By DAVID BRINNUpdated: MAY 17, 2016 22:02Louis CK(photo credit: Courtesy)
Who figured a quirky New York comedian would be so popular in Israel? After Jerry Seinfeld’s unprecedented run of sold-out shows in the Holy Land last year, Louis CK is following in his footsteps.Within hours of his August 18 show at the Pais Arena being announced Monday night and tickets going on sale, the response was so great that the site especially set up to handle the ticket sales crashed due to overwhelming response.Despite the glitch, all 9,000 tickets to the show were sold out by Tuesday morning.Promoters Sabres Media Group have added an early show at 6 p.m. for the same date of August 18. Tickets went on sale Tuesday at 5 p.m. at louisck.co.il, with prices for the show ranging from NIS 280 to NIS 730 depending on their proximity to the stage.Last month, CK, one of America’s most loved comics, told radio host Howard Stern that he was going to perform in Israel this summer. CK, whose real name is Louis Székely and who has Jewish roots on his paternal side, said that recent projects had put him in debt and one way to supplement his income was to perform his irreverent stand-up comedy abroad.“I’m going to Israel and doing a show like at a soccer stadium or something there and I’ll get as much money over there as I would here at home,” CK told Stern during the interview.CK’s Jerusalem show is part of a world tour the comedian is launching on Tuesday in Baltimore, that will see him perform throughout the US and in London, Paris and other European destinations before ending on September 12 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.“It’s new jokes and I think I’m better at comedy right now than I’ve been for a while and I’m going to dedicate the year to just doing great live shows,” wrote CK Monday in an email to fans, Billboard magazine reported.Earlier this year, CK announced that he was ending his web-based dramedy Horace and Pete, and in the Stern interview disclosed that the production had put him millions of dollars in debt.“I’ll go on the road, doing stand-up, afterwards, and I’ll make it back,” CK told Stern. Now, with the tour underway, both he and his fans will benefit.