With nearly two decades in the business and an hour-long Netflix special under his belt, Tennessee comedian Nate Bargatze was at the top of his game when the pandemic hit in 2020. But global catastrophe didn’t slow him down. He adapted to virtual formats, workshopped new material, and even pushed out a second special in 2021.
Now he’s in the middle of his “Raincheck Tour,” making good with audiences on shows he had to cancel in the past two years. He’s making the trip to headline in Hawaiʻi this weekend — one of the rare remaining firsts in his long career. The Conversation spoke with Bargatze about whether he still gets the pre-show jitters before performing for a new audience.
Bargatze is performing at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center on Friday and the Blaisdell Concert Hall on Saturday. This interview aired on The Conversation on July 18, 2022. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.