Dave Chappelle held intimate, socially distanced comedy shows near his hometown of Dayton, Ohio early in June, including one that he released as a powerful Netflix special, 8:46. That wasn't the end of his pandemic-era performances either: for the July 4 weekend, he hosted Chappelle Summer Camp, featuring an epic list of guests, both comedic and musical, including Erykah Badu, Common, Michael Che, Tiffany Haddish, DJ Trauma, Michelle Wolf, Donnell Rawlings, Talib Kweli, Cipha Sounds, Questlove, Jon Hamm, Mo Amer, Issa Ali, and more. Photographer Matthieu Bitton, who has worked extensively with Chappelle before, posted pictures on Instagram documenting the weekend, including the group shot above. "@davechappelle July 4 weekend," he wrote. "All tested. Socially distanced crowd. Thank you Dave for being the realest, most generous host. This is a weekend I will never forget. No one there ever will."
"Drove 900+ miles to a hippie farm town, got tested 2ce & mask/rantined & got on a drumset for the first time in 4 months," Questlove wrote. "To be honest a lot of us were afraid of how rusty we’ve become since March. This was missed & needed (the camaraderie (been a min since I’ve seen/had meaningful conversations w people I know in the flesh) worth the effort. I can’t wait to play music w my pals again. Thanks @DaveChappelle 📸 @candytman"
The Roots also shared a video of Chappelle covering Eric B. & Rakim's Paid in Full with Common, Talib Kweli and DJ Trauma:
Donnell Rawlings shared a few videos from the event featuring Erykah Badu, Common, Talib, and Chappelle, as well as a group picture, writing, "Can somebody say history! Everybody in this photo has been tested for DA RONA! #negative":
Cipha Sounds shared a couple more videos, including one of Jon Hamm singing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," and a picture of the event's custom face masks, writing, "Last night in a Cornfield in Yellow Springs Ohio!! Dave Chappelle has done it again. We Spent 6 hours in a field, masked up, with 400 in the audience. The surprise 20 minutes of rain did not put a damper on the evening nor stop the show. Comedy sets by Dave Chappelle, Michelle Wolf, Cipha Sounds, Mo Amer, Donnell Rawlings, Tiffany Haddish, and Michael Che, with an appearance by Jon Hamm (who offered to come out to give his “White guy input” 😂). We were then treated to an amazing fireworks display behind the stage while Questlove DJ’d an all Dilla set! This was followed by Music performances by Frédéric Yonnet, Issa Ali, Monie Love, Talib Kweli, Common, and Erykah Badu. The night ended with Questlove and Erykah Badu’s band providing the music for several impromptu songs with Erykah Badu, Common, Talib Kweli, Dave Chappelle, and Tiffany Haddish. As usual for Dave’s shows, no phones/cameras were allowed, but we got these free face masks as a memento. 😉 #davechappelle"
Talib Kweli shared another video of the "Don't Stop Believin'" cover, writing, "Jon Hamm went absolutely ham last night... truly one of the greatest nights of my life... Thank you @davechappelle one love to #teamchappellesummercamp."
IDK posted a video of an onstage group mosh to "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
Some attendees also posted accounts of the event. @thegaz wrote, "I feel so lucky during this time to be able to go to one of these Dave Chappelle & Friends shows in Yellow Springs, Ohio. I truly think it’s gotta be the Best live show a human being could see going on in the entire country. What else is going on? Performers I saw on stage with Dave Chappelle includes Cypha Sounds, Michelle Wolf, Mo Amer, Tiffany Hadish, Donnell Rawlins, Common, Erykah Badu, Quest Love, Talib Kweli, LaMorne Morris, Monie Love, Jon Hamm & Michael Che. What a night! My body needed a live show, I missed it so. Dave Chappelle is the funniest dude in the world right now. Jon Hamm is super white and awkward (I think I’m handsomer than him). I saw Dave sing Radiohead’s Creep & Erykah Badu sing some of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. They were filming it so I hope for a great documentary about these shows so I could relive some memories. Obviously all our phones were locked in a Yondr bag so I have no photos but it felt so good to be out that even before the show started, watching a DJ spin 80s songs was enthralling enough I didn’t miss my phone. So here’s to a great 4th of July weekend and if all things go to plan, next year on this weekend I’ll be in Seattle & Portland and I can keep the tradition of kick-ass July 4th."
@ctmarie wrote, "Best 4th of July we’ve had in years! Spent 6 hours in a field in Yellow Springs, masked, and seated 6 feet away from 400 other people for a Dave Chappelle show. The surprise 20 minutes of rain did not put a damper on the evening nor stop the show. About 100 feet from the stage we enjoyed Comedy sets by Dave Chappelle, Michelle Wolf, Cipha Sounds, Mo Amer, Donnell Rawlings, Tiffany Haddish, and Michael Che, with an appearance by Jon Hamm (who offered to come out to give his “White guy input” 😂). We were then treated to an amazing fireworks display behind the stage while Questlove DJ’d an all Dilla set! This was followed by Music performances by Frédéric Yonnet, Issa Ali, Monie Love, Talib Kweli, Common, and Erykah Badu. The night ended with Questlove and Erykah Badu’s band providing the music for several impromptu songs with Erykah Badu, Common, Talib Kweli, Dave Chappelle, and Tiffany Haddish (who did a fantastic rendition of Proud Mary). As usual for Dave’s shows, no phones/cameras were allowed, but we got these free face masks as a memento. 😉 #davechappelle #teamchappelle"
@yazdestiny wrote, "Words cannot even begin to describe how special, bizarre and just absolutely incredible last night was. As an impromptu early way of celebrating for my birthday this week, Rob and I drove an hour away out to the middle of a corn field on a small farm to enjoy an intimate social distanced (and fully masked) gathering of less than 100 people to laugh and vibe out with Dave Chapelle, Erykah Badu, Tiffany Haddish, Michelle Wolf, Common, Michael Che, John Hamm, Quest Love, Lamorne Morris, Donelle Rawlings, Talib Kweli and so many more insanely talented people. Cracking jokes, trying out new material, singing songs they never would in a real concert or festival performance. Just kicking back, and enjoying each others company, totally un-scripted, unchoreographed, no phones, all love. In a time where everyone is so stressed and feeling alone, having a night of safe, spaced out positive human interaction was so refreshing, and when it just so happens that the people you’re spending it are incredible artists, comedians and creators spending quarantine out on Dave Chappelle’s farm in the tiny town of Yellow Springs, Ohio it makes for a night you’ll never be able to forget. Insane to me that in what will go down as one fo the most troublesome years in our lives, we managed to have one of the best nights of our lives. Couldn’t have possibly even imagined a better way to celebrate."
The event was recorded for a future release -- stay tuned for more on that.
