On December 1st, 2017 I made my way over to Brooklyn to see the poet Neil Hilborn. If you are not familiar with Neil, his piece “OCD” got thirteen million views on YouTube and was all over Facebook for a few months. And if you still do not know who he is, please go look up his poetry.
I have been a fan of Neil since seeing his work on the internet. Getting the opportunity to see his show was a perfect way to spend my Friday night.
The night started out with Kevin Kantor performing a few of their poems from their book Endowing Vegetables With Too Much Meaning. This article is about Neil, but I feel like it is important to recognize the amazing work that Kevin puts into their poems. Their pieces were well written and I thoroughly enjoyed their performance.
After the fifteen minute break in between sets, Neil took the stage and the crowd roared—myself included. The relaxing vibes that he brought to his performance definitely created a positive atmosphere despite his poetry about the mental illness that he faces. Pieces that he performed include “OCD”, “Joey”, and “Clatter”, to name a few. His words are beautifully put together to form masterpieces. Seeing him live is exhilarating and heart wrenching at the same time. Neil has a talent for conveying the depressing messages in his poems in a funny way, which is a nice contrast for the audience to listen to. Despite getting my heart ripped out a few times, I was laughing throughout the entire night because of his incredible sense of humor.
Once the show was over, I headed to his merchandise table where I got to meet Neil and speak to him for a few about miscellaneous topics. He was very interactive with his fans and joked around with them, which was nice to see. I already had his book, which he was happy to sign. I even purchased one of his shirts that he had for sale.
All in all, Neil Hilborn’s show was one of the best poetry events I have ever had the chance to attend. His poems bring you into a world of sadness, but offer comfort in knowing that there is light at the end of the long, dark tunnel. Thank you, Neil, for allowing me to see that light.