March 24, 2016 7:55 pm

This Friday, we all get to hear what went on at StarTalk Live! at SF Sketchfest 2016

Photo of StarTalk Live! Cast on stage at SF Sketchfest, taken by Dan Dion.

On stage at SF Sketchfest 2016: (L to R), Eugene Mirman, Dr. Jim Green, Bill Nye, Maeve Higgins, Andy Weir. Credit: Dan Dion.

I’ll admit it, I love getting to go behind the scenes at StarTalk, watching our recording sessions, hearing the episodes before anyone else, and attending all our StarTalk Live! shows.

Well, almost all.

Because I have yet to make it out to San Francisco for what’s become our annual appearance at SF Sketchfest.

And that means that just like you, I’ve got to wait to listen to the Sketchfest podcasts each year. Sure, I get to see what our onsite Social Media team tweets. And this year, we even got to watch what went on behind the scenes thanks to this great video from Stephanie Evans, one half of our live tweet team along with Heather Archuletta.

But the real fun comes when I finally get to listen to what went on at the Nourse Theatre.

And this year, the show was particularly out of this world – and not only because the subject was Mars.

Maybe it’s because our guest host Bill Nye the Science Guy and co-host Eugene Mirman have turned into a well-oiled, machine, bringing science to the masses wherever StarTalk Live! goes on the road.

Maybe it has to do with our guests, Andy Weir, the author of The Martian, and Dr. Jim Green, the Director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division.

Maybe it’s because our comic guest was once again Maeve Higgins, who’s been killing it ever since her first guest appearance at StarTalk Live! Evolution with Richard Dawkins at the Beacon Theater, and now, as a regular comic co-host on bo StarTalk Radio and our new, upcoming podcast, StarTalk All-Stars.

Or, and I’m just throwing this out there, maybe there is something about the audience in San Francisco each year that adds an electricity to the air. Like the geeky roar from our fans whenever we hit the Bell House in Brooklyn, the energy that engulfs the room is contagious.

Also, and this seems to be a regular occurrence at SF Sketchfest as well, we’ve got to warn you about the occasional instance of “Adult Language” just in case you’re listening to this at home with your kids.

By the way, speaking of StarTalk Live!, there are still seats available for our upcoming show at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank NJ on 5/2/16. That show will be hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, with co-host Eugene Mirman and special, not-yet-announced guests. I wouldn’t put it off any longer – there are still some good seats left, but when you look at the seating chart, you’ll see why you might not want to wait much longer.

Join us for Part 1 of StarTalk Live! from SF Sketchfest 2016 this Friday, March 25 at 7pm ET on our website, iTunes Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn and SoundCloud.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
–Jeffrey Simons

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