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Chappelle's sold-out show felt more like therapy time

Comedian Dave Chappelle wasted little time in trying to set the record straight Sunday night. Moments after walking on stage an hour late, he told the sold-out audience at Casino del Sol's AVA that he does not smoke crack and he did not run off last spring to Africa to check himself into a mental hospital. In an hour-long show that felt more like a group therapy session, the stand-up comedian confessed he's had a hard time since he walked away from his hugely popular Comedy Central show. The sketch comedy show was in production for Season No. 3, which never aired. "It's been a wild year for me," he confided to the crowd of 5,000. "I'm hurtin'. Don't think you can walk away from $50 million and your wife is cool with it." His wife is not, he assured his fans, and then launched into classic Chappelle territory that included tales of his wife cutting off sexual relations. In a gut-busting riff, Chappelle described how he's coping. Chappelle danced around the reasons for his very public falling out with Comedy Central, but criticized the media for saying he was on crack. "They hate black celebrities," said Chappelle, 32. "They called me a crackhead. They said I was in Africa in a mental hospital. Who the (expletive) flees to Africa for medical attention? "I don't smoke crack," he said. "I don't even do weed." When someone in the audience shouted out "Season Three," Chappelle shot back, "This is Season Three." "People don't realize. I have (expletive) my career up," he said. "My career's in Africa." Chappelle stretched his show to an hour. Forty-five minutes in, he said he had run out of things to talk about. But audience members wouldn't let him call it a night. They plied him with questions, suggestions and words of encouragement. One woman suggested Chappelle run for president. "You want me to be president?" he questioned. "I can't even do three seasons on cable." This was Chappelle's second show in Tucson, contrary to what he said Sunday night. He told the audience that it was his first time in Tucson. Actually, in February 2003, he played to a sold-out crowd at the Rialto Theatre, Downtown.