Matt Rogers rocks out in a white frock at The Vic

Hailing from both New York and Los Angeles, comedian and singer Matt Rogers slayed in Chicago while presenting fresh holiday tunes including “Lube for the Sleigh” and humorous musings in concert.

Many know Rogers from his podcast with fellow funny gay comic Bowen Yang called Las Culturistas. His flourishing career has continued as a game show host and an actor in television and film.

He brought his latest endeavor Have Your Heard of Christmas? Album Tour to The Vic Theatre on December 15, 2023.

A short medley of holiday tunes by the keyboardist Henry Koperski began and the rest of the Gay Strangers band entered the room.

After a dramatic pause, Rogers took to the stage wearing a white double-breasted suit jacket and shorts complete with tall, black dress socks, boots and a glittery broach.

It took him a song or two to warm up but then his banter and winning smile soon took over. He easily connected with the seated audience in the room, comprised mostly of straight women with a smattering of LGBTQ+.

Rogers described his video for “RockaFellaCenta” which dropped the same day as the Windy City show, “I was up on a beam in the air and the entire shoot lasted 45 minutes!” His funny stories, sometimes punctuated with a tongue pop, lampooned everyone from his family to his personal relationships. His band wasn't safe either as he outed two members as straight and the other who was part of a two-year romance.

The talented performer got away with it thanks to an upbeat attitude and clever observations. The track “Everything You Want” took a serious tone and ended with him raising a middle finger to a bad past boyfriend.

He poked fun at a divine being with “God's Up to His Tricks!” and the almighty dollar during “Rain on Christmas.”

Drag number “Hottest Female Up in Whoville” was a hoot and the beat heavy “Rum Pum Pum” was a nice change of pace.

While he didn't hit every note perfectly his charm won his listeners over and earned him respect for the wide range of vocal stylings. For his last song of the night he covered Mariah Carey's “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and smartly had an audience member hit the high note for him. This was genius and gave him another opportunity to engage with the audience as he searched the room walking through the crowd with a microphone.

After the show, fans lined up to purchase vinyl of Have You Heard of Christmas? and quickly have each one autographed. This concert was a well-crafted showcase for that album and Rogers lit up The Vic with holiday cheer for his devoted fans that night.

For more of Rogers' antics visit mattrogerscomedy.com and check out his latest video here: