RECOMMENDED

New Zealand’s fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo rolls into Chicago (charging $38?! Who do they think they are, Tenacious D?) in support of their second and supposedly final season of the successful “Flight of the Conchords” HBO series. The incredibly perfect-for-each-other team of Bret McKenzie (bearded, former hobbit) and Jemaine Clement (low voice, ukulele player) have built their comic foundation on the power of rhyme, nonchalant New Zealander accents, pushing the limits of goofiness and “New Zealand vs. Australia” jokes. Mostly though, it’s the ridiculousness, taking the uncharted direction of a joke that makes these non-Australians so appealing, like passionately singing “You’re so beautiful, you could be a waitress. You’re so beautiful, like a tree. Or a high-class prostitute.” If the guys play the “hits,” expect a little “Business Time,” the French gobbledygook of “Foux Du Fafa,” the timid queries of “If You’re Into It” and the bizarre glory of “Bowie in Space.” The always entertaining (and occasional “Conchords” guest) Eugene Mirman opens. (Andy Seifert)

April 28 & 29 at Arie Crown Theater, 2301 South Lake Shore Drive, (312) 791-6190, $38.50.

RECOMMENDED

When Texas stand-up Ron White spends his entire routine clutching a glass of Scotch on the rocks and puffing delightfully on fat cigar, the move feels calculated–who has to smoke a damn cigar every time they tell a joke? But when a disheveled Doug Stanhope slouches onto the stage and drinks two-to-five beers–that just seems like the dude genuinely wants to get buzzed with the audience. “I like drugs,” Stanhope says. “Every drug should be legal.” This sounds like the preface to a couple of sarcastic zingers, but it’s not–Stanhope clearly and honestly believes this, unleashing a hilarious diatribe of observation, opinion and, above all, profanity. Stanhope’s act sounds less like a comedy routine and more like a dude just relaxing on a couch and humorously riffing on what ails him, mostly society’s attitude toward religion, narcotics and deadbeat jobs. He attributes his success to drugs, cigarettes and booze: “I’m here because drugs expanded my imagination and made me think of your reality. Cigarettes gave me the patience to sit and write those thoughts down in a comedy-friendly format, and alcohol gives me the courage to stand up in front of you judgmental pricks.” (Andy Seifert)

April 24 at Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake, (312)929-2022, 9pm. $20

RECOMMENDED

Satire is the name of the game for L.A.-based stand-up Mike Holmes, who may open his set by stating that, in fact, he had planned for each person in the audience to be there, because each one “represents the very best their field has to offer” (don’t be surprised if you’re introduced as a demolitions expert). Holmes seems to have a knack for parodying all the lovable clichés the audiences have come to crave in action movies, and his “Ocean’s 11” style introduction is so dead on that it may go over a few people’s heads. When it’s not satire, Holmes targets the trivial, honing in on subject matter few stand-ups dare to consider, like solving the insultingly easy crossword puzzles in People magazine, Michael Jordan prerecording phone messages for Make-a-Wish kids, getting the sudden urge to barrel-roll through closing garage doors and apocalyptic prognosticators. “What I love are people who predict the day [the end of the world] happens, ’cause when you think about it, whoever gets that right isn’t going to get a lot of credit on that one,” he jokes. “We’re not going to take time out for a pat on the back. ‘Oh God, this can’t be happening! River of blood, four horsemen, oh God forgive me! Oh hey, great call, Randy. Down to the minute, man. Unbelievable.’” (Andy Seifert)

April 16 & 17 at Lincoln Lodge, 4008 North Lincoln, (773)248-1820.

RECOMMENDED

Having finished third on last season’s “Last Comic Standing,” Spokane, Washington’s Jeff Dye rolls into Chicago with the bronze around his neck, appearing poised for long-term success and armed with the good looks of “Jim” from “The Office.” In retrospect, Dye’s audition on “Last Comic Standing” is a microcosm of his entire routine: he calls himself a “badass” because he pees on vegetables at Costco, his screen name is “Dragonslayer” on eHarmony, he watches B.E.T. even though he’s white, he speeds through school zones while texting (“I hit a kid? LOL, I don’t care!”), and he reads “Goosebumps” books alone. That’s the running theme throughout Dye’s act: self-deprecation with a smile. Bustling with energy and youthfulness, Dye’s already learned to make fun of his weak body, his love for fu-fu drinks and the fact that he’s an all-around pansy. Once he figures out how to really rip on people other than himself, he’s got “guy who appears on Comedy Central at random times ”written all over him. (Andy Seifert)

April 10-11 at Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N. Broadway, (773)472-3492, 8pm and 10:30pm. $25

RECOMMENDED

It’s weird to even consider, but Denis Leary hasn’t done a stand-up tour in twelve years, so we’ve gone twelve years since he’s taken the stage and spasmodically decreed everyone (including himself) to be an asshole. At this point, Leary’s famous for acting (on the firefighting FX drama “Rescue Me”), voice acting (as the character Diego in three “Ice Age” movies, which is just as surprising as the fact that three “Ice Age” movies exist), writing books (last year’s “Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid”), and bizarre commercial appearances (Quaker State motor oil?), and perhaps not so much for talking insanely fast, chain-smoking on stage, and outbursts of profanity. But Leary wouldn’t be winning awards for “Rescue Me” was it not for his memorable (to say the least) and furious stand-up routines, specifically the classic stuff that led to “No Cure for Cancer.” So it’s nice to see him back doing what he does best: spitting venom at the masses—live! For this tour, Leary will be joined by two “Rescue Me” co-stars, Lenny Clarke and Adam Ferrara. (Andy Seifert)

April 11 at Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State, (312)263-1138, at 8pm.

RECOMMENDED

Some twenty-odd years ago, a then-unknown comic named Richard Lewis graced the stage at Zanies, introducing a stand-up style that continues to lean on random tangents, lovable self-loathing (his 2000 book is titled “The Other Great Depression”) and Woody Allen’s fidgety neuroticism. Lately, it’s been pure joy to watch Lewis in a constant state of bickering with Larry David on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” as the two basically play extensions of Lewis’ stand-up persona and of their real-life friendship. Riffing without direction on penis fatigue, hypochondria and his futile attempts for the bastards at Bartlett’s to recognize him for coining the phrase “[blank] from hell,” Lewis has turned his misery into comic delight. Returning to the intimate Zanies stage, he’ll have little room to pace freely with his usual restlessness, but there’s nonetheless something nostalgic and profound to see a legend return to his roots. (Andy Seifert)

April 15-16 at Zanies, 1548 N. Wells, (312)337-4027, at 7:30pm.

Nick Hoff

RECOMMENDED

As their name might imply, the Walk of Shame collective embarrassingly traverses from city to city without a change of clothes and in a persistent state of being hungover, smelling worse and worse after a month and a half without a shower. OK, it actually just implies this quartet of comics are irreverent kind of guys, disheveled at times but mostly telling jokes aimed at the college-aged audience (even hitting on subjects apart from vomiting and penises!). The tour features the sarcasm and skepticism of L.A.-based Brendan T. Gleason (who observes that apples and oranges are really quite similar, if you think about it), the easily excitable Nick Hoff (a much funnier, actually witty version of Dane Cook), Seattle-based Kevin Richards (Todd Barry-esque absurdity, but with hair) and the raucous, party-loving Law Smith. Four up-and-comers, four guys who could hit the big circuits and four times the nasty smell from living in a van for two months. (Andy Seifert)

April 5 at Zanies, 1548 N. Wells, (312)337-4027.

RECOMMENDED

Letterman regular and Massachusetts-born Bill Burr is probably best known for his 2006 profanity-strewn and murderously angry tirade against the city of Philadelphia when an unruly crowd booed one of the opening acts on an Opie and Anthony tour. But Burr’s routine is so much more than “fuck the Phillies”—he’s also angry at a myriad of other things, like his girlfriend’s stubborn love of stupid activities and the desolate loneliness of Nebraska. Okay, Burr doesn’t exactly reach Sam Kinison-levels of anger, but he’s at his best when his subject matter has to do with being agitated and his delivery starts to resemble a coherent hybrid of Joe Pesci and Michael Rapaport. Burr’s ace up his sleeve? Racial humor: “Every time I hang out with a black dude, at no point during the evening has he, like, teached me how to dance. You know, that interracial ‘Footloose’ moment they have in those movies? And I’ve never gone to his neighborhood to try to save a school. How many times are they gonna make that movie?” (Andy Seifert)

April 3-4 at Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N. Broadway, (773)472-3492, 8pm and 10:30pm. $20

RECOMMENDED

Sometimes stand-ups claim artistic liberty to fabricate certain chapters of their autobiography or make overblown caricatures of their family members. But you don’t get that feeling from New York’s Ross Bennett, who can conceivably tie most his routine back to the quarrelsome relationship with his curt, simpleminded drill-sergeant father. Bennett’s delivery sounds like honest confession—a David Sedaris kind of storytelling without the irony—as he explains to you how he dropped out of West Point to become a comedian, a decision his father considered like “dropping out of the human race to be a cloud.” Another confession is his retelling of the day JFK was assassinated, when his weeping third-grade teacher dismissed the class, saying, “‘Children, go home, your parents will have something to tell you.’ I went up to my father and said, ‘Dad, Mrs. Lamb is crying, and she says there is something you want to tell me.’ And my father said, ‘she’s a liar and a whore.’” (Andy Seifert)

March 31-April 5, at Zanies, 1548 N. Wells, (312)337-4027.

RECOMMENDED

Remember that “Whose Line is it Anyway?” show? That British improv import hosted by Drew Carey that virtually always ended with Wayne Brady flailing around for cheap laughs? Well, as I recall, there were some pretty decent sketches once in a while, and most involved comic journeyman Greg Proops, whose unrelenting sarcasm and brash attitude constantly shattered the fourth wall. As a stand-up, Proops has a social/political bent; he timidly identifies himself as a San Franciscan with liberal leanings, willing to poke fun at hippies and stoners and derisively slam conservatives and fundamentalists. Delivery-wise, Proops uses gesture-ridden flamboyance to rip into what ails him, occasionally unleashing Dennis Miller-esque ramblings, like this bit on steroids in baseball: “There are a lot of fat white people who say, ‘rahr, Barry Bonds was a cheater, I like the old days.’ Oh yeah, the old days were great, where giant, obese, overfed, underpaid, mustachioed walruses clogged up the base paths like a pork rind in Dick Cheney’s arteries, yeah those were glorious days.” (Andy Seifert)

March 26-27, at Zanies, 1548 N. Wells, (312)337-4027.