Joe List Loses His Voice: A Comedy Show Survival Story

The Onset of Voice Loss

• 🎤 Joe List describes experiencing a "throat crust" and noticing his voice weakening before a weekend of shows in Nashville.
• 💡 Despite initial feelings of a "crusty" throat, he tried to push through, believing it wouldn't be noticeable.
• ⚠️ The problem escalated significantly by Saturday morning, rendering him nearly voiceless.

Attempts at Recovery

• 🥤 Joe sought remedies like hot tea and ginger shots from Starbucks to try and regain his voice.
• 😴 He canceled his planned activities, including visiting guitar stores and attending a baseball game, to rest and recover.
• 💊 His recovery efforts included Tylenol, more ginger shots, and napping.

The Comedy Club's Response

• 🤝 The club offered to add other comedians to shorten his set or suggested a nurse for an IV.
• 💉 Joe declined the IV, preferring not to have a needle in his arm for an hour.
• 📞 He contacted his manager and agent to inform them of his condition and the potential need to cancel.

Nate Bargatze to the Rescue

• 🌟 Joe reached out to comedian Nate Bargatze, who was in town, to see if he could help by performing some of his set.
• 🚀 Nate enthusiastically agreed, seeing Joe's message as a "bat signal" and offering to do 25-30 minutes.
• 🎭 This collaboration turned a potentially disastrous situation into an exciting opportunity for the audience.

The Show Must Go On

• 🎤 Joe walked on stage with his voice severely impaired, sounding like Kermit the Frog or Tom Waits.
• 🔊 He played an audio recording of his voice, which was described as "horrible" and painful to listen to.
• ✅ Despite the vocal challenges, the audience was supportive, and Joe felt it turned into one of his best shows in Nashville.