Dan Howell and Phil Lester say meeting fans on tour now that they’re “older and a little more fun” has felt “radical and liberating” (exclusive)

Dan Howell and Phil Lester are currently in the first month of the North American leg of their Terrible Influence tour, and PEOPLE has an exclusive first look.

Dan Howell And Phil Lester traveling across the United States!

The two British YouTubers are currently a month into their third North American tour together. Terrible influence — and PEOPLE has an exclusive first look.

The duo will continue to perform in Chicago, Toronto, New York, Nashville and more before bringing their show to Australia in December.

“Being able to see our audience in real life, now that we’re all older… and a little more fun, feels so radical and freeing,” Dan and Phil said in a statement released to PEOPLE. “Many people have joked that this tour has been ‘healing’ and we are so happy to see people from all walks of life feel welcome on our tour.”

They added: “It’s a thrill to perform on a new show that contains so many juicy personal and professional revelations. This is truly a new era of DGAF and seeing people scream at some controversial moments and shed tears at the end makes it feel so good every night.”

Regarding interstate travel, they continued, “The US is so huge that we can’t believe it takes so long to travel through the center. From Texas and the Midwest to the upcoming East Coast leg, our advocacy is spreading across the state. nation, and we are so happy to be here, saving democracy, one brainwashed viewer at a time.”

The show features Dan and Phil touring together for the first time since taking a break in 2018 on their shared YouTube channel. DanandPhilGAMESduring which they both came out as gay and grew their personal brands. During this time, Dan wrote a #1 New York Times bestseller on mental health. Will you survive this night and went on a solo comedy tour We’re all doomedand Phil continued to develop his own YouTube channel AmazingPhil.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE before coming to the US, the two, who have together on YouTube for over 15 years – spoke about the reaction to their first few shows when they kicked off their tour in September with a stop in Belgium.

“We had so many funny memes and reactions to it,” Phil, 37, told us at the time. “The buzz on social media the first night of our show because no one knew anything about it or what it was going to be was just a reminder of how much fun our audience is.”

Dan, 33, added that the show helps people come to terms with their past as well as their future.

“It was also amazing to see all kinds of different people on the show because we had people who were like, ‘Now I’m old and identify as a real person,’ rather than someone who spends all their time on YouTube. “,” he said. “All of these people have grown up and gone through many different journeys in the direction of their lives, and yet it seems like they all need to come together and feel welcomed.”

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Dan continued, “They all laughed and felt like some weight could be lifted off their shoulders about who we were, who they used to be (and) how scared they should be about the future. The fact that everyone came away feeling excited about what the next chapters of their lives could be, I think we’re really proud of that.”

According to Dan, the show’s new territory also presents new “danger.”

While working on the show, Phil suffered two accidents, the first of which occurred during rehearsal and resulted in a broken rib. He then fell off stage while on tour in Sweden, after which wrote on social media, “people think ‘Phil will fall off the stage’ is an old joke until I actually fall off the stage.”

“We joke about it,” Dan explained. “People say, ‘It’s time for Dan and Phil to stop exaggerating.’ But you have no idea how much we don’t tell people half of what Phil did.”

“I need to be wrapped in bubble wrap at all times,” Phil agreed, before adding: “To be honest, it’s very dark on stage. I thought I had gone overboard. There was no edge. I made a very stylish barrel roll off the front of the stage, and luckily it wasn’t very tall.”

He continued: “But a rib is a different matter. I won’t say much because it would be a spoiler, but we were rehearsing for a very active part of the show and I was bent over in a way I shouldn’t be bent over. “

Aside from the challenging physical aspects of the show, Dan noted that the particular scene also includes an emotional element, where they “jokingly get quite confrontational about a lot of things that have been considered sensitive topics in the past – whether it’s us and our audience, or just as people in social networks and what kind of culture it is.”

As for what the duo enjoy most about touring the United States, Dan was quick to point out that “Phil is looking forward to the sugar.”

“Yes, I have a sugar problem,” Phil confirmed. “Everything in the US contains more sugar. So it’s always very interesting. The stack of pancakes I will receive as soon as I arrive in America will be legendary.”

Dan added: “You will find that this is very important. If anyone wants a free selfie with Phil, just walk into your local IHOP at 2 a.m. and see Phil simply say, “More maple syrup.”

They shared a story from their 2018 Interactive Introverts tour when their bus broke down “in the middle of Texas” and the only place nearby was a Denny’s. “And we ended up going there for breakfast at like three o’clock in the morning, and I thought, ‘I think I understand American culture,'” Dan explained.

“This is it. Helmet,” added Phil.

Meanwhile, Dan is most looking forward to the “bus life.”

“A lot of people say: “Touring! Don’t you just hate it? Imagine being on a bus full of all these people?” And I was like, “I love this.” Get me out of the house,” Dan shared. “We’re not meant to just spend all day in our heads worrying about things. house.

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Following their return to YouTube and co-branding, Dan said they live “in this radical present where we’re just seeing how things go.” However, they are still aware of the need for larger projects, especially in light of their previous work as presenters on BBC Radio 1, where they hosted a weekly radio show and interviewed celebrities such as Taylor Swift And fall out Boy at special events.

“Yeah, it was really fun,” Phil remembers. “I think I was very nervous working in radio because you have to push a lot of buttons, you’re on air – so I can say anything. Anyone knows that I, unfiltered and alive, am a dangerous mixture, especially when you’re the BBC.”

Dan added: “People keep asking us. They were like, “Dan and Phil, we need you to get back to your presenting work. Do you want to come back? Turn on the radio, make it an awards show.” We were like, “Oh my God! Maybe we can do this for the people.” “

He continued to note that people are also “begging” him to return to his solo YouTube channel, but for now they are focused on the tour.

“Dan and Phil coming back was so humbling,” Dan said. “We literally had no plan for this. Phil said, “Just sit down, play The Sims, play a little card game,” and it’s the easiest, most casual content ever. People were excited about it and now they’re like, “What’s the future?” People are begging us to do radio, they want us to do a podcast, they want us to do everything their favorite YouTubers do. So now we’re like, “Okay, we hear you, Dan and Phil 2.0.” when we get back from tour.” Honestly, that sounds like a threat.”

“Yes,” Phil agreed. “What will it be? We’re not sure, but we’re excited about it.”

Tickets for Terrible influence are now on sale.