The wait, however, was well worth it. Lynch has a great stage presence--he genuinely seems to love the audience (at one point, he got a kid out of the audience to come on stage and pour beer into his mouth, referring to the guy as his "little beer angel"), and enjoys poking fun at himself. (There's nothing worse, of course, than a comedian who takes himself too seriously.) On stage he also shows his strong improvisational chops as well, bursting into an operatic rendition of Outkast's "Hey Ya" at one point, and channeling what seemed to be a gay pre-school teacher at another point. Lynch thrives on the feedback that the audience gives him, and so if you're enjoying the show, chances are that he is too. It was a great show all around, and while not all of his songs flew as well as others ("Craig," for instance, I think horrified most everybody in the audience, even atheists), Lynch throws himself into them all with such fervor that you can't help but laugh even if you're shocked.

While I would recommend any of Lynch's CDs to even a "minor" fan, there's something to be said for seeing the man perform his songs--either in person or on his DVD. Sure, "Priest" is still funny even if you're listening to it on your iPod in the car, but you miss out on the spectacle that is Stephen Lynch pantomiming a... er... "touching" moment between priest and altar boy. And listening to a recording never affords you with the opportunity to see Lynch perform oral sex on his microphone (which he did in concert, by the way, at least 4 times). So, yes, his CDs are funny--but seeing him play his guitar a la Art Garfunkel (it's funnier than it sounds) is downright hilarious.

So, when you boil it down: Is Stephen Lynch subtle? Not at all. Crude and crass? Absolutely. But he's also freakin' hilarious.