Bill Engvall, Frank Caliendo or Smothers Bros

Funny how two top-shelf comedy tours are hitting the area a day apart, for about the same 40-dollar-ish buy-in.

But money isn't funny, and most comedy fans will face a practical choice: The Smothers Brothers tonight at the Ferguson Center in Newport News, or the double-team of Bill Engvall and Frank Caliendo the following night at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.

If you like a little music with your jokes, Dick and Tom Smothers had that going on during their heyday in the '60s and never quit. While the simplistic smart brother/slow brother schtick has always been the basis for their humor, they are skilled musicians who once showcased cutting-edge bands.

During a show in 1968, it's been reported, when The Who destroyed their instruments at the end of "My Generation," shrapnel from the detonation of Keith Moon's kit singed the drummer. In successive weeks in 1968, "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" debuted - dig this, MTV and VH1 people - short "films" of the Beatles singing "Hey Jude" and "Revolution."

And though they may seem harmless cast against some modern profanity-slinging comedians, the Smothers' anti-war, anti-establishment mantra, week after week, finally made the network wave the white flag and cancel the show.

So if "My Generation" was your generation, these guys might be for you.

But if your generation is more of the type to laugh at riffs about - I swear, this isn't a dirty joke - the "dork fish," Bill Engvall might be your guy.

Famed for being part of the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour," Engvall also has a successful family show, stealthily titled "The Bill Engvall Show," in which he plays the usual nervous, clumsy, out-of-touch sitcom dad to great effect.

Engvall will be paired with comedian and impressionist Frank Caliendo. He became known for his impersonations of two now-out-of-the-limelight personalities, President George W. Bush and football commentator John Madden.

He also has own TBS show, again self-named "Frank TV." Caliendo has attracted a sports-minded audience with frequent appearances on ESPN programs. He does a Charles Barkley impersonation, in which he seems to perfectly mime the basketball analyst's pronunciation of "terrible."

"Turrrribll," Caliendo mumbles. As does Barkley.

Lon Wagner, (757) 446-2341, lon.wagner@pilotonline.com