It’s fair to say there was a wave of anxious trepidation jolting through the crowd at New York City’s Beacon Theatre on Saturday night.
Fans were patiently waiting for the standup scene’s longtime sweetheart, Mark Normand, to come out and deliver his promised “hot new hour” of comedy as part of his highly-anticipated ‘Ya Don’t Say Tour.’
But that wasn’t all.
Just a few nights before the big Beacon gig, Normand was rushed off stage at New York Comedy Club and the crowd was evacuated as part of a staged stunt he knew nothing about.
“I went viral for, I don’t know… 13 hours… for some bulls—….” he trailed off. “Eventually, Britney Spears took a s— in a hotel lobby, and it was all good.”
By the time, he got around to explaining the whole ordeal, the crowd already seemed to have forgotten — they were too busy enjoying themselves.
For a more fuller picture of what went down on Saturday, Jan. 27, here’s our recap of the wild evening.
Mark Normand’s opening acts
Normand’s special guests quickly set the tone for the night with some punchy lines about sex, swinging, and mental illness.
First up, Matt Ruby went into great depth about his lack of success with long-term relationships.
“The first six months are easy, it just feels like you’re on drugs right?” the comedian hypothesized. “Like you’re on Molly…”
After living together for years, Ruby says it still feels like you’re experiencing that high. But, it feels like you took Molly and you’re stuck on the subway.
“You’re like wow this is ecstasy. And, oh my God, I feel trapped. Please let me out!”
Next up, Phill Hanley also had a few things to say about dating. He proposed the idea that a relationship is probably near over once you make a pros and cons list.
“I did that with my ex. I was like a pro: she’s Bi,” he paused for the crowds cheering before tempering expectations. “Con: polar.”
He clarified that he does that joke because it’s a celebration of her, “and I know she would laugh at that,” he promised. “Half the time.”
Mark Normand’s set
People were already near choking on laughter by the time Normand ran out on the stage, chanting his signature line: “Hey hey… comedy, huh? We’re really doing it!”
The 40-year-old New Yorker’s notoriously nasally voice was enough to set the crowd into a rapture of enthusiasm. By their raucous reaction, you would have thought you were watching Taylor Swift win the Super Bowl.
“I opened for Seinfeld here a couple years ago,” he pointed out as fans settled in. “And now I’m headlining… and he’s in the tunnels.”
Normand dove right in and began offering political commentary on our country’s state of affairs. His thoughts?
On Joe Biden: “He’s wearing a full diaper. There’s probably a chair in the Presidential shower. Worried about WWIII? Don’t be. The President has military experience. He served in the Civil War.”
He continued, “Biden also had a few bouts of COVID. He probably hated wearing a mask because he couldn’t smell little girls’ hair!”
The joke was a seamless transition to offer some advice to Greta Thunburg — she’s “fizzling out” and it’s time for her to get on OnlyFans. She could take the whole environmental angle; solar powered vibrators and taking care of the carbon foot-fetishes.
“Don’t worry, she’s 21-years old. She’s of age. It’s fine. Man, I thought she was nine,” admitted Normand. “Autism don’t crack.”
It’s been a wacky year for the former President too, the comedian explained before toying with the idea of “Prison Trump.”
He imagined him sporting the orange jumpsuit, gold cornrows, out in the yard working out with the Aryan Nation. He’s all prison tatted up. He’s got ‘MAGA life’ on his arm, ‘Fake News,’ ‘You’re fired,’ on his chest. The back is just a giant Rosie O’Donnell as a pig.
What makes Normand special though is that he has cleverly evaded most cancellable offenses while toeing the line of decency. Though, there was one that nearly got to him.
He was dragged for posting a picture in a sombrero on social media. But he insists that it wasn’t his fault.
The restaurant owner placed it on his head before snapping a photo — “That Mexican mother****er,” he shouted.
“You learn Spanish, eat Mexican food, have sex with Mexican women, have a Mexican kid. But, that hat. That’s no bueno,” snapped Normand.
Final verdict
In addition to his naturally unpretentious humor, Normand is acutely self-aware and doesn’t shy away from any topic.
Everything was fair game in this set — his material spanned abortions and eating disorders to pedophiles and politicians.
