Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle are coming to Memphis

Comedians Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle will co-headline a concert Jan. 23 at FedExForum.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at ticketmaster.com and the FedExForum Box Office. Memphis Grizzlies MVP Season Ticket Members, recipients of FedExForum Event Alert e-mails and subscribers of Grizzlies e-News may purchase tickets beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday during a "pre-sale" for the event.

Two of the most lauded and innovative comics of their generation, Rock and Chappelle built on the foundation of such predecessors as Richard Pryor and George Carlin with comic routines that cannily exposed, diagnosed and lampooned political, racial and cultural hypocrisy and identity. The Comedy Central sketch series "Chappelle's Show" was particularly groundbreaking.

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In 2022, however, both men were in the headlines in association with various controversies.

On March 27, Rock was the victim of the slap heard 'round world, when actor Will Smith walked onstage during the Academy Awards and smacked the comedian across the face, in response to a joke Rock made about Smith's wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith.

Meanwhile, Chappelle placed himself within a media firestorm, attracting criticism for jokes on "Saturday Night Live" and on other stages that some people condemned as anti-Semitic and transphobic.

These incidents explain why a press release announcing the show contains unusually strong wording about the prohibition of cellphones and the ownership "rights."

"No cellphones, cameras or recording devices will be allowed at this show," states the press release, from Live Nation Entertainment. "Upon arrival, all phones and smart watches will be secured in Yondr pouches that will be unlocked at the end of the show. Guests maintain possession of their phones throughout the night, and if needed, may access their phones at designated Yondr unlocking stations in the lobby. Anyone caught with a cellphone in the venue will be immediately ejected."

The release continues: "Pilot Boy Productions, Inc. and/or Dave Chappelle own all rights in the content and materials, including any jokes and sketches (the 'Materials'), delivered during his performance. The Materials may not be copied, translated, transmitted, displayed, distributed, or reproduced verbatim (the 'Use'), in whole or in part, in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed, without the express prior written consent of Pilot Boy Productions, Inc. Any Use of the Materials without the express prior written consent of Pilot Boy Productions, Inc. is strictly prohibited and shall be subject to all available legal remedies, whether in equity or at law at the cost of anyone who violates this prohibition."

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle are coming to Memphis' FedExForum