Dan Thomas took two of his favorite things and made something better. 

Full Metal Events - Comedy & Music “started off as strictly a stand-up show,” Thomas says. “But I also really enjoy music, too. Saturday Night Live inspired me to take those two pieces -- good stand-up comedy and musical guests -- and put them together.”

The show begins with a comedian, followed by a few songs from the musical guest, about an hour of stand-up, and then ends with the musical guest again.

Thomas makes it a point to feature a diverse lineup. “We rotate hosts and performers every show,” he says.

The musical talent is as wide-ranging as its performers. Past shows have included music guests such as Nappi Devi, Frank Grimaldi, and Mark Norman Harris, who does rap, folk, and comedy. Comedians have come from both near and far and include Samantha Rager, Connor Meade (who recently won first place in the recent Comedy Rumble), Marv Barnett, Brandi Alexander, Emily Sabo, Andrew Yang, and Tony Tale.

The show on Thursday, Dec. 26, features a lineup of nationally known performers. 

“Comedian Jeff Horste was picked by Kevin Hart personally to appear on [Hart’s] show and then got a half-hour Comedy Central special," Thomas says. "Mateen Stewart acts as well as doing standup and has been on sketches on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Last Week Tonight. Esther Nevarez has been featured on Fox’s Laughs. Our musical guest, Torey Arnold, who incidentally just got his Ph.D. in cell biology, is a talented rapper and performer. And host Alex Bradley is well known for running open mics all over town.”

Full Metal Events - Comedy & Music has been making people laugh for almost two years, at Pointless Brewery and Theater, Eastern Market Brewing Company in Detroit, and at Open Floor Studio, where this Thursday’s show takes place.

“This show is packed with talent and the perfect thing for the day after Christmas," Thomas says.

Patti F. Smith is a special education teacher and writer who lives in Ann Arbor with her husband and cat.

Full Metal Events - Comedy & Music is on Thursday, Dec. 26, at Open Floor Studio, 213 S. State St., Ann Arbor. Doors open at 7:30 pm and the show starts at 8 pm. Tickets are $10 from Eventbrite or $12 at the door. For more information, follow Full Metal Events on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Meetup, or fullmetalevents.com for upcoming shows and dates.