Seton Hall and the Student Activities Board (SAB) hosted Sal Vulcano of truTV’s “Impractical Jokers” in its first live, on-campus event in over a year on Aug. 17.
During SAB’s Weeks of Welcome, SAB Live Events Coordinators Kimberly Sanchez, a senior psychology major, and Nile Polk, a junior financial mathematics major put together the event to welcome back students ahead of the Fall 2021 semester
When asked what made them choose Vulcano, Sanchez said, “It was actually a student suggestion. I think they sent out a poll on who students wanted to see on campus, and Sal was just one of those names that got a lot of buzz, so we just kind of ran with it.”
Vulcano is best known for being a part of comedy troupe “The Tenderloins” with his three high school best friends James Murray, Brian “Q” Quinn, and Joe Gatto. The group has a popular truTV show titled “Impractical Jokers,” which is currently on its ninth season. Vulcano also recently created two podcasts titled “Hey Babe,” which he hosts with Chris Distefano, and “Taste Buds,” which he hosts with Joe DeRosa.
On the night of the show, students filed into Richie Regan Athletic Center; the line was so long that the show had to be delayed by 25 minutes so each student could be seated. According to Sanchez, 1500 students were in attendance.
Comedian Gary Vider performed first, warming up the crowd for Vulcano. When Vulcano took the stage, he was met with the sound of students’ screams and applause. He started out by listing off facts and cracking jokes about the University before going into his standup set.
Vulcano also mentioned that it was one year and five days since his last large in-person show. After having to take a break from the stage for so long, Vulcano said that it was both easy and difficult to perform again.
“I have so much fun doing it, so that kind of takes over, but [I was] totally rusty,” Vulcano said. “I always go up and have fun, and everyone is always so respectful, but there’s definitely rust, you know? There were a couple times that I said some things out of order, forgot some punchlines or tags that I would usually say, but it was fun…It went as good as I could have hoped. I hope you guys liked it.”
The students had positive responses to Vulcano as the crowd cheered, laughed, and clapped throughout the performance; at the end, Vulcano was given a standing ovation. Mary Tiffin, a sophomore diplomacy and economics double major, said she enjoyed the show.
“I loved how Sal opened with jokes about Seton Hall because that set the tone of it being a special event just for us students,” Tiffin said. “Also, I’m a massive Gloria Estefan fan and am still laughing about Sal’s ‘The Rhythm Is Gonna Get You’ bit days later.”
Julianna Grenci, a sophomore in the 3+3 political science and law program, said that on top of seeing Vulcano, being able to attend a live event again with her peers was one of the best parts of the show.
“It was really awesome finally being at a large show after having events like this online last year,” Grenci said. “I missed the in-person aspect of things and wish I had all of this for my freshman year as well.”
Brooke McCormick can be reached at brooke.mccormick@student.shu.edu.
