Rob Schneider in Des Moines
by Greg from Urbandale on 4/1/25Hoyt Sherman Place - Des MoinesRating: 5 out of 5I saw Rob Schneider at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines on Saturday, March 29th, 2025.
Frankly, although I had a front row seat, I didn’t look forward to going. That was kind of true soon after I bought the ticket four or five months ago, but it was even more true the day before, and the day of, the show. Some of it might have been the nice weather - I needed to walk the dogs.
Also, for whatever reason, I’ve never been a big Rob Schneider fan. He was OK on SNL, but however long ago that was, was probably the last time I watched SNL. And, I don’t really know what he did after that. Like everyone else, I saw stuff about Elle the past few years, which, shall we say, kept him relevant. Then, a year ago, maybe two, I saw him on Fox News a couple of times, and I felt a political kinship with him, which, in turn, caused me to buy the ticket.
I also really like the venue. Hoyt Sherman is a wonderful 1,200+ seat theater that is attached to a beautiful 100+ year old mansion that had been owned by, not surprisingly, Hoyt Sherman, who was the brother of William Tecumseh Sherman of Civil War fame (“Sherman’s march to the sea”). Anyway, in addition to political affinity with the headliner, I wanted to ‘represent’ Des Moines, so I showed up.
A Beatles soundtrack played bump music for the fifteen or twenty minutes that I sat there pre-show. I noticed a large piano occupying the stage. With what appeared to be a full house, the show started a minute or two late, but then Rob Schneider’s voice came over the sound system and he invisibly proceeded to tell a joke or two, then introduced a piano player who took the stage (sorry, names are not my forte’).
After a couple of piano pieces, the voice of Rob Schneider introduced a “local” stand up comedian. The stand up may or may not have been local, but he was very funny. He might have been on stage twenty minutes, but he really set the table well - he was funny and left the crowd wanting more.
Shortly thereafter, the pianist reappeared, played a brief intro, and a well-dressed Rob Schneider walked on stage. He broke out in song (HS has great acoustics), and then for the next hour and a half he pretty much owned the stage. He was funnier than hell, and, again, our political similarities made everything even more hilarious. I laughed to the point that I was crying at least a few times during the set, which, for me, is always a good sign (and, increasingly, too rare). Also, I enjoyed the raw vibe of both comedians…particularly on a beautiful Saturday night in Des Moines, Iowa.
See (and enjoy) the show!