Asheville Fringe Arts Festival: Big Dad Energy

If I were the person I was three years ago, I would have skimmed right over the title Big Dad Energy while perusing the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival lineup. But as it stands, I’m now the father of a rambunctious two-year-old girl. And while, thanks to her, my dad energy is more often of the “sink into the couch after bedtime, eat coconut ice cream, and watch Regular Show” variety, I was interested to see how Jamie Campbell would interpret the phrase.

Not from personal experience, as the Kansas City-based comic made clear shortly into his Thursday night show in The Cloud Room at Wedge Brewing Co.’s Foundy Street location. Instead, Campbell’s solo act shared his take on fatherhood as a recently married 40-something coming to grips with his child-free circumstances.

He moved fluidly between rapid-fire standup comedy, memoir and reflective philosophizing (along with a couple of awkwardly endearing white-guy raps) throughout his 45-minute set. The different pieces all hung together through the themes of generational relations and aging.

My favorite segments came when those different storytelling registers started to blend with each other, as in a recollection about an early job at a Claire’s Boutique. The bit came punctuated with joke after joke about the insanity of letting teenagers pierce ears — including those of infants.

“One, two, three — hole in a baby!” Campbell exclaimed. “Parents hate it when you shout that out loud.”

The Fringe crowd of about 20 seemed to appreciate the comic’s turns toward progressive political commentary, particularly an extended metaphor comparing the fight over LGBTQ issues in schools to disagreements about pineapple on pizza. One of the biggest applause lines came as he praised young people for tackling systemic racism: “Our generation couldn’t even dismantle Limp Bizkit.”

Campbell’s delivery was earnestly positive throughout, an approach that generally suited the material. After all, this is a man who jokes about standing on street corners and, instead of cat-calling women, shouting out bits of parental wisdom like “Measure twice, cut once,” and “Righty tighty, lefty loosey.”

And Campbell arrived at a positive end in his meditations on not being a father. His legacy, he suggested, would come not from his contribution to the gene pool but from the good vibes, smiles, and thoughtful observations he shared with audiences.

“But hey, you don’t have to listen to me,” he quipped. “I’m not your dad.”

Big Dad Energy plays again at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at Wedge Brewing Co. Foundy Street. Tickets are available at this link.

(Photos by Thomas Rex)