A viral phenom who broke the Internet and a standup champ with “SNL” clout are coming to Birmingham, promising big laughs in very different ways.
Comedy shows by Matt Rife and Jim Gaffigan were announced this week, giving the city’s 2025 concert calendar an extra dose of stardom. Here’s what you need to know.
Matt Rife, a viral comedian known for his crowd work, is set to perform on June 22, 2025, at the Coca-Cola Amphitheater in Birmingham.(Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Matt Rife
Rife, a controversial comedian with a devoted following, is set to perform on June 22, 2025, at the Coca-Cola Amphitheater, Birmingham’s new $46 million concert venue. The 9,380-seat amphitheater, 2350 15th Ave. North, is under construction and expected to be ready for concerts in mid- to late June.
Tickets for Rife’s 7:30 p.m. show go on sale Friday, Nov. 22, at 12 p.m. CT via Live Nation/Ticketmaster, after a round of pre-sales that start on Wednesday at noon. Prices are $39.50, $59.50, $79.50, $99.50 and $149.50, plus service charges, according to promoter Live Nation.
The Birmingham date is part of Rife’s “Stay Golden” tour, which runs from March through December 2025, stopping in more than 30 cities. (See all of Rife’s tour dates here.)
Rife, 29, made his Birmingham debut in October 2023, playing two-sold out dates at the BJCC Concert Hall. He followed that with a show in June 2024 at the Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville. Rife has been catapulted to fame over the past few years, mostly due to TikTok videos that focus on his interactions with the audience, known as “crowd work.”
He became such a sensation, fans flooded the internet to buy tickets to Rife’s 2023 tour dates, causing the Ticketmaster site to crash. Rife now has more than 30 million followers across social media, with 19.1 million followers on TikTok and close to 9 million followers on Instagram. His career has moved beyond social media, as well.
“He also released a wildly popular, controversial Netflix special, ‘Natural Selection,’ which kicked off with a domestic violence gag — and garnered over 10.3 million views in its first two weeks when it dropped in 2023,” The Hollywood Reporter says. “The streaming platform swiftly signed him up for two more, along with a gym/workplace sitcom that he intends to write and star in.
“More recently, Rife delivered the first of those specials, ‘Lucid,’ which marked Netflix’s first-ever crowd work special. It dropped in August, and quickly entered the 10 top in 37 countries. Looking ahead, he has a memoir, which he’s titled ‘Your Mom’s Gonna Love Me,’ and the beginnings of a film career. The latter includes ‘Rolling Loud,’ an R-rated comedy co-produced by Live Nation Productions and American High, which is set for release in 2025.”
Rife’s bad-boy image is showcased in a NSFW promo video for his tour, released this week and spoofing drug use and sex. The 1:40 clip also touts his career trajectory, noting that he’s played “almost 700 shows in two years.” It also says Rife’s life has been “full of some extreme highs” and “some extreme lows.”
Jim Gaffigan, left, served as emcee for the 79th Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in October 2024 in New York City. The comedian is set to perform in Birmingham at the BJCC Concert Hall in 2025.(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Jim Gaffigan
Gaffigan, a comedy veteran with eight Grammy nominations to his credit, is scheduled to perform on Feb. 19, 2025, at the BJCC Concert Hall in Birmingham. The venue, which seats about 3,000 people, is part of the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex at 2100 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. North.
Tickets for Gaffigan’s 7 p.m. show go on sale Friday, Nov. 22, at 10 a.m. CT via Ticketmaster, after a round of pre-sales that start on Wednesday at 10 a.m. CT. Prices are $35.75-$95.75, plus service charges, according to the Ticketmaster listing.
The Birmingham date is part of Gaffigan’s “Everything is Wonderful!” tour, which starts on Jan. 31 and runs through Oct. 25. He’s also doing some co-headlining dates in 2025 with Jerry Seinfeld. (See all of Gaffigan’s tour dates here.)
Gaffigan, 58, recently drew kudos for his folksy portrayal of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — Kamala Harris’ Democratic running mate in the 2024 presidential election — during the 50th anniversary season of “Saturday Night Live.”
”Essentially I’m portraying my brother Mitch, who lives in Indiana, who has a very Chicago accent,” Gaffigan told comedians Dana Carvey and David Spade on a November episode of their podcast, ”Superfly.”
Gaffigan has a long and distinguished history as a comedian, dating back to the early 1990s. His career has included standup dates, tours, appearances on late-night TV, comedy specials, albums, books and a plethora of movie and TV roles.
Gaffigan also was the emcee for this year’s Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a high-profile event attended by US. political figures, religious leaders and business executives. The dinner on Oct. 17 raised $8.9 million for charities that help needy children in New York, according to the foundation website.
Gaffigan is no stranger to Birmingham, performing in the city several times over the years. He also stopped in Orange Beach and Tuscaloosa in 2019, on his “Quality Time” tour.
In a 2019 feature story for AL.com, Ben Flanagan described Gaffigan as “a global success thanks to his spin on observational humor on fatherhood, food and much more.” Gaffigan made his fame with “clean comedy,” avoiding profanity in his jokes and offering self-deprecating quips about his laziness, family life and religion.
“My view is that my jokes, while they might be about my faith or Christianity, they’re really making fun of humans,” Gaffigan told AL.com in 2019. “I’m definitely not questioning someone’s faith. It helps also that my wife [Jeannie] has received early admissions to heaven. I come from a small town in Indiana, so I don’t think personality-wise I’m trying to say things to upset anyone. It’s not to say I don’t challenge people. You’ve got to keep it interesting. My comedy isn’t constructed on shock or discomfort.”
READ: Jim Gaffigan on God, comedy, college football and of course, food
Gaffigan has 1.7 million followers on Facebook, 1.4 million followers on Instagram, 1.1 million followers on TikTok and nearly 1 million subscribers on YouTube.
More comedy
Several other comedians are on the calendar for Birmingham in 2025, including Legacy Arena dates from Martin Lawrence with Rickey Smiley, Jan. 18; Kat Williams; Feb. 8; Mike Epps and Kountry Wayne, March 15; Shane Gillis, April 26; and Dude Perfect, July 20.
The BJCC Concert Hall will present the Bored Teachers: The Struggle Is Real! Comedy Tour, March 14; the Legends of Laughter featuring Sommore, Lavell Crawford and friends, April 11; and Ali Siddiq, June 14.
The Alabama Theatre agenda includes Joe Gatto, Jan. 10; and Brad Williams, July 12. The Lyric Theatre will see performances by Dusty Slay, Jan. 17; Heather McMahan, Feb. 7-8; Sam Morril, Feb 19; Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, April 2; and Stavros Halkias, April 7.
READ: How Alabama native Dusty Slay became the hottest comedian on Netflix
