailey mimes an awkward phone call.

Ben Dailey

Host Ben Dailey kicked things off with some personal stories about growing up religious. His warm personality shone through the anecdotes, even when the subject was less pleasant (like a clogged toilet at church camp). He did a great job reading the room and amping up the audience’s energy for every comic.

Hannah Jones muses on her love/hate relationship with non-alcoholic beer.

Hannah Jones

Jones’s stage presence is something to behold. I can only describe it as “confidently awkward” — which I mean in the best way possible. Her set ranged from innocent topics like winter outfits, to raunchier subjects like sobriety and sex.

Her tone while delivering punchlines was dry and deadpan, which heightened her observations and had the audience howling with laughter. She also excelled at her crowd work, particularly when poking fun at one group with one man and three women. After several racy punchlines, she would point to the group and say: “This guy knows what I’m talking about!”

Ben Bryant roasts his least favorite fast food chain: Sonic.

Ben Bryant

Bryant hit the ground running with his set, quickly jumping into taboo subjects such as Trump’s assassination attempts and homelessness on Colfax. Bryant was fearless onstage, wholly unapologetic with every punchline.

Bryant’s set felt fluid and organic, and he easily jumped from one subject to another by following the audience’s energy. He even had a whole beat of just doing impressions, which was both unexpected and hilarious — especially his impression of a racist dog: “um… I don’t see color.” Sometimes, I feel that impressions are a lost artform in the comedy world — but if it was lost, Bryant has found it.

Joey Avery

Avery has cultivated an online following of more than 350,000 followers across Instagram and Tik Tok. Aafter seeing him live, it’s easy to see why. His delivery was down to earth and casual, with much of his jokes stemming directly from conversations with the audience.

The set felt less like I had paid to see a performance, and more like I was out to dinner with an old friend. I was sitting near the front with my roommate, and Avery asked both of us what we did for work. His natural charisma and conversational approach was refreshing, and it was a perfect fit for a venue like Comrade Brewing.

The magic of Avery’s set came from its spontaneity and improvisation. A beer in hand, Avery made several jokes about the “communist” vibe of the bar, asking the staff directly during his set how they chose the name “Comrade Brewing.” He frequently returned to the subject, referring to us in the audience as his “comrades” with a smirk.

Though Comedy Works was Avery’s official Denver venue for his tour, I feel lucky to have caught him and the local openers at Comrade Brewing. If you want a chance to catch big name comics in a surprise venue, I recommend checking out Don’t Tell Comedy for yourself. There are quite a few of these pop-ups along th