George Lopez, February 15 | River Cities’ Reader

Saturday, February 15, 8 p.m.

Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center, 7077 Elmore Avenue, Davenport IA

An artist who has broken ground for Latino comics by embracing his ethnicity, confronting racial stereotypes, and fighting for his community on and off the stage, Grammy-nominated comedian George Lopez brings his national tour to Davenport’s Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center on February 15, the famed funnyman beloved for six seasons as the star of his eponymous ABC sitcom, which currently ranks as one of the top-rated shows on Nick at Nite.

Born in Los Angeles in 1961, Lopez spent a number of years performing stand-up comedy before being approached by Sandra Bullock, in 2000, to produce and star in a TV comedy. Bullock was concerned about the lack of Hispanic-oriented sitcoms on American television, and pushed to get a sitcom on television that starred Hispanics without being exclusively about the Hispanic American community. Long criticized by Hispanic American groups for lack of Latinos on their television shows, ABC quickly picked up the television series, and in 2002, Lopez became one of the few Latinos to star in a television comedy series, following in the footsteps of Desi Arnaz, Freddie Prinze, and John Leguizamo. With Lopez the co-creator, writer, producer, and star George Lopez aired on ABC from 2002 to 2007, and was added to the Nick at Nite lineup in September of 2007, the show also becoming a considerable success in syndication.

Currently, the comedian is in the third season of his NBC sitcom Lopez vs Lopez, which was created by its star alongside Mayan Lopez and Debby Wolfe. The series boasts Lopez and his real-life daughter Mayan as fictionalized versions of themselves. Among the noted Hispanic performers who have guested on the comedy over the years are Mario Lopez, Harvey Guillen, Justina Machado, Danny Trejo, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias. Beyond his television work, Lopez has enjoyed a thriving film career. His HBO Films drama Real Women Have Curves, starring America Ferrera, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received the 2002 Audience Award. He also appeared in Robert Rodriguez’s The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D, voiced the titular Papi Cortez in Disney’s Beverly Hills Chihuahua, co-starred opposite Jackie Chan in 2010’s The Spy Next Door, and recently played Uncle Rudy Reyes in 2023’s DC Extended Universe superhero film Blue Beetle. And in addition, Lopez has enjoyed literary success, his autobiography Why You Crying (co-written by Armen Keteyian) having placed in the New York Times Bestsellers top 20.

George Lopez brings his national tour to Davenport’s Event Center on February 15, admission to the 8 p.m. show is $51-101, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)328-8000 and visiting RhythmCityCasino.com.