Salvation (Oxford, November 11, 1992)
This two disc set affords a complete picture of one of the finest comedian/social commentators of the past quarter century. While portions have appeared previously (asLive at the Oxford Playhouse 11.11.1992), having the nearly two hour performance in its entirety gives a sense of the dramatic flow that Hicks built into his work. The pacing and variety is astounding. Carefully written and honed, each of the separate issues he turns his attention to seamlessly blends fully realized character voices, fearless attacks on inequities and injustices, and actual punchline payoff jokes. The utter honesty about himself lends powerful credence to his unshakable faith and hope for humanity. Fifteen months after this show he succumbed to cancer at the age of thirty-three.--David Greenberger