All of which is to say, running a comedy club isn’t some kind of lucrative endeavor. Some people who enter into it are shady, because there’s shady people everywhere. But a lot of them are lunatics who love the art so much that they’ll mortgage their own financial security to make sure Akron has a Yuk Yuk Hut.

They aren’t laughing all the way to the bank with the $200 they saved by sending a phone guy in a hyundai instead of a towncar to the airport, they’re sighing with relief that they can use that $200 to pay the plumber to keep the bathrooms working.

Schumer is someone who should be getting some cushy perks at this point. She’s a major draw. Most of the people at any of her club shows around the country have come to see her not just go out and see comedy. That counts for something.

But to be brutally honest, most weekend headliners in most cities across the country are completely interchangeable as far as the crowd is concerned.

They came out to see comedy and trust that the venue is going to give them a good show, even if they don’t recognize the performer’s name or face. The equation’s much different there. You’re both getting something from each other, probably of about equal value, but in many cases the balance is tipped a little more toward the club doing you a favor.

And as many horror stories as I’ve heard, I’ve also heard plenty where the club owners/management went out of their way to make life easy for the performers - brought them around to great local haunts, made sure they had a decent meal that wasn’t from the club’s kitchen, even talked the local sheriff out of pressing charges. So be nice. The club owner’s not some schlub who’s “trying to be your friend” he’s your boss for the weekend who's trying to make you feel welcome. And the staff aren't some annoying hangers on standing between you and your tinder date back at the grubby condo bed, they're the ones who have been working to make sure the crowd is fed & watered and happy enough to pay attention to you all night. You can spare 15 minutes for some photos.