Sandra Bernhard. Photo Credit: Nick Spanos.
On Saturday, December 28th, Sandra Bernhard performed at Joe’s Pub in New York City for a great turnout as part of her “Shapes and Forms” show, which she is performing until the 31st.
This has been a holiday tradition at Joe’s Pub for two decades, and this year’s installment is fresh with new stories and songs, delivered in the American icon’s wildly witty, raunchy, unfiltered, bold, and unforgettable style.
As Bernard took the stage, she was greeted with a lengthy round of applause from the Big Apple audience. She was joined by her talented band members of the Sandyland Squad Band.
Of course, she commented on the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, and even poked fun at the egg prices escalating these days in grocery stores due to the “bird flu.”
She spoke about her love and admiration for the late Country Music Hall of Famer Kris Kristofferson, who passed away at the age of 88 back in September. She sang “Help Me Make It Through the Night” in his honor.
Bernhard went on to share a special memory of her and Joni Mitchell in her youth and sang Mitchell’s holiday classic “River” as a tribute to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.
She also shared stories poking fun of Martha Stewart and Candice Bergen, and even asked Morgan Fairchild for her forgiveness (for not being nicer to her on the “Roseanne” set).
Bernhard delivered a harking version of Lana Del Rey’s “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd,” which was filled with raw emotions.
She also recalled memories of seeing Cat Stevens in concert, and meeting Arnold Schwarzenegger in the ’70s in the beaches of Los Angeles.
The comedy queen also expressed her admiration for Michelle Obama and noted that she is “probably the only person in the world that hasn’t met her.” She also shared a time in New York when she got really close to meeting her, but it didn’t come to fruition.
After she introduced her band, she complimented her musical director Mitchell Kaplan for being in her band for well over 40 years.
She closed her set with the enthralling “Daydream Believer” by The Monkees where everybody sang along with her.
For her encore, Bernhard underwent an outfit change and returned to the Joe’s Pub stage for a rocking rendition of Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipser of the Heart” with Mitch Kaplan on both the featured and background vocals (who sang Rory Dodd’s part).
The Verdict
Overall, it was a fun and funny night of music and comedy by Sandra Bernhard at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan. She had the crowd with her every step of the way. Her show garnered two thumbs up.
For more information on Sandra Bernhard, follow her on Instagram, and visit her website.
Read More: Interview with Sandra Bernhard
