Stand-up comedy is a vulnerable profession. To stand on a stage, all eyes on you, desperately trying to elicit laughter from an often skeptical audience, requires a game plan. In this case, it’s best to find a little common ground with the people.

Comedian Chris Hardwick, best known as the host of G4’s Web Soup, did just that Friday, engaging his Austin audience with tales of rednecks, geeks and hipsters. His performance was also filled with self-deprecating humor. As he told tales of growing up as a geek in Tennessee, the audience easily related, even joining in on quintessential redneck southern rock anthems as Hardwick led them on stage. While joking with the audience about his self-imposed sobriety, Hardwick passed out his “free drink” tickets to the crowd, who were all too willing to oblige. Hardwick later made a special appearance in the following set, joining Weird Al Yankovic in an encore chorus of “Yoda,” letting his geek flag fly.