Last night marked the first evening of the second RiffTrax 2017 live shows which began in April with Samurai Cop. The RiffTrax Live season will eventually conclude this August with Doctor Who: The Five Doctors, although there's always a chance for a Fall and Winter show that has not been announced yet. But last night's live performance was all about the shorts, where everyone's favorite group of movie riffers performed their 300th short film live on stage at the Belcourt Theater in Nashville Tennessee. It was an evening of inane old-timey public service announcements and what could only generously be called "films," led by Bill Corbett, Kevin Murphy, and Michael J. Nelson. Together, they presented a delicious banquet of shorts, including a musical ode to consumerism, a mind-numbing demonstration of rhythmic ball exercises, and... bags. That's really all I can say about that one. Bags. All of which were punctuated in a haze of cheeseball dust.

The hosts weren't alone however, as they were joined on stage by several MST3K alumni and RiffTrax collaborators such as Bridget Nelson and Mary Jo Pehl, Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff, and a special appearance by comedian Paul F. Tompkins in full yacht-club party regalia.

While I do love the movie riffs, the shorts are where the crew shines the most. The quick running times allow for breaks between each one, which gives us the chance for multiple guests and lots of different scripts and jokes. When a live show focuses on shorts, it's almost always a winner, and this evening was no exception, delivering some of the best jokes and jabs I've seen from their live shows.

If you can, go see the encore show on Tuesday, June 20th. You can also purchase plenty of other riffs at Rifftrax.com. And if you can, don't forget to check out Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff on tour in The Mads are Back as they continue the live-riffing tradition.