May 16, 2023
Saturday Night Live/Youtube
"Saturday Night Live" comedy trio Please Don't Destroy will perform at the Fillmore on Friday, June 23.
Three "Saturday Night Live" funny guys are bringing their unpredictable jokes and off-the-wall humor to Philadelphia next month.
Please Don't Destroy — the sketch comedy group made up of "SNL" writers Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy — is embarking on its first live tour, which kicks off at the Fillmore on Friday, June 23.
Presale for tickets, using code "LIVE," begins online Wednesday, May 17, at 10 a.m. The general sale launches Friday at 10 a.m.
Please Don't Destroy, which the trio founded in 2017 as New York University students, has performed at festivals and colleges across the country.
They gained major traction online during the pandemic with viral videos full of surprising comedic twists. The sketches usually present an outrageous premise — in one video, Marshall announces that he paid $300 to receive the "Dumbrekka" COVID vaccine — before devolving into fast-paced chaos.
Marshall, Higgins and Herlihy joined "SNL" in 2021 ahead of season 47, after Lorne Michaels watched them perform their live sketch show once lockdowns were lifted.
They are now members of the writers room, though they still produce their digital sketches. Sometimes these are cut from the live broadcast and sent straight to Youtube — like a video in which actor Rami Malek wants to be rewarded with a "treat" — where they receive millions of views.
The group has increasingly made it onto the live broadcast, though, especially after producing hit sketches like "Three Sad Virgins," a musical number featuring Taylor Swift and Pete Davidson that currently has 8.7 million Youtube views.
"SNL" runs in the family for two Please Don't Destroy members, as Herlihy and Higgins are the sons of former "SNL" head writers Tim Herlihy and Steve Higgins.
The group of 20-something guys has garnered comparisons to another comedy trio that wrote for "SNL" and posted videos online: the Lonely Island. They were also named to last year's "50 Most Influential People in Comedy" list published by The Hollywood Reporter.
While Season 48 of "SNL" came to an early end amid the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, fans of the quirky crew can check them out when their tour rolls through Philadelphia, as well as in an upcoming movie produced by Judd Apatow that will premiere on Peacock in November.
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