Comedian Kathleen Madigan returns to Monterey with new stories — and money on the 49ers.

Kathleen Madigan is packing for her visit to Monterey and the Golden State Theatre. Outside, the Nashville area is shivering under a layer of snow and ice.

“Southerners don’t drive that well when it’s nice out,” she says with a chuckle. The veteran comic recalls a winter in Atlanta when I-75 was a treacherous frozen patch. “I laughed so hard. They just got out of their cars and left. They were just done.”

The opportunity for observation is part of what keeps Madigan on the road after decades of performances, specials, television shows and podcasts. The stories she shares from the stage often come from experiences with friends, family or on tour – although she never really collided with a bigfoot. That tale was more of a scenario that popped into her head after seeing an item about bears coming out of the woods and rummaging through a Canadian town.

How can a bit about hitting a bigfoot while careening down a lonely highway leave audiences gasping for breath? Well, it’s the same when she recalls bowling while in school or her habit of passing a few dollars to a person in need.

“My friends yell at me: ‘He’s only going to buy more alcohol and cigarettes.’ And I’m thinking, ‘Oh, like I wasn’t?’”

While she has recorded specials, Madigan insists that both music and comedy are best experienced in person. Coming out of the pandemic, she took the stage for an open mic night at Zanies in Nashville, then sat in back and watched others perform. “I forgot how fun it was, because I’m always working,” she points out.

Yet Madigan does take moments to enjoy life on the road. On the Peninsula she will take a walk “on the dog beach” or visit Pebble Beach and rue the time she played the famed golf links with fellow comic Lewis Black.

Madigan grew up in the St. Louis area, a sports town, and she is more than happy to weigh in on the NFL postseason. She has the 49ers going all the way in her bracket, but wouldn’t mind a Detroit win – she knows a lot of people there. “The 49ers for my gambling, Detroit for my friends, the Chiefs for Missouri,” she says, not taking sides. “But everyone forgets about Baltimore.”

KATHLEEN MADIGAN: THE POTLUCK PARTY 7pm Saturday, Jan. 27. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $39.75-$69.75. 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com