Comedian Jo Koy adds third show at Blaisdell Arena
STAR-ADVERTISER / 2017
Jo Koy sold out 11 shows at Blaisdell Concert Hall last year. He’s now selling out appearances at Blaisdell Arena.
Filipino-American comedian Jo Koy is at it again — selling out show after show in Honolulu. This time around, after announcing a November appearance at Blaisdell Arena, he has sold out one show scheduled for Nov. 24, sold a Nov. 25 date down to scattered individual seats, and has begun sales on a third comedy concert on Nov. 23.
Tickets for the Nov. 23 concert, $45 and $55, were still available today at ticketmaster.com, as were a few single tickets for the Nov. 25 show. Tickets went on sale for the first announced show on Wednesday morning in Hawaii, and sold out that day, prompting the addition of a second concert. Koy decided this morning to add a third show, said publicist Kaity McQuade.
Calling from California, where Koy has a concert in San Jose today, the comedian said he would be open to adding additional arena shows if the third concert sells out.
“It’s moving so fast,” Koy said.
After selling out an unprecedented 11 shows — more than 23,000 tickets — at the Blaisdell Concert Hall last year, a record-breaking run for a comedian, Koy said he could feel the affection Hawaii audiences have for him and his comedy.
“I was walking around town, and, just how people were coming up to me, it was appreciation — just love,” he said. “Better not kick me out now. I’m staying forever.”
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While he acknowledges that some of the attraction for Hawaii audiences stems from his background, as the son of a Filipina mother who, along with his Caucasian, Air Force-veteran father, raised him in the U.S., Koy said he believes the appeal is more universal.
“I’m selling out concerts in Tennessee, and the number of Filipino fans there is minimal,” he said. “The comedy’s transcending that, further than race. Everyone’s relating to it.
The comedian has been bringing his family for monthlong vacation stays on Maui for several years, he said, and does consider the islands “home.” He will be on Maui again with his family in July.
Asked whether he would appear at Aloha Stadium for his next Hawaii stop, Koy said, “Let’s go — I’ll do it!”
Koy plans to film his next comedy special while in Honolulu, as part of his Break the Mold World Tour. Because the comedian’s routines include mature content, tickets are restricted to those ages 12 and over.
