There was no doubt that most of the capacity crowd at Jon Stewart's Patrick Gym performance followed the comedian's current events-driven, "fake news" program, "The Daily Show," on Comedy Central. Anyone who came to the show skeptical about Stewart's ability to deliver his trademark sardonic wit in the format of a live, stand-up performance was quickly made a believer. The comic mined laughs from a wide range of the serious issues of the day in a fast-paced, sometimes profane 80-minute set that delighted the crowd, and he finished with an additional 20 minutes, unleashing on random topics offered up by the audience — from Sarah Palin to Unitarianism to gay marriage.

The March 28 event, sponsored by Student Life, drew about 4,000 students and community members who filled the bleachers and the floor. Many of the students on hand had only seen Stewart in his role as host of Comedy Central's "Daily Show" and weren't sure what to expect from Stewart, who got his start in '86 when he moved to New York City to try his hand at the comedy club circuit. "He put on a great show," said junior Tom Ford-Hutchinson. "I knew he'd done stand-up before but I wasn't sure what to expect. He did a good job at bridging the gap between stand-up and what he does on 'The Daily Show.' The way he handled the questions from the audience was amazing. He's so quick on his feet."

Stewart, who was greeted with a standing ovation, drew laughs the moment he walked on the minimalist stage outfitted with a stool, microphone, a few bottles of water and a black backdrop hanging behind him. "I'd like to thank UVM for really going all out with this set," he joked. "The white dots on the sheet are a nice touch. I feel like I should be landing on the moon." Stewart localized much of his act by sharing his impressions of Burlington. "Could your town be any prettier?...Even your homeless people are nice. I asked one if he wanted a dollar and he said 'No, do you? Do you want to hang out?'" Stewart asked another man if any conservatives lived here. Pointing to a gentleman standing nearby, the man said, "He's pretty conservative." Stewart responded by saying, "Do you mean the guy with the 'gay pacifist for Nader' button?"

Stewart also weighed-in on gay marriage, joking that he could "understand being against it — if they decided to make it mandatory." He had harsher words for those opposed to gay marriage, drawing reference to Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas' threat to veto such a bill. "This isn't a cultural divide," he said. "They're wrong...Here's the gay agenda: they'd like to get married, fight in the military and march in the St. Patrick's Day parade." Smiling, he added that maybe the St. Patricks' Day Parade was a bit much since it might take away from such a "dignified event," where some of its participants are known to relieve themselves in nearby alleys.

Stewart made serious observations about a wide variety of issues, followed by his trademark satirical commentary. "Seventy-to-eighty percent of the people out there are agreeable, reasonable people," he said. "It's the other 20 percent that ruin it. Moderates have (expletive) to do. So it's all dominated by extremes." Using Creationism versus Darwinism as an example, Stewart said, "I don't trust either science or religion. Why? Because they are created by man. We got swept away by the Macarena — we're (expletive) idiots."

One of the funniest ongoing exchanges was between Stewart and the sign language interpreter standing on stage next to him. Stewart stopped a few times after using obscenities and risqué language to ask the interpreter how she was doing. "What was the gesture for that word again?" he asked her. Trying to keep a straight face, the interpreter showed him the particular hand motion again to which Stewart would make another joke. "This could be a long night for you," he said. "But maybe not. Maybe you do work signing at a longshoreman's club."

Other bits of wisdom from Stewart included his thoughts on why he quit smoking. "I was getting winded from tapping the pack before I smoked it." The biggest sign that the United States shouldn't have gone to war in Iraq: "If you go to war and Germany doesn't want to fight, it's a pretty good indication. This is the country who invaded Poland because they thought Poland was looking at them."

Stewart ended the evening by encouraging prompts from the audience. In response to someone who yelled, "Wall Street bailouts" he talked about a culture that, like the last presidential administration, rewards failure. "Dick Cheney didn't do anything right for eight years and shot an old guy in the face.... Wall Street is like musical chairs except that when the music stops no one takes a chair away." In response to the word Canada, he said, "Isn't that a euphemism for drinking?" When a woman yelled 'Earth Hour,' Stewart checked his watch and said it was too late to observe it, questioning what the earth would do to retaliate if the lights weren't turned out: "I hope it doesn't do a plate shift."

"Stewart closed with a poke at Patrick Gym. "Thanks, this was great being in such a state-of-the-art facility," Stewart said smiling as he wrapped things up. "I had a great time. Thanks for coming out."