This weekend, Comedy Heights brings another strong lineup to Lestat’s on Adams Ave, and this one has a little bit of everything: sharp personal comedy, cultural observation, clean introspection, family chaos, and at least one set of mutton chops that deserves its own spotlight.
Headlining the weekend lineup are Matt Coffern, Victor Paz Jr., and Andy Rider, with Jude Merkel joining Friday, Gretchen Dee joining Saturday, and Al Gavi and the Comedy Heights LaughPac rounding out the shows.
Matt Coffern brings a style that is personal, quick, and smart without ever feeling distant. Drawing from his life with autism, his West Texas roots, and his time working for a defense contractor, Matt turns real experience into comedy that feels both honest and unexpected. His writing is clean, thoughtful, and fast-moving, but what makes him stand out is the way he keeps the audience inside the story instead of just waiting for the punchline. Matt has performed throughout California, including Hollywood clubs, the Hollywood Improv Lab, and Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club in Las Vegas as part of the Kenan Presents Comedy Festival.
Victor Paz Jr. comes at comedy from a completely different angle, which is exactly what makes this lineup interesting. A Mexican American comic with a fearless take on family, class, culture, and survival, Victor finds humor in places most people would walk past very carefully. His comedy digs into dysfunctional family stories, the strange economics of growing up, funerals that start sounding like AA meetings, and the kind of neighborhood logic that somehow makes perfect sense when he says it out loud. Victor has a gift for making audiences laugh at the truth before they realize they have just agreed with something outrageous.
Andy Rider adds another distinct voice to the weekend. A stand-up comic and writer from Charleston, South Carolina, Andy has performed at SF Sketchfest, New South Comedy Festival, and has opened for W. Kamau Bell. Now based in Los Angeles, he performs everywhere from speakeasies and comic book shops to The Hollywood Improv. Andy’s comedy carries that great mix of writer’s brain and oddball stage presence — smart, off-center, and very much his own.
Friday night also features Jude Merkel, while Saturday brings Gretchen Dee to the lineup. And with Al Gavi hosting both shows, Comedy Heights gets one of those reliable comedy-room forces who knows how to keep the night moving, keep the audience engaged, and make the whole show feel like a real event instead of just a list of comics.
That is the strength of Comedy Heights: variety. Every weekend is different. Every comic brings a new angle. And because Lestat’s is such an intimate room, the audience gets to be right there inside the timing, the reactions, the surprises, and the little one-of-a-kind moments that only happen in live stand-up.
The shows are Friday and Saturday, June 26–27 at 8 PM at Lestat’s, 3343 Adams Ave. in San Diego. Admission is only $5, and the cover converts to same-day café credit, which is still one of the best comedy deals in town.
Come out this weekend, grab a coffee, find a seat, and watch a lineup of comics turn real life, weird life, family life, and whatever Andy’s sideburns are doing into a night of live comedy.
