Opie and Anthony Bring Their Virus to Mansfield

MANSFIELD - The Opie & Anthony's Traveling Virus Tour is returning to the area this Saturday, making its debut at the Tweeter Center.

For the uninitiated, Opie and Anthony are a radio duo typically referred to as "shock jocks."

They gained some notoriety in the mid- to late '90s by telling their WBCN listening audience that Boston Mayor Tom Menino had died while visiting Florida.

This, of course, led to their firing.

Return to New York

They returned to the radio in New York, only to be fired yet again for sponsoring a contest to see what was the most outrageous place people could have sex in. One energetic couple chose St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Now, after a stint on satellite radio, the boys are back and playing it smarter. Picking up where Howard Stern quit, Opie and Anthony are proving that terrestrial radio is a viable and profitable place to have a radio career.

However, amid the stricter FCC rules, a person has to find a creative outlet.

This is where the theater of the absurd, otherwise known as the Opie & Anthony Traveling Virus Tour, comes in.

The virus spreads

The tour is meant to be the grandest of spectacles, with the idea that their popularity is a virus spreading across America. Multimedia installations, games and a steady stream of comics fill the evening.

Like their radio shows, the tour is not without its controversy. Last year, Boston comedian Bill Burr heckled the fans at the Philadelphia Virus show for nearly 10 minutes after they booed him. While this would have ordinarily killed a career, the fans loved it and it created more publicity for the comedian.

This year a feud seems to be building among two comics, Rich Vos and Bob Kelly. This stems from an event at an earlier show where Kelly rushed Vos with a birthday cake and the fall resulted in a broken bone for Vos.

All of this and more make for a night of debauchery rarely seen at any other comic show.

Free laughs for troops

The Tweeter Center show starts this Saturday at 7 p.m. and features Bob Kelly, Carlos Mencia, Frank Caliendo, Jim Norton, Louis C.K., Otto & George, Patrice O'Neal and Rich Vos.

Opie & Anthony are inviting thousands of troops from all over New England to attend the Tweeter show free of charge. The troops are in the Boston area for the annual training camp at Devens Reserve Forces Training Area. They are also extending the offer of a block of free tickets to the remaining dates of their tour. For details visit http://www.myspace.com/virustour. Tickets will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis while supplies last.