Comedy Central’s roastmaster extraordinaire headlines his first show in his home state of New Jersey, and on “No Offense,” the audience provides almost as many laughs as the comic they’re paying to see. Ross is easily at his best when dissecting the audience, and the audience gives him plenty of ammo with their choice of dress alone. (Word of advice: don’t wear flip flops to a Ross show.) The rehearsed material is cute but predictable; the roast-like bits, naturally, are much better, but the show’s highlight is when Ross invites two members of the audience to accompany him on piano while he reads “poetry.” Each of them lets loose with a zinger that produces as big a laugh as anything in Ross’ act. Being an insult comic is a slippery slope – ask Lisa Lampanelli, whose last album veered dangerously close to Andrew Dice Clay-ish desperation – and while Ross hasn’t quite figured out the right balance of stand-up and put-down, he’s close.
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