The Big Dog checks out Chris Rock

Another guest review from the Ballantyne Big Dog (read his last posts here and here).

In 1996, Chris Rock became a comedic icon when he premiered "Bring the Pain." The special, in which he riffed on subjects from media to racism, propelled him to superstardom.

And although he's made millions in movies and TV, stand-up is where his roots are at. Twelve years after "Bring the Pain," Rock showed he's still on top of the comedy world with his "No Apologies" tour, which made a stop in Charlotte on Thursday night.

Now, I've seen all of Rock's TV specials. Have them on DVR, and they never get old, along with Dave Chappelle's "Killing 'Em Softly." But nothing compares to seeing Rock live. He has a set routine, but ad-libs better than anyone else, like when he talked about being from South Carolina.

"But ya'll are in North Carolina, the future," Rock said. "There are still some 'colored' signs that have been left hanging up in South Carolina."

Gay marriage, straight marriage, Britney Spears ... as usual, nothing was off limits, ringing true to his tour name. But, the biggest roars from the crowd came during Rock's comments on the presidential election.

If I may channel Rock for a moment: Being able to do stand-up comedy during an election year is like being Brad Pitt at a sex addicts anonymous meeting. You really can do no wrong.

Rock went through all the candidates.

John McCain: "Everybody likes him because he's a war hero. Yeah, but he's a war hero who got CAPTURED. There are plenty of people in prison who have been captured."

Hillary Clinton: "When the Celtics beat the Lakers, the Lakers didn't stay on the court for another week. They left!"

And, of course, Barack Obama, who Rock supports. That didn't stop Rock from talking about him.

He mentioned Rev. Jeremiah Wright ("A 75-year-old black man who doesn't like white people ... is there any other kind of 75-year-old black man?) and Michelle Obama (Barack is going to have to get him a white woman, because a black woman can't be the first lady. 'Hey, honey, I won the presidency.' 'Uh-uh, WE won.')

Now that I've gotten my fill of the new material, I can get back to my couch and DVR.