Don Barnhardt is one of the great veteran comedians in the Las Vegas entertainment scene, a road-tested performer who has been based in Sin City for two decades while keeping audiences in stitches across the country and around the world. But in recent years, Barnhart has refocused his energies on developing the Delirious Comedy Club at Downtown Grand, where he performs regularly while ushering in other talented comedians. It was an essential entertainment venue in the city coming out of the COVID shutdown and remains even more relevant today.

When did you take over the comedy programming at Downtown Grand?

We started in October 2019, with my wife and I as partners, and we’ve been there ever since. I started back in the 1980s after a got a job at a comedy and magic club in Hermosa Beach as the doorman, and pretty soon I was booking the club and working as the emcee. I left in 1987 to do stand-up full-time because Jay Leno once gave me some great advice: “If you want to be a comic, you’ve got to go on the road.” So I packed up and never looked back, but now I’m living the dream because I’ve got my own show and I don’t have to go on the road anymore.

And your Delirious Comedy Club was one of the first venues to bring the funny stuff back to the live stage in Las Vegas during the pandemic. What did you learn from that experience?

What we learned from opening early is that people need to laugh. That old cliché that laughter is the best medicine really is true. It releases stress and lets us lighten the mood, even if we are taking on tough subjects. The (restrictions) at first were challenging, but we had to abide by those rules or wait, and people really wanted to come out and see a show, so we were grateful to be open even under those conditions. I’ve been doing military tours since 1992, going overseas, and those are not ideal shows. You’re performing on a flatbread truck on an aircraft carrier under planes taking off. But you can do comedy anywhere, and if people want to laugh, we’re going to show up.

What is it that sets this venue apart from other Vegas clubs?

The Downtown Grand has been so amazing. Originally, we were in a smaller room, but with COVID restrictions, the casino came to us and said, “Let’s work together,” and we moved to a bigger room and a really nice, open environment. It’s more friendly and inviting, open but still intimate. The capacity is at 166 people but we like to keep it down to about 110. It’s not about how many people we can cram into the space, we just want everyone to feel safe and supported and enjoy themselves.

You’ve performed a different act based on hypnotism over the years as well. What’s your performance like these days?

For Delirious, it’s straight stand-up. We also have the House of Magic at 6 p.m., which is a comedy-magic show. I still do hypnosis, but I haven’t brought that show back yet, partially because it involves so many audience volunteers and we’re not really ready to have a stage full of people doing crazy stuff.

But your brand of comedy is still very interactive.

My background is in improv. We have our set list and our jokes, but there’s a lot of improv and things change daily. There’s always something in the news to work on, but we tend to stay away from politics. We’re not here to polarize people or push an agenda; we’re here to entertain.

Downtown Grand, 702.541.2660

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