Zac Maas headlines Vail Comedy Show at Bridge Street Bar on Wednesday

Nationally touring comedian Zac Maas grew up snowboarding in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is just one reason he is excited to be performing at Bridge Street Bar this Wednesday.

“I grew up near the highest peak east of the Rockies with some decent snowboarding for the Wild West. I spent most of my winters on the hill back when leashes were required, so visiting Vail will create some nostalgia for me,” said Maas.

Maas will be part of a stacked lineup at a new venue for the Vail Comedy Show, the first time it has been in Vail Village. Edward Bell from Denver and Kallan Reece from Colorado Springs will also perform with host and show organizer Mark Masters.

“We are so happy to have Bridge Street Bar be the new home of the Vail Comedy Show. It’s a treat to be able to see nationally touring comics make a stop in Vail,” said Todd Milner, partner at Bridge Street Bar.

The Vail Comedy Show has seen ups and downs because of COVID-19. One constant has been bringing laughs to the valley.

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“I’ve been running comedy shows in Vail for two years now, and I love how enthusiastic this community is,” said Mark Masters, who is flying from Los Angeles for this week’s show. “Our shows at Vail Brewing Co. in EagleVail, our online stuff during the pandemic and most recently shows at the Riverwalk Theater in Edwards have had nothing but love from the locals and tourists that have popped in.”

Maas is no stranger to Vail, although he found his last visit strange.

“The last time I found myself in Vail, I met some interesting locals. I stayed with a couple that was trying to get off the grid — not the electrical grid or the internet though. They wanted to get off of the sewer line. I spent the weekend using a funnel attached to a hose and a Home Depot bucket full of sawdust to handle my business” said Maas.

As a comedian that has appeared in comedy clubs and comedy festivals around the country, Maas carves out time to make opportunities for his peers.

Maas will be putting on the sixth annual Phone It In Film Festival on Nov.13 at LFX Filmworks in Denver. The festival encourages comedians to make short films two minutes or less, but they must be filmed on a cellphone.

Maas is also already planning the second annual Black Hills Comedy Festival.

Maas’s trademark long hair will have some company this week as Bell and Reece both have distinctive long hairdos.

Reece and his signature mullet couldn’t be more excited to be back in Vail.

“It has been two years since I last performed in Vail, and it is about time Mark had me back. This new venue looks like it will be a party, which is the energy I bring to comedy shows,” said Reece.

Reece has shot two national beer commercials since his previous performance in the valley, and one of them is approaching a million views on YouTube.

Both the bar and show are aware that venue changes can hurt ticket sales. The last Vail Comedy Show at Riverwalk theater had a record 75 attendees. Despite moving the venue, this week’s show appears to be trending towards a sellout.

“We sold out several categories of tickets during our presale, which is exclusive to mailing list subscribers, and we expect the entire show to sell out soon. If you miss September, we will be back Oct. 14, and I can not wait to reveal that line up. It is such an honor when TV-famous comedians come to town. VailComedyShow.com will have all those details later this week,” said Masters.

If you get tickets to Wednesday’s show, you can see material that will be heading to New Orleans later this month. Masters will be the headliner at Comedy House New Orleans on Sept. 30, which recently reopened after Hurricane Ida.

Tickets for this week’s show start at $20, and the doors open at 7:30 p.m. Early arrivals are encouraged, and the show kicks off at 8 p.m.