Funnyman Nate Bargatze is New Record Holder for Denver’s Ball Arena

A few years ago, many Coloradans had never heard of comedian Nate Bargatze; by the summer of 2025 he was very well known when he did three performances at Denver's Ball arena.

How Long Had Nate Bargatze Been Doing Stand-Up Before HIs 2025 Denver Shows?

Nate Bargatze, widely-known as comedy's least-offensive and nicest comic, has been in the industry since 2002; but his "big break" didn't come until 2017 when he was on the very first episode of Netflix's "The Standups," where he did a 30-minute set. After that, things started happening for Nate, including being nominated for a Grammy with his "Greatest Average American" comedy album.

For three days in September of 2025, Nate Bargatze was a busy man: Three stand-up show at Ball Arena in Denver September 12-13 (two shows on Saturday the 13th,) then out to Hollywood to host the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14. They often say that when things are going your way, you do everything that's offered, because you never know when it's all going to slow down and finally come to an end.

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Those three shows Bargatze did in Denver, on his 'Big Dumb Eyes Tour," now have him in the record books for Ball Arena:

• Most tickets sold by a comedian in a single run of shows (50,000.)
• Highest gross revenue by a comedian across a run of shows.
• Most tickets sold for a single comedy performance (18,000.)

READ MORE: A Comedy Special Shot in Loveland is Now Streaming

When his "The Be Funny Tour" was planning a stop in Loveland in 2024, they'd offered our stations tickets to help promote the show, and I said, "Who?" I feel very bad about that, now, especially after those "George Washington" skits on Saturday Night Live.