Comedian Bill Burr explores Modesto after his sold-out show. What did he see and do?

With a sold-out show at the State Theater on Thursday, November 21, it was clear that Modesto loves comedian Bill Burr. According to his Instagram posts, the affection seems to be mutual. Or perhaps the opportunity for a small roast that a legend like Burr considers an honor.

In a post, Burr documents himself standing in front of our iconic arch and explaining that all cities should have something like this. He reads out the motto “Water, Wealth, Happiness, Health” and says, “I’m not saying it’s true, I’m not sure I felt that when I was up here.” It’s kind of funny , saying “Water, Wealth, Happiness, Health” and then having a damn McDonald’s right next to it.”

Burr pans to the McDonald’s directly across the archway and then to the mural across the street. He calls it “beautiful” before thanking Modestans for the great show the night before.

Fellow comedian and Modesto native Marcella Arguello commented, “My hometown! I’m glad you had an unforgettable experience,” right above actor Jeremy Renner’s comment: “My hometown!!”

Burr also paid tribute to the venue, calling the State a lovely old cinema and saying he spends time walking around town before heading to his next show in Stockton. As an “old man,” he said, there weren’t many places he hadn’t been before, and it seemed like this was his first time in Modesto. His show here came just weeks after hosting “Saturday Night Live.”

Another post documented his day in Modesto with a series of photos. The first stop was breakfast at Good Day Lucille, where he demonstrated his South X Southwest cookie sandwich. He then took a trip to the Modesto Children’s Museum and a tour of our city’s many murals.

Several photos show him taking photos with locals before ending the post with a photo of a sign for Joanna’s Bail Bonds. A photo posted to Good Day Lucille’s Instagram shows employees posing with Burr and thanking him for his visit.

Burr’s stop in Modesto was one of the shows on his Central Valley tour, which began in Fresno and passed through Stockton before ending in Visalia on November 23rd.

A post on the Modesto Reddit page asking people what they thought of the show has lots of comments about what an excellent show it was. One comment said: “He killed it! He knew it was a smaller venue, so he barely stuck to his setlist and improvised all the time, but in the best way possible.”

Several comments also complained about the difficulty of getting tickets. The show was sold within minutes of going on sale. “So depressed. I was online at 8am ready to buy presale tickets and it sold out before I could check out,” read one comment, echoing many others.

Given the buzz around his show, perhaps Burr will return. Our iconic arch will still be there to welcome him back, and probably McDonald’s too.