Flint Entertainment Complex announces shows by Jim Gaffigan, Oliver Anthony

ALBANY — Officials with the Flint River Entertainment Complex announced a pair of high-profile shows Tuesday that will bring top-flight entertainment to the Albany Civic Center.

On March 16, Grammy-nominated comedian Jim Gaffigan will bring his “Barely Alive Tour” to the Civic Center, while red hot country music singer-songwriter Oliver Anthony will be taking the stage at the venue on April 19.

Gaffigan is a seven-time Grammy-nominated comedian, actor, writer, producer, two-time New York Times best-selling author, three-time Emmy-winning top touring performer, and multiplatinum-selling recording artist. He is known around the world for his unique brand of humor, which largely revolves around his observations on life.

Gaffigan is a Top 10 comedian, according to Forbes’ 2019 comedy list and a Top 10-earning comedian in Pollstar’s 2022 list. He released his 10th comedy special, “Dark Pale,” this year on Amazon Prime Video, an unprecedented achievement for the comedian/actor. “Dark Pale” was met with critical fanfare with The New York Times calling it, ‘his best yet.” He was also recently awarded for being the first comedian to reach 1 billion streams on Pandora.

Gaffigan can currently be seen as the lead in the well-reviewed Sci-Fi dramedy, “Linoleum,” and stars as Mr. Smee in Disney’s “Peter Pan and Wendy,” opposite Jude Law and Yara Shahidi. Additional credits include Netflix’s “Unfrosted Susie Searches,” which premiered at TIFF last year and in theaters this summer; HBO Max’s “Full Circle,” “Three Kings,” “Super Troopers 1 & 2,” “Chappaquiddick,” “Tesla,” “Most Wanted,” and lead roles in “Being Frank” and “American Dreamer.”

2019 was Gaffigan’s biggest year to date with an astonishing eight films released, three of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival including “Troop Zero” with Viola Davis and Alison Janney, “Them That Follow” and “Light From Light” — with many festivalgoers and members of the press calling Gaffigan the “King of Sundance.” Gaffigan was also recently heard in Disney/Pixar’s highly anticipated animated film, “Luca,” opposite Jacob Tremblay and Maya Rudolph.

In addition to two seasons of the critically acclaimed semi-autobiographical “The Jim Gaffigan Show,” which he wrote and produced with his wife Jeannie, Gaffigan has guest-starred on many television comedies and dramas, ranging from “Portlandia” and “Bob’s Burgers” to the HBO cult hits “Flight of the Concords” to dramatic roles in “Law & Order.”

Tickets for the “Barely Alive Tour” will be available at JimGaffigan.com, Ticketmaster.com, in person at the GA’s Own Box Office starting Friday at 10 a.m. There will be an exclusive, online-only, artist presale from Wednesday at 10 a.m. until Friday at 9:59 AM and an exclusive venue presale on Thursday at 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. For additional information about the show, visit FlintRiverEntertainmentComplex.com.

Anthony made music history this year by becoming the first artist in history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts without previously having a song on the charts. He is also the first living male songwriter to chart 13 songs simultaneously in Billboard’s Top 50 Digital Song Sales.

Anthony became an overnight national sensation with the release of “Rich Men North of Richmond,” which has been dubbed the nation’s “blue-collar anthem.” It resonates powerfully with Americans from all walks of life and has been streamed more than 77 million times on YouTube and more than 115 million times across streaming platforms. Five of his other songs have made iTunes’ Top 10, with “I’ve Got to Get Sober” reaching No. 3. “Ain’t Got a Dollar” claimed the No. 1 spot on Spotify’s Viral 50 list and No. 2 on ITunes.

Anthony is quickly changing the way musical artists release music and engage with their fans. He speaks directly to his fans through videos shot in his truck or surrounded by his dogs whenever the mood strikes. He doesn’t rely on others to tell his story or interpret his intentions. His passionate voice, featuring a unique and emotional rasp shaped by his personal battles, captures the despair of those living without hope, especially those who live in small-town or rural America.

His songs address the nation’s wealth gap, suicide rate, high taxes, and imbalance and abuse of power. Variety says, “It almost seems as if Oliver Anthony hadn’t come along, someone would have had to invent him.”

“Rich Men North of Richmond” has been embraced by people on both sides of the political aisles. For instance, the song was recently played at the beginning of the first Republican presidential debate, which was ironic given that some of the people onstage were the same people Anthony addressed in the song.

Tickets will be available at Ticketmaster.com or in person at the GA’s Own Box Office on Friday at 10 a.m. There will be an exclusive, online-only, artist presale on Thursday at 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. For additional information about the show, visit FlintRiverEntertainmentComplex.com.

Special PhotoSpecial Illustration