I'm surprised by how many comics do the same set every time I see them. Six months have passed and they're still doing the exact same 7 minutes.
What's the point of that? Is that 7 minutes gonna be your Letterman set or something? It's usually just meh stuff so why are these guys spending months perfecting it? They're just treading water.
It's hard to write new jokes that are really funny and new material often fails. But if you can't get over that, why are you on stage? Trying out new stuff and failing is how you get better. And if you can't do it on a "real" stage, go to an open mic where sucking is par for the course. Otherwise, you're just fossilizing.
I think this is gonna be especially true moving forward. The digital age means shit gets old way fast. The idea that you get one killer set and coast on it is antique. Info spreads too quickly for that and it's just gonna spread faster and faster. Success is going to go to the comics who can generate new content all the time. People who can make new funny all the time. Those who can't constantly stream it out won't be able to keep up.
