Chris Rock is in good spirits as he prepares for his Wednesday stand-up show, occurring just days after Will Smith hit him onstage at the Oscars.
The 57-year-old star is set to kick off a comedy tour at The Wilbur in Boston on Wednesday night, and the venue’s owner Bill Blumenreich tells PEOPLE that Rock is “in a great mood” as he rehearses.
“What happened [at the Oscars], he handled it so well. He took the high road,” he says.
Blumenreich says Rock has been “all business” since arriving in town ahead of the comedy show: “It’s a big, big tour, over 100 shows, and he’s taking it very seriously. He’s probably the funniest guy I’ve ever met. We were talking last night, he was saying, ‘How long have I known you?’ Since he started on SNL! I’ve been working with him since 1991.”
“He’s one of the nicest, funniest people you could ever meet in your life,” he adds.
RELATED: Wanda Sykes Reveals Chris Rock Apologized to Her After He Was Hit by Will Smith at Oscars
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Secondary ticket seller TickPick tweeted Monday that the company saw an increase in sales to see Rock perform following the incident.
During the 94th annual Academy Awards on Sunday night, Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s appearance, which prompted Will, 53, to walk onstage and strike him in front of millions of viewers. Rock appeared stunned afterward before quickly making light of the confrontation and moving along. He declined to press charges.
In his apology on Monday, Will directly apologized to Rock, admitting he was “out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
On Wednesday’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Wanda Sykes, who co-hosted the Oscars along with Regina Hall and Amy Schumer, said she “felt so awful for my friend Chris” and shared what he told her later that night.
“I hope he doesn’t mind me saying this, but I saw Chris at [Guy Oseary’s after party] and as soon as I walked up to him, the first thing he said is, ‘I’m so sorry.’ I was like, ‘Why are you apologizing?’ He was like, ‘It was supposed to be your night. You and Amy and Regina were doing such a great job. I’m so sorry this is now gonna be about this.’ Because that’s who Chris is.”
