Kerri Pomarolli and Scott Wood

On September 7th, 2019, The Upper Room presented comedians, Kerri Pomarolli and Scott Wood, in concert.

The concert began at 7:30 pm when founder and host, Ron Strand, greeted the audience and said he wanted to do something a little different than the typical trivia to open the show. Before the concert, Upper Room volunteers had passed out cards and encouraged audience members to write down any questions they had about The Upper Room.

Some of the questions were silly, like: “Why do they charge for snacks,” “Why does security keep looking at me,” and “Is The Upper Room smart because it used to be a library?”

A few of the serious questions were: “What is the capacity of the Upper Room?” (almost 300 people), “Ron, do you play an instrument?” (yes, Ron sings and plays guitar), “Which act would you love to get to The Upper Room?” (Richie Furay), “What’s your favorite hobby?” (Ron enjoys boating), and “Are there other Christian coffee house venues like The Upper Room?” (Ron only knows of one other; “Cup of Joy” in Green Bay, Wisconsin…and they charge).

Ron expressed his gratitude for those who participated in asking such thoughtful questions. He made some announcements and mentioned that this month marks the 10-year anniversary of The Upper Room. He thanked the audience for their continued support of this donation based ministry (Support The Upper Room).

Ron introduced Kerri Pomarolli…it was her second time performing at The Upper Room. Kerri appeared on The Tonight Show 29 times and wrote a book of devotions that was inspired by the Christian movie “Moms’ Night Out.”

Kerri admitted she didn’t really have an act before she had kids. She said that today’s parents are raising a bunch of wussies and they need to toughen up their kids. When she was growing up they didn’t have iPads or cell phones, they had friends.

As a single mom, Kerri’s only criteria for a potential spouse are: “do you snore and what’s your credit score?” Kerri brought up her daughter, Lucy, to the stage. Though initially appearing to be stage shy, Lucy belted out a beautiful a cappella rendition of “Amazing Grace.” A star is born.

Kerri shared the story of her other daughter’s complicated birth. The doctors told Kerri her daughter would never walk. With a great deal of faith, prayer and family support, Kerri’s daughter was miraculously healed.

Kerri tossed out some free merchandise to the audience, including T-shirts and books. She also plugged her new book, “Confessions of a Proverbs 32 Woman.” Kerri’s short act was filled with many amusing and memorable moments.

For the second half of the concert, Ron introduced Scott Wood, who took the stage as if propelled by a slingshot. Scott immediately cracked a joke about his appearance, saying he looks like John Elway and Gary Busey had a baby.

By way of introduction, Scott said he’s been married for 20 years, but happily for 2. He commented that relational strife shouldn’t come as a surprise to any married couple since the word “engaged” means to be in conflict.

Scott has a rapid-fire delivery; before you can even assimilate one joke, he’s on to his next one. Some examples of Scott’s rapier wit: “I love cats; they’re delicious,” “The only thing that kept me out of college was high school,” and “I don’t suffer from mental illness…I enjoy it.”

Scott said he tried going to a Catholic Church but got worn out from all the standing, sitting and kneeling. He asked if there was a low impact mass he could attend. When Scott went to confession, he told the priest, “You first.”

Scott did a sketch where he pointed out how cars often reflect their names. He noted that an Infinity takes you forever to pay off. He once ran into a car called a Mirage and regretted that he wasn’t driving a Dodge. Scott said he has no desire to go anywhere near a Probe.

Scott took a short break from comedy to share his testimony. His parents divorced when he was young and he turned to drinking. His life changed one day when someone told him God loved him.

Scott closed out his act with impressive impressions of Trump, Obama, Stallone, Schwarzenegger and other famous people. Scott’s laugh-a-minute performance was filled with hilarious gags and amusing anecdotes.

The night of comedy with Kerri Pomarolli and Scott Wood was a light-hearted, joy-filled experience at The Upper Room.