It’s easy to predict when an event will sell out, but it’s impossible to know how well the audience and performer will connect. That chemistry, that give-and-take between audience and performer, is the difference between a good show and a great show.

In his sold-out Matthews Arena performance this past Friday, Jon Stewart certainly held up his end of the bargain. There may have been 5,500 people in attendance, but the audience hung onto his every word. He left many of us on the floor crying with laughter.

But in content and sincerity, Stewart’s routine went far beyond stand up comedy. He elevated the sign language interpreters from logistical necessity to interactive highlight of the performance. Stewart spoke of the generational divide in terms that both students and parents could take to heart. Most poignant of all, he put parenthood in perspective for 5,000 undergrads.

And what did Stewart think of us? Here’s a good indication: the show’s Q’A session was completely impromptu. He doesn’t normally do Q’A with such large crowds, but our receptiveness convinced him that it was the only appropriate way to end the night; it was his way of saying “thank you.”

Jon Stewart is one of the most celebrated and iconic performers of our time. He has won 10 Emmy awards, two Peabody awards and a Grammy. Stewart has graced endless magazine covers, touted as a cross-generational spokesperson. And Northeastern University impressed him.

I have never been so humbled and proud to be a Husky.

– Sam Peisner is a junior communication studies and sociology major and president of the council of university programs.