Yeah I saw Carlin a couple of times---on the road. He was awesome--but very polished. He had clearly had an act that he ha worked on and perfected until it was tight. But THEY ALL start out with notes and fumbling around until the bits start coming together. Even Louis CK. Although it is amazing that he does start over with a new hour of material every year. He is already a bit of a legend for doing that.
So again, my props to Lockwood for having the guts to do it. My brother tried it a couple of times... said it was the most painful thing he has ever done. And my brother does lots and lots of theatre work.