At first glance, the Fox drama-dy Rescue Me doesn't seem like the obvious brand to extend into a comedy tour. Sure, the show is at times side-splittingly funny, but that humor is shadowed by the brutally dark lives of the alcoholic, misogynistic, emotionally stunted, dysfunctional heroes who staff they New York City Fire Department in the aftermath of 9/11. The Blue Collar Comedy Tour this ain't. But the show's creator and star, Denis Leary, will always be the manic-mouthed comic behind No Cure For Cancer, and as such, he's stacked his Rescue Me Comedy Tour 2 with fellow veterans of Boston's legendary '80s stand-up scene, including Lenny Clarke and Adam Ferrara — who play Leary's over-indulgent uncle Teddy and beleaguered chief “Needles” Nelson, respectively. So while fans of the show might become unsettled watching their favorite actors break character, they are certain to be agitated by the agro-humor exercised by these three men. Leary, after all, once had a semi-hit with the song [I'm An] “Asshole,” while Clarke has been known to mercilessly take aim at the lefty agenda (and our beloved Obama) in both his stage performance and real-life politics. This is the tour's second year, and it also marks the beginning of Rescue Me's final seasons (they've already shot episodes to run into 2011.) While Leary's character, Tommy Gavin, and his ghost-whispering psychosis might not stun the way it did in the earlier years, the show's comic writing has only become sharper in the decade since it premiered. Which bodes well for the live experience — be sure to take a moment to check for the closest fire exit before being seated.

Thu., June 10, 8 p.m., 2010

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