Live! From Minneapolis! It's Michael Che!
The "Saturday Night Live" veteran performed an unexpected set Thursday at Sisyphus Brewing's open mic, testing out new material for nearly an hour.
Che, who co-anchors "Weekend Update" and is one of "SNL's" head writers, had a previously scheduled engagement at Winona State University, where he was the featured guest in a Q&A moderated by school's president Scott R. Olson.
A few hours before that chat, Che asked his followers on Instagram to suggest clubs in the Twin Cities he should consider visiting — if he had the time. Several mentioned Sisyphus.
Owner Sam Harriman said Che's assistant phoned him and said the comic would try to stop by even though Winona is over a two-hour drive away. Harriman has gotten that kind of call before.
"Big names have said they might come in the past," Harriman said Friday. "But it doesn't usually happen."
Once Harriman knew Che was actually on his way, he kept the open mic going an extra hour, using local comics to fill time until Che arrived around 10:45 p.m.
Audience member Chuck Pittman said Che seemed to having a ball, testing out new ideas that he read off his cell phone and interacting with the crowd,
