Kevin Hart is done lying.

Except when the truth isn’t believable, and for Hart, that happens a lot.

Hart, known for his stand-up specials and starring roles in movies such as “Ride Along,” and “Think like a Man,” said he came to this conclusion after a night playing ping-pong at a friend’s house.

Hart said he blacked out and woke up in a panic with 27 missed calls and 46 text messages. He knew his girlfriend would never believe the truth, so he had to lie.

“I said, ‘Get up, get dressed, we’re gonna run my car into a wall, then I’ma take a selfie,’” Hart said as he detailed which hashtags he was going to use, each one prompting heavier laughter in the audience. “Hashtag another accident, hashtag sh*t happens, hashtag life is crazy, hashtag hope we get a good doctor, hashtag I love my lady, though.”

Hart’s performance in Goldstein Auditorium Sunday night was dominated by the seemingly unbelievable accounts of his own life that fans have come to associate with the comedian.

The comedian talked about his relationships with his children and his father, as well as his upcoming second marriage. For Hart, nothing was off limits.

Syracuse University was Hart’s fourth stop on his college tour, and he kept the crowd laughing throughout his entire set made up of brand new material. Hart took the stage after comedians Joey Wells and Will “Spank” Horton opened the show.

Wells and Horton joked about the college experience, and both comedians gave shout-outs to members of the crowd. Wells shouted out the students by year, joking about the mindset of students of different ages. Horton’s roll call wasn’t as innocent. The self-described pervert took roll call by bra sizes and gave a shout out to everybody on academic probation.

When Hart walked out on stage, the sold-out crowd erupted in screams and cheers. Audience members stood on their feet as Hart grabbed the microphone and egged them on.

“Make some f*cking noise,” Hart shouted as the crowd screamed even louder.

Hart immediately endeared himself to the audience, responding to the high-pitched yells and shrieks of his many fans. He did so by mocking them in his own nasally, high-pitched voice, stretching out vowels as he spoke, “Oh my god.” After a quick back-and-forth with the fans, Hart went straight to his performance.

“There’s no sense in wasting your time,” Hart said. “Let’s get to the f*cking jokes.”

Fanta Dicko, a junior information management and technology major, said she enjoys Hart’s comedy because it appeals to everyone.

“I loved the performance. I think Kevin Hart — his audience is a big range — so everyone laughs at his jokes,” Dicko said. “It’s just so funny.”

From raccoons, to “The Conjuring,” to Starbucks, to disappointing birthday gifts from his children, Hart seemingly had an opinion on everything — and was eager to share it.

Hart transitioned seamlessly between jokes, building one off the next. He could barely get through one of his profanity-riddled tangents without being interrupted by the crowd’s laughter.

At the beginning of the show, Hart listed off the reasons he needed to move before getting married. After explaining how he had to “move around a bunch of wildlife” before moving to the suburbs, Hart detailed a strange encounter with a raccoon.

“He was on two feet, he put his hand on the glass — I was like oh sh*t — he saw me and he said, ‘Ha ha ha, bang bang,’ the f*cking raccoon shot at me, bang bang, then he grabbed his dick and walked away.”

Many of Hart’s punch lines were repeated throughout his set, and each time he referenced his previous jokes, the crowd shouted along with him.

Donovaun Bialose, a sophomore psychology major, appreciated the level of interaction Hart had with the crowd.

““I really loved it. The material was really original. It was fresh — he had a lot of callbacks. It was a good time,” Bialose said.

Along with his cleverly crafted jokes, Hart’s over-dramatic actions were also appreciated by the rowdy audience. As Hart delivered his lines, he almost always accompanied them with a theatrical facial expression or movement.

The crowd reached the height of their laughter when Hart described the life of a man with no kneecaps, detailing the struggle of walking by waddling around the stage. Then Hart escalated the situation, describing the man bowling. But what drew the most laughter is when Hart imagined the man having sex.

“Get in here and get some of this lock-knee dick,” Hart said, thrusting his body forward while keeping his legs completely straight, letting his microphone hang from his waist and slap against his thighs. “He looks like he is skiing on that ass.”

After cracking jokes for almost an hour, Hart finally concluded his set and the crowd rose to their feet.

But Hart wasn’t done with the audience just yet. The comedian had everybody stand and took a “Syracuse selfie” with the crowd.

“This is my comedian rock-star sh*t,” Hart said, as he thanked the crowd and walked off the stage to a loud ovation.

Published on November 3, 2014 at 12:31 am

Contact Brendan: bskrisel@syr.edu