A Holiday Variety Show at the Fonda Theater, Los Angeles

Yes, even in Hollywood one can find an evening devoted to selflessness. At A Holiday Variety Show, comedians and musicians alike brought people together in the name of supporting charities: The Girls Home and No Kid Hungry. The evening, put together by actor Justin Long and Chvrches’ singer Lauren Mayberry, was filled with both hearty laughs and tender moments.

 As one might assume, it was the comedians that kept the atmosphere light. Such bits were the perfect antidote to acoustic sets that often strayed on the sentimental side of things. Nick Kroll kicked off the night with a semi-warning: “This is going to be an amazing show. You guys are going to be standing for fucking hours.”

But that was ok. The comics kept the crowd on their toes. If you weren’t listening for a moment, you might have missed a punchline, especially as duos like Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz and Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher riffed off one another. In one relatively special moment, David Koechner, performing as drunkard “Gerald Tibbins,” graced the crowd with what he described as the “hobo spiritual,” otherwise known as “Two Dollars and a Hand Job.” Long informed the crowd, according to Koechner’s manager, that he doesn’t do the bit often. The other standups included Chris Hardwick and Mike Phirman, Neal Brennan and Pete Holmes.

Singer/songwriter Jenny Owen Youngs set the tone for the stripped down evening. With guitar in hand, she sang upbeat, strummy love songs. Before “Pirates,” she said, “Another song about my feelings. Here are some of them.” Her best moment came in the final song, “Wake Up,” as she expertly directed the crowd to sing along: “I’m so sorry. I’m going to ask you to sing a song with me.” Fairly easily, by the end of the song, a good portion of the crowd repeated to her, “I wake up great, I wake up fine.”

The Pierces followed Youngs. Only singing two songs, the Alabama-raised sister group had the quickest set of the night. However, their haunting harmonies left a lasting impact, especially during their cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Kathy Song.” In long gowns, the pair stood side-by-side to a cappella to perform the song they’ve sang together since they were little girls.

After a few comedian sets, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie had his turn. He arguably had the most minimalist set of the show, with only white lights, black attire, a guitar and keyboardist. One might even assume Gibbard to be the crowd favorite, by the way in which the noise level by the bar died down when he sang. “Black Sun,” which followed “Your Heart is an Empty Room,” was especially met by approving “woos.” He was soothing and clear. It was a refreshing break from all the raunchiness and goofiness. 

Muna led the way for the final music acts. Their set included “Crying on the Bathroom Floor,” “Promises” and “I Know a Place,” all songs from their debut About U. Their often sad/emotional, yet vibe-y tunes were adapted so listeners could truly hear the words instead of just feel them. Before the last song, singer Katie Gavin told a parable about a starfish, a little girl and a man to justify that smaller actions make big differences, but that we also must always question the source of the problem.

Computer Games, fronted by ex-Glee star Darren Criss, appropriately brought some genuine holiday cheer by beginning with “Wonderful Christmas Time.” In a couple of smart moves, Mayberry joined the band to sing the title track off their new EP, Lost Boys Life, and closed the set by covering Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’.” When Criss, alone on stage at this point, hit the song’s highest note he momentarily fumbled, but the audience cheered him on. It was fairly brave for a newer band to cover such a song, but Petty was what was needed to heighten the camaraderie.

When Long came out to introduce the final set he explained that the show “wouldn’t have happened in so many ways without” all those part of the Chvrches team. As for Mayberry, she told the crowd, “Thank you for being really awesome and giving a shit about stuff.” It was the band’s first performance in a year, but one would never had known (though everyone did because Mayberry mentioned how nervous they were). As usual, Mayberry’s voice was powerfully angelic. She started by singing Joni Mitchell’s River and continued with “The Mother We Share.” The electro-pop group closed the show with Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.” The simplistic instrumentation and Mayberry’s pristine vocals combined with Lauper’s lyrics made for the show’s most emblematic moment. With a night full of questioning the country’s chaos and preaching unity,” it all felt right: “If you’re lost you can look and you will find me, time after time.”

“I feel like there are a lot of horrible things in the world,” Mayberry said. “This is the opposite of that.”

Set Lists:

Jenny Owen Youngs

1. Love for Long
2. Pirates
3. Wake Up

The Pierces

1. It Will Not Be Forgotten
2. Kathy’s Song (Simon and Garfunkel cover)

Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie

1. Your Heart is an Empty Room
2. Black Sun
3. No Room in Frame
4. Passenger Seat

Muna

1. Crying on the Bathroom Floor
2. Promises
3. I Know a Place

Computer Games

1. Wonderful Christmas Time
2. The Damage
3. Lost Boys Life
4. Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty cover)

Chvrches

1. River (Joni Mitchell cover)
2. The Mother We Share
3. Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper cover)

File Photo: Raymond Flotat