Bert Kreischer really liked Dickies Arena. What ‘The Machine’ said about his next comedy special

It may have been crowd work taken to a whole new level, but comedian Bert Kreischer had high praise Saturday for his Fort Worth audience and Dickies Arena.

Kreischer had just unspooled a story about a gender-sensitivity drama at his kids’ Los Angeles school when he told the crowd that, while he’s committed to filming his next Netflix special in Omaha, Nebraska, the one after that would be recorded at Dickies.

Like other artists who have played Fort Worth’s gem since it opened in 2019, Kreischer praised the arena’s acoustics. But he also noted how much he liked the crowd’s “sensibilities.”

It was the second Dallas-Fort Worth stop on Kreischer’s “Berty Boy Relapse” tour, after a December, 2021, appearance in Grand Prairie that was long delayed by the pandemic.

Kreischer has rocketed to stardom in recent years. His standup is full of raunchy stories and awkward but loving anecdotes about his wife and daughters.

He’s known to fans as “The Machine” for a story he tells about his prolific drinking on a college trip to Russia. A clip of the tale went viral in 2016, propelling the Florida native to sold-out tours, successful specials and an upcoming movie.

Kreischer strolled out on stage in a sharp Stetson and, as he always does to fans’ delight, immediately pulled his shirt off for his set. But the hat stayed on for more than an hour of material, and while much of it was the same as the December show at Texas Trust CU Theatre, the execution was flawlessly hilarious.

Kreischer closed with a cool moment with one of his opening acts, Shane Torres, a Crowley High School graduate. Kreischer instructed fans to hold up their phones with flashlights on, and he and Torres took selfies from the stage with the crowd in the background.

He then repeated his promise.

“I’m coming back in 18 months to record my next special,” he said. Even if such a big business decision probably wasn’t made quite so spontaneously, it’s on the record now.

And we’re holding you to it, Machine.