Skip to content

Special homecoming for local comedian

'The key is finding that really ‘you’ in it with amping it up to 11, you know what I mean, in terms of exaggerating certain parts perhaps'
francoiswebercomedian
Francois Weber performs tonight at the Voyageur Inn. Photo courtesy Facebook.

It’s a homecoming event that Francois Weber is totally excited about.  

The North Bay raised comedian who now lives in PEI, is coming home as the featured act during “The Fully Shaved Tour” which is taking place tonight at 9 p.m. at the Voyageur Inn, along with a pair of other area comedians including North Bay’s Doug Bies. 

The 51-year-old has been dabbling in comedy since he was in University.  

“The first time I did stand-up I was at Nipissing University, and I kind of did this French type of character and I was young, probably 20 or 21,” admitted Weber, who also won a comedy night at Laurentian University.  

“However, when I went to that amateur night in Toronto and it was just crickets I kind of vowed I would never do that again.” 

Weber now believes the key to comedy is finding your own voice.  

“The key is finding that really ‘you’ in it with amping it up to 11, you know what I mean, in terms of exaggerating certain parts perhaps,” he said.   

“It took me about two or three years and I really found who I am normally inside me and being able to bring that out on stage, so I am very much myself.” 

Weber helped gain that confidence after literally fulfilling a dream by joining Canadian Comedy icon Gerry Dee regularly on his Maritime tours.   

After watching Dee on the show ‘Last Comic Standing’ he told his family that he would one day be on stage with him.  That dream became a reality when he had a manager pull some strings to get him onto the stage with Gerry at an event in Halifax. Weber got the opportunity after bailing out a Comedy Show Manager, who needed him as a last-minute fill in at a show in Cape Breton.  

“After that Halifax show, Gerry called me over and asked if I wanted to tour with him, and for the last five years I’ve been touring with him whenever he is in the Maritimes,” recalled Weber, who even paid his own way to get the opportunity to get in stage with Dee.   

“We ended up becoming good friends and it was kind of weird how that happened.”  

Weber, who is also a full-time school teacher in PEI, last performed in North Bay about five years ago, but that was not as a headliner.  On top of that, Weber knows many of his old Algonquin classmates will be watching from the crowd as part of a reunion taking place in North Bay this weekend. 

“I think it’s going to be pretty emotional for me, my family is there, my buddies are there - like people from different parts of your world like coming together it is just so cool,” Weber stated, adding he will be recording his first comedy album tonight at the event.   

Other obstacles have gotten in the way of his passion too.  Just over 10 years ago Weber was diagnosed with a brain tumour - and thanks to some medical connections were able to have the benign tumour removed earlier than scheduled.  During that procedure, the surgeons realized if they had waited any longer, Weber would not have even made it to his next MRI appointment.   

His health situation and the confidence he received with support from Gerry Dee, have been defining moments for this proud local comedian.   


Chris Dawson

About the Author: Chris Dawson

Chris Dawson has been with BayToday.ca since 2004. He has provided up-to-the-minute sports coverage and has become a key member of the BayToday news team.
Read more

Reader Feedback