Ryan Cormier

The News Journal

By the time comedian Tracy Morgan closed his inspiring stand-up set in Dover Friday night, he knew exactly how long it had been since the devastating 2014 traffic crash that left him critically injured and killed his friend.

Two years, four months, a week and two hours.

While much of Morgan's performance was focused on the accident and his recovery, he did not mention a fact that many in the sold-out crowd knew: Dover Downs was where he performed the night his van was rear-ended by a WalMart tractor-trailer on the New Jersey Turnpike.

That came once his hour-long set was over, as Morgan let the magnitude of the moment rush in.

He invited others who were in the van with him that night onto the stage, including comedians Harris Stanton and Ardie Fuqua, Morgan's assistant and the driver.

"We lost a brother, but he's here with us right now," Morgan said, pointing to a chair in the front row that was left empty, topped with a big golden bow. It was reserved for comedian James "Jimmy Mack" McNair, who died in the early morning accident.

As the audience gave a standing ovation, they huddled together arm-in-arm for a group hug at the center stage – the last stage that McNair ever performed on.

With faces still wet from laughing, some in the crowd found tears of sadness filling their eyes as the Morgan openly grappled with not only the loss but his grueling 2-1/2 years of rehabilitation and recovery.

Morgan suffered a brain injury, broken leg and several broken ribs in the accident and spoke of how he had to learn how to walk and talk again following a medically induced coma.

Morgan said he was inspired to take his first steps when he watched his daughter Maven, now 3, do the same. Later, he joked about how the pair would run down the hallways of his home with dirty diapers together.

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It's been eight months since the former "30 Rock" star kicked off his comeback "Picking Up the Pieces" tour, and he was in fine form for his fourth Delaware show in three years.

Morgan was sharp, outrageous, sensitive, angry, inspired and, of course, hilarious. The comedian, 47, telegraphed that the night would be special, posting a photo of himself on his knees with his head on the chair left for McNair. The message read, "Tonight will be magical."

Morgan strolled across the stage with a slight limp throughout the night and sat for a short rest at times. But if fans had any concerns about lingering effects from Morgan's brain injury, they vanished once Morgan began to speak, delivering his jokes with the same gusto as before.

Early in the set, a pair of hecklers learned the hard way.

They shouted cracks about his sparkling black jacket from the back of the room and Morgan wasn't having any of it.

Not on this night.

"I'll come down there myself. I'm from Brooklyn. You're gonna look bad when a n---a wearing a jacket like this whoops your ass!" Morgan angrily shot back, noting it would take more than that to derail him. "A WalMart truck couldn't do that and you aren't going to do that."

His triumphant performance gave equal time to the crash, his family and, of course, sex. (His R-rated act is still bawdy enough to make a mime blush.)

But his material about the crash and his recovery was the heart of the act on this night. He detailed post-accident depression, comforting calls from stars like Jay-Z and Chris Rock and how he worked hard so he could walk down the aisle without a cane when he married girlfriend Megan Wollover last August.

Morgan seamlessly weaved winning one-liners about the accident throughout the night.

• When he saw a white light after the accident, Morgan didn't follow it. "I thought it was the police," he cracked.

• "You'll know when I'm broke," said Morgan, who settled his lawsuit against WalMart for a reported $90 million. "You'll see me in all black, riding a 10-speed down the New Jersey Turnpike."

• "I forgive the driver. I'm not mad at him anymore," he said, the only time referencing Kevin Roper, awaiting trial on charges that include aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide. "But I'll tell you who is mad at him: my new white neighbors."

After Morgan and the other crash survivors hugged to close the show, a fan yelled "Stay safe, Tracy!" as the audience streamed to the exits, just like they did the night of June 6, 2014.

This time, they didn't wake the next morning to shocking news reports and images of twisted wreckage. Instead, they were left with an everlasting and inspirational memory of a night devoted to laughter, loss and survival.

Before leaving the stage, Morgan grabbed the microphone and his voice cracked for the first time, overcome with emotion. He had three final words: "I love you."

We love you, too. Welcome back.

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).