Jamie Campbell and Shawn Shelnutt bring Kill ‘Em With Kindness Tour to KC Jan. 12
Shawn Shelnutt. // Photo by Aby Perales
Comedians Jamie Campbell and Shawn Shelnutt both have roots in KC, though Shelnutt is based in Milwaukee—where they just successfully kicked off their Kill ‘Em With Kindness Tour.
Campbell is based here in KC, fresh off of a successful full-length comedy special, Big Dad Energy. But Shelnutt’s ties to KC come from the Renaissance Fair, from which he’s posted videos to his Instagram where he’s known as the OG Tomato Guy. In these videos, he’s gotten permission from various Fair patrons to roast them, and then the patrons throw tomatoes at him.
In fact, it was around when Shelnutt started performing at the Renaissance Fairs in KC that he met Campbell—which wasn’t long after Campbell himself moved to KC in 2016 after touring several times and falling in love with the arts community.
View this post on Instagram
Now, they’re bringing their Kill ‘Em With Kindness Tour to The Bird Comedy Theater Jan. 12.
Both comedians specialize in improv and crowd interaction, which will both be a big part of the show—meaning that no two shows will be the same.
Jamie Campbell. // Photo by Adrienne Allin
“We wanted to create something that’s going to feel like the audience literally impacts the show, so that they’re never the same twice,” Campbell says.
Before the show starts, members of the audience have the opportunity to write down a topic on a piece of paper and put it into the so-called “Bucket of Dumb.” During the show, Campbell and Shelnutt will draw from the bucket and do a riff on whatever topic they choose.
But one of the most unique aspects of Campbell and Shelnutt’s show is that their goal isn’t to completely roast the audience—or at least, roast them in a way that they can laugh with them.
“We don’t want anybody to walk out of that theater feeling worse,” says Campbell. “We want everybody to walk out feeling a sense of hope and connectedness after this pandemic—that’s a collective trauma that the world has all gone through together.”
Campbell and Shelnutt had thought about touring together for years, with it coming together over a series of video calls before the first show.
“I remember early on [in my career], someone told me, ‘You know what’s special about you? I feel like I’ve known you for years,’” Shelnutt says. “That stuck with me, and that’s how I want everyone to feel like. So it’s really cool to be able to have Jamie, who also shares, if not those exact words, I know his heart lies in the same realm as mine. I’m extra excited to be in Kansas City because it is my second home.”
At the moment, the guys are working finalizing the details of shows at more Midwest venues in the coming months, and are planning on a European tour in June.
Tickets for the Kill ‘Em With Kindness Tour Hometown Kickoff Show are available here.