Sure, some things teeter on the offensive. But, the reality is that Normand is just as likely to dunk on one group of people as the other, the net-effect being that it’s near impossible to loathe him for political-incorrectness. He’s just making jokes, after all.
His night ended in an opportunity for the audience to call out any person or topic they desired his thoughts on.
Eager to find out what he thinks about Caitlyn Jenner? Gov. Abbot? Nikki Haley? Leah Thomas? Gypsy Rose?
Well you’ll have to buy tickets to his next show to find out.
The ‘Ya Don’t Say Tour’ runs until May in North America. You can find tickets here.
Mark Normand 2024 tour schedule
A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets for all upcoming shows can be found here:
| Mark Normand 2024 tour dates |
|---|
| Feb. 2 at the Lexington Opera House in Lexington, KY |
| Feb. 3 at the Levine Center for the Arts in Charlotte, NC |
| Feb. 9 at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio, TX |
| Feb. 10 at the Cullen Performance Hall in Houston, TX |
| Feb. 16 at the Morrison Center in Boise, ID |
| Feb. 17 at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, UT |
| Feb. 23 at the Symphony Hall in Atlanta, GA |
| Feb. 24 at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, NC |
| March 1 at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX |
| March 2 at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX |
| March 8 at the Rialto Theatre in Tucson, AZ |
| March 9 at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix, AZ at 7 p.m. |
| March 9 at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix, AZ at 9:30 p.m. |
| March 15 at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville, VA |
| March 16 at the Charleston Theater in Charleston, WV |
| March 22 at the UTEP Magoffin Auditorium in El Paso, TX |
| March 23 at the Kiva Auditorium in Albuquerque, NM |
| March 29 at the Minglewood Hall in Memphis, TN |
| March 30 at the Robinson Performance Hall in Little Rock, AR |
| April 5 at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville, TN |
| April 6 at the Walker Theatre in Chattanooga, TN |
| April 12 at the Crouse Hinds Theater in Syracuse, NY |
| April 13 at the UB Center for the Arts in Buffalo, NY |
| April 19 at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, MN |
| April 20 at the Overture Center in Madison, WI |
| April 27 at the Old National Events Plaza in Evansville, IN |
| May 3 at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Los Angeles, CA part of the Netflix is a Joke Festival |
| May 4 at the Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella, CA |
Netflix Is A Joke Festival 2024
From May 2-12, 2024, the Netflix is a Joke Festival is returning to Los Angeles for over 300 (!) shows spread out across 35 venues.
And yes, many your favorite comedians will be there along with Normand.
Just a few of the mega names on this year’s lineup include Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Bill Burr, David Letterman and controversial crowd work wunderkind Matt Rife.
They’ll be joined by household names John Mulaney, Jon Stewart, Ali Wong, Seth Rogen and Sarah Silverman.
Best of all, seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady will be on hand for ‘The Greatest Roast of All Time,’ where Jeff Ross and celebrities will poke fun fun at the former NFLer.
As of now, over 100 acts have been announced for the sprawling, mega event, the first since 2022.
You can get tickets for the show of your choosing here.
Mark Normand comedy specials
Normand has been performing stand-up since 2006. Over the past 18 years in the game, he’s dropped three specials as well as a Netflix half hour. Here’s where you can see them:
“Still Got It” (2014) streaming on Spotify
“Don’t Be Yourself” (2017) streaming on Paramount+
“Out To Lunch” (2020) streaming on YouTube
“The Standups” (2021) streaming on Netflix
Mark Normand podcasts
In addition to hitting the stage on a daily basis, Normand is also a seasoned podcaster.
He currently hosts ‘Tuesdays With Stories’ alongside co-host Joe List as well as ‘We Might Be Drunk’ with fellow comic Sam Morril.
Comedians on tour in 2024
Hundreds of big name headliners will be on the road next year.
Here are just five of our favorite comics you won’t want to miss live in the near future.
• Joe List
• Sam Morril
• Bert Kreischer
• Nate Bargatze
• Nick Mullen
Who else is out and about? Check out our list of the 107 biggest comedians on tour in 2024 here to find out.