Desi Banks' 'Beyond the Internet' comedy tour comes to the Saenger Theatre in Pensacola
Desi Banks remembers his first comedy set like it was yesterday.
He was hosting an event at a lounge in Atlanta in 2016 and was told he could do a five- minute skit. He was nervous but was just so excited for the opportunity, because to Banks providing laughter is a purpose and a calling.
"People come to my page just for that reason, to get a laugh if they are going through anything and that's the purpose of it. Laughing is medicine, that's in the Bible," Banks said. "We have to laugh, it's good to laugh and I'm just thankful that I'm able to be one of the ones that do it to a major audience that really loves me."
Banks' comedy has skyrocketed him from the lounges of Atlanta to social media stardom on platforms such as Vine and Instagram, to now touring the country.
Banks will be performing for the first time ever in Pensacola for his comedy tour "Beyond the Internet" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Pensacola Saenger Theatre at118 S. Palafox St.
Banks named his tour "Beyond the Internet" because he is much more than just a "social media guy," he said. He has a production company, Desi Banks Productions, a web series called "How It Goes Down In The Hood" and a podcast "How It Goes Down," which has featured the likes of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and R&B singer Jacquees.
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Banks has over 7.6 million Instagram followers and over 672,000 followers on Twitter, making him one of the most well-known comedians on the internet. Banks came from humble beginnings going to Cedar Grove High School in Georgia, then going to Morehead State University and transferring to Georgia State University, playing football for both schools.
While in school, he would crack jokes to his teammates and discovered his gift of making people laugh.
He started doing skits for the now defunct six-second video platform Vine in 2012, and after graduating from Georgia State, he came back into social media with Instagram in 2015 with more original skits.
His most famous ones are with his fun, unseen and always in the midst of trouble companion Parlay, who Banks said with a laugh is "one of my real buddies, you know, he's just camera shy."
He added, "I feel like everybody has a Parlay, everybody has a friend that's always there for them, that's your day one friend. That friend that you can always count on, that's goofy, just the life of a party."
Banks compares his comedy style to the likes of Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy because of the rawness of their styles and how they always spoke the truth. He puts that in his own comedy skits and stand-up by talking about his own life, hardships, family and friends. To Banks, the best comedy is the one where the comedian is always being honest and being relatable to his audience.
His gift to the world is to bring laughter on the stage or in the comfort of someone's home looking at their phone or on a computer. He has always wanted to reach as many people as possible and saw fans in his comments section constantly saying come to Pensacola.
He hopes his tour can bring all of his Pensacola fans and those from nearby cities to come and enjoy a night with him in person and see he is more then what you see on your screen.
"I just want to show you guys that I am more than just the internet, that I am beyond the internet," Banks said. "I do it for real, and that's what you want. That's my goal when you guys come to the show."
To buy tickets go to Ticketmaster or Desibanks.net.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Comedian Desi Banks in Pensacola: Beyond the Internet at Saenger
