Last week, I had the privilege of taking my husband out to see our favorite comedian do stand-up. It was his Christmas gift and I went all out. I’m talking front row seats and we got to meet him. Now, I know that most people never really talk about going and seeing their favorite comedian. A majority of the time they talk about going and seeing their favorite band. And that’s all fine and dandy, but I feel like going to a comedy show has always been a better experience for me than a concert.

Now, here are some of my experiences and why I prefer spending a night laughing over just about anything else. My husband’s and my favorite comedian is Christopher Titus, and we have actually seen him perform twice. The first time we saw him was when we were living out in California for the summer. We saw him in Burbank at a little club called Flapper’s. The way the place is set up is so you can have dinner and a show, so the comedian will perform while you’re sitting at your table. This brings the comfort factor way higher than any concert I’ve ever been to. The concert hall could have the most comfortable seats in the entire world, but during a concert you won’t find me using them. Here, I was completely relaxed and enjoying myself on a personal level, laughing so hard that I’m honestly crying.

Also, the place was small and made you feel like you were special to be there. My husband and I weren’t one of hundreds. We were a part of a group of about 50 in total, and that’s on the high end. It almost feels like a personal show, and I can’t describe how much that means to me. And the price was cheap in comparison. We paid about $25 for the both of us, and we got dinner with it. That is way better than paying way too much for a seat your butt never touches because you’re trying to see over the person in front of you or just simply rocking out.

I remember going to a concert where I couldn’t see over the person, so we stepped out into the aisle because we were right on the end. We ended up being talked to by security because we weren’t allowed to stand there (even though we were barely blocking any of it). So my friend and I spent the rest of the time trying to peer between people’s heads and shoulders in front of us until the end of the concert. I left feeling extremely bummed and disappointed in the night.

There was absolutely no issue seeing Titus perform in Burbank. Again, it was one of the most relaxed settings I’ve ever been in publicly. It was no different last week when we saw him. I paid a little extra to get front row seats, but it was still cheap compared to prices on some concerts I’ve gone to. And I don’t regret it one bit, because being in the front row allowed us to almost become a part of the show. Both Rachel Bradley (who started off the night) and Christopher Titus could see my husband’s and my reactions to the jokes and would comment on us and bring us into their story. That has never happened to me at a concert.

I’ve also found that comedians are more likely to do meet and greets after the show, not just save this opportunity to VIP ticket holders. Titus came out and met with everyone that wanted to get a picture and have items signed. And the meeting is personal. He wants to talk to you and get to know you during the short amount of time. During our small conversation, we discovered that the show we saw in Burbank was the only place he did his presidential campaign skit. How cool is that to be one of the only people to hear that material? You won’t find that with concerts because everything they play, you have the ability to have right on your phone.

My husband and I have also seen Gabriel Iglesias perform. This was different than both of the Titus shows. This show did fill a larger auditorium. We had good seats for his show as well and we were again very comfortable and relaxed the entire time. He also brought along some other comedians who were also very entertaining. Again, the tickets were cheaper than most concerts I’ve been to. We would’ve also gotten the chance to meet Gabriel, but he came to Michigan during the winter and was coming down with something. And even though he wasn’t feeling very well, he still performed and made his fans laugh. He didn’t cancel like some artists would. He actually continued his show for almost an hour longer than he was supposed to. He knew that they wanted him to stop, but he didn’t care because he put his fans above everything else. Although the meet and greet was canceled, he took care of us by making us laugh a little harder and a little longer.

With all of the comedians I’ve seen, they all shared their lives with their fans. They made us laugh as they opened up about very personal life experiences. And as much as I love music, I don’t think I’ve ever connected with singers the way I connect with someone who is talking to me about their hardships or their victories in life. I find that comedians connect with you through storytelling. Life can sometimes be hard, and they know that as well as the next person. They just understand that laughter can help you get through it all ,and that’s why they do what they do.

So I’m telling you to skip the concert at least once. Find a comedian you love and if there ever comes a time when they are performing near you, go! Just try it. Laughter does the body and mind so much good. You will hold onto the jokes and stories they tell. It pops into your mind when you’re doing completely ordinary or boring tasks and will make you burst into laughter all over again. Life isn’t meant to be taken seriously, so let’s just simply enjoy it.