Just weeks after kickstarting the Southern Momma Comedy Tour in Pensacola (FL), headliner Darren Knight and his opening acts – Gary Cargal, Jerry Harvey and George Gallo – brought their hilarious stand up to the Salem Civic Center. Thousands of people purchased tickets to the show; some as early as April.

Most of the material used on stage revolved around relationships, social issues and unfiltered honesty. “This is our first time here in Salem and we are very excited to be playing in a hockey rink,” host George Gallo said. “I was happy to meet a lady on the road today. She was driving a pick-up truck so that’s cool. I think she needed a dental plan but that’s not my problem.”

Jerry Harvey, a Tennessee native, openly talked about what it’s like to be a homosexual in 2017. “So, I want to let you know right off the bat who you are dealing with. I am 52-years-old,” he said. “I’m also a southern conservative-stand-up comic-hairdresser-radio show host. And I’m gay. You feel like you just saw Big Foot don’t you?”

Alabama resident Gary Cargal held nothing back when discussing his spouse. “My wife married me for my money and she is still waiting,” he said. “All of my friends back home mention how beautiful she is inside and out. She is a looker but some of the stuff I saw can’t be unseen.”

One of the loudest moments of the night came when Darren Knight made a joke about the recent Delta Airline controversy. “I don’t know how racism showed its ugly face in our beautiful country but if you want to feel oppressed, go down to Delta,” he said. “Their new motto is ‘Cash me Outside’.”

Last Thursday was a date night for Roanoke County native Corey Smith and his wife Samantha. “Prior to today neither of us had ever seen Darren Knight live,” Corey said. “The clips we saw online were good but don’t do him justice. All of the comedians were funny but Darren alone was worth the price of admission.”

Rhyon Lett also brought her date to the comedy show. She says she sent him a morning text telling him to be ready at 5 p.m. “Some people talk about women taking forever to get ready to go out,” she jokingly said. “My boyfriend would have missed half of the show had I told him to meet me at the Salem Civic Center.”

Brian Stallings is a big fan of Darren Knight, both literally and figuratively. Standing nearly 7-feet-tall, he said he certainly got his bang for his buck last Thursday. “None of the comedians disappointed,” he said. “Sometimes when there is a lineup, at least one person on the ticket is bad. That wasn’t the case today.”

“The name Southern Momma came from Darren obviously, but an ‘Em’ is southern slang for ‘and them’,” John Edmonds Kozma, Darren Knight’s manager, said. “Last Thursday night was a great show. The guys had a great time on stage. The energy from the crowd was unbelievable.”