“Trailer Park Boys” fans packed the theater at El Corazón in Seattle, Washington on Feb. 21 this year as Randy Bo-Bandy himself took to the stage for Randy’s Cheeseburger Picnic. Alongside his faithful friend Shel, Randy gave quite the show involving balloons, cheeseburgers, and tighty-whities. And, of course, rubbing down the belly of Smokey himself.
Before the real festivities began, Randy and Shel made sure to raise a glass and celebrate the life of John Dunsworth, who portrayed Mr. Lahey on the show. Incall and response fashion with the crow, Randy led a chain of the best-known phrases Lahey was known for. Fans were overjoyed to remember Dunsworth this way.
(Credit: Natalie Griffin, The Game of Nerds)
But what Cheeseburger Picnic would be complete without cheeseburgers? Below, in the video I shot, you can see that the on-stage duo dug into bags of McDoubles, tossing them out to the fans who needed one. Shortly after this is when I got hit in the head by a cheeseburger probably meant to get to the stage. Obviously, some fans got a little out of hand, but at least it wasn’t bottle kids, right?
(Sike. I also got smacked in the face with a rogue water bottle. Y’all are WILD.)
(Credit: Natalie Griffin, The Game of Nerds)
During the show, Randy and Shel played along with each other as select fans joined them on-stage for a contest; prizes of these contests included used hotel shampoos and lotion, coffee packets and stirrers and, the most coveted prize of all, tighty-whities worn by the big man himself. All autographed, as of course. (a few others got autographed photos, but does that really compare with the other prizes?)
This event was pretty much exactly how I imagined it would go. With rowdy teenage boys in front of me (the “shit birds” as Randy would affectionately call them) and even rowdier tipsy adults behind me, the Picnic was full of energy and people unafraid to show their adoration of “Trailer Park Boys.” In fact, Randy was impressed with the knowledge of the show demonstrated by the fans crammed against one another on the El Corazón floor. The budget invested in the setup for the show was undoubtedly the most “trailer park” vision I’ve seen brought to the stage…Randy Bo-Bandy really knows how to bring not only his character to life but how to get the crowd revved up for a great show!
