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Lewis Black lets fans watch his shows another way

Lewis Black just launched a new way for performers to interact with fans. He is streaming live video of his stage shows online, and fans pay him $20 to watch and quiz him afterward.

Black will field such a Q&A at the end of his show Saturday in The Mirage’s Terry Fator Theater.

Think about how evolutionary Black’s idea could be if other comedians, bands and theaters sold their own online subscriptions to live performances and virtual meet-and-greets.

Imagine how cool it might be if you could watch a favorite star live on stage somewhere, and then ask them a question, whenever you felt like tuning in to their tours.

I called Black and told him he is alone on the forefront of this interactive (and compensated) audience tech, unless other comedians are doing it.

“Nobody else is doing it,” said Black, one of America’s most popular topical comedians.

Black told me this live-casting of interactive shows adds value to a growing fan base. And it’s a way for Black to act as his own sort of broadcaster, since he doesn’t have a TV show.

But Black actually started live-videocasting as a solution to a problem.

“It was a way to beat scalpers. We were getting 50 emails a week saying, ‘I can’t get a (expletive) ticket,’ ” he said.

Black encourages fans to share expenses.

“People go, ‘Well, it’s 20 bucks.’ So I go, ‘Well, schmuck, I’m sure you’ve got a friend in another city that likes me, so why don’t you use your card for them, then it’s 10 bucks apiece? Do I have to do the math here?’ ”

It’s funny Black is the online groundbreaker, since he had to be dragged onto Twitter by comic Kathleen Madigan.

But once he went online, he went for it. Years ago, he arose on Comedy Central on cable TV; however, now he partners his stand-up specials on Netflix.

Many comics smartly have been choosing Netflix over Comedy Central, because Comedy Central has let stand-up specials gather dust for months before finally airing.

“My last special hasn’t even appeared on Comedy Central yet,” Black said.

But now Black — who learned of this high-def video-interactive method by finding a venture capitalist with the tech — is taking the performer-fan experience to a new level.

Black puts his tech journey in perspective.

“I was handing out ‘come-see-the-show’ cards,” when he started in comedy decades ago. “Now I’m doing the same thing, only I’m tweeting it” to 200,000 followers of @TheLewisBlack.

But he is waiting for even more useful tech.

“If they can get a chip that can work as a moderator over my liver and kidneys, I’d be thrilled.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JIMMY

Jimmy Carter celebrates his 90th birthday Saturday at a Georgia gala, and Bellagio-entrance pianist David Osborne’s trio is the featured performer.

Osborne and Carter go way back. And Osborne has performed many times for Presidents Bush, Carter and Obama. He has even duetted with Britney Spears at one of her house parties.

ENCORE ‘DOME’

Surrender nightclub will put on a new winter hat Oct.22 when a 10,000-square-foot, dome-ish enclosure provides an air-tight bubble over the massive pool area, which serves as Encore Beach Club in summers.

German manufacturer Roder is constructing the $2 million glass, solar-panel dome over the pool water, the walking surface, the 70-foot LED panel, and 30 gaming tables.

The area will be used for 1,400-capacity corporates, too. So smart.

Doug Elfman’s column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Email him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.

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