I already knew that it was going to be a serious matter when it came to that cell phone ban when Kevin Hart brought his “Irresponsible Tour” to Scottrade Center Friday night. I heard it repeated by a host of employees at least six times between the doors to get in and my seat. And if that wasn’t enough, he even reminded people before Kevin Hart took the stage that if they pulled out their phones, they would be shown the door – just like the people that they saw get escorted out. It wasn’t enough. Ushers had a glowstick that they would spin around right in front of the cell phone offender. Once they did, the yellow coats would come through and walk them out. I lost count. I couldn’t keep up with the ousted and the openers at the same time. Joey Wells of Hart’s Plastic Cup Boyz served as the host for the evening. He was pretty funny. That Naim Lynn had me hollering. I would say that that he was “best in show.” But what ended up being a non-stop night of laughter for me was thanks to a group effort – and that group was the folks trying to talk their way of being shown the door by security. My favorite was the woman in 105 who tried to tell the usher that she had her phone out so she could find her seat. The usher was not having it. “Ma’am, you were in your seat when you pulled out your phone.” When she said she wanted to make sure she was in the right seat – AFTER sitting through all three opening acts – I was deceased. Kevin Hart was cool, but my messy side was hoping for more tea about why the show was called the “Irresponsible Tour.” I get that he was being mindful to protect his relationship, but he shouldn’t have acted like he was going to give us some scoop. One more thing on the cell phones, were folks this defiant when the cigarette ban was first enacted? To quote the late great Dr. Maya Angelou, “when someone shows you they will put you out with no refund, believe them the first time!”
