Once I see a few more episodes of Conan O'Brien's new show, I'll be able to critically evaluate it, with more coherent language and maybe a little criticism (hopefully, not much). In the meantime, I am giddy knowing that I cracked up many times during his show tonight. Of course, if my brain explodes due to the amazing pairing of Tom Hanks and Jack McBrayer, it'll be a bit difficult to update.
Anyway, it's just so nice to see Conan back on television. I missed his interactions with Andy, I missed his rapport with guests, and I miss him singing! His performance tonight with Jack White had me dancing in my seat like a crazy person (in other words, thank God I was watching it alone in my room, because that would have been too embarrassing for anyone to see). I remember the euphoric high I had in May after seeing Conan at Michigan State University; just being reminded of how amazingly funny and how big of a smile he brought to my face. I have that same high again, and it's nice to know that my exposure to him won't be limited to that one tour date, but now, he'll be on my TV four nights a week.
I think the highlight was, no doubt, the Halloween mask, even if it will likely haunt my dreams:
So, what did everyone else think? Overall, I think his "Tonight Show" opener was more entertaining, but that show was so good, it would be difficult to top it. This was certainly a fun show. List your likes/dislikes in the comments!
Conan O’Brien told the crowd at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center on May 21 that he hoped attendees would walk away thinking, “Wow, that was sort of worth it.”
Judging by the boisterous reactions of the crowd, Conan’s “Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour” did not disappoint. For two hours, Conan entertained the crowd with a mix of stand-up, musical performances, familiar features of his former shows and some special guests.
After opener Reggie Watts and the Legally Prohibited Band (featuring familiar faces such as Richie “LaBamba” Rosenberg, whose face Conan later licked during the show) started the show, Conan took the stage wearing a MSU jersey underneath his sport coat. It was so crazy to see those long legs walking out on stage, doing the String Dance.
He explained his excitement for being in Michigan, and the warm response from the Spartans. The crowd ate up Conan’s name-checking of local restaurants and businesses (he claimed that his new job will be at the East Lansing “Meijers,” which is a common Midwestern trait: adding an S to a store name, such as Krogers, KMarts, etc.), as well as direct digs at school rivals.
According to Conan, he rejected a bid by the University of Michigan to play on their campus. “I don’t like that school,” he told the crowd. Then, he added the line which got the most applause that evening, “Any school that needs a football stadium that big must have a small penis.” He joked that the school had a major drinking problem, since the students in attendance at the show clearly did not realize that school ended weeks ago. “Your mascot should be a hung-over Spartan vomiting into his helmet.”
Conan was not alone that evening. Longtime sidekick Andy Richter joined in on the fun, as did Triumph the Insult Comic Dog in a pre-taped segment which had local jokes dubbed into the tape. According to Triumph, his excrement made its way onto the restaurant of local eatery Chunky’s. Even though it’s meant as an insult, that bit (as well as the shout-out to the Riv) will likely remain the best possible press for the restaurant.
Deon Cole, a former writer for Conan, also took the stage for standup. Sarah Killen, the Michigan resident who got 15 minutes of fame after Conan chose her Twitter account as the only one he’d follow, hugged Conan onstage.
She pulled the “Walker, Texas Ranger” Lever, rechristened the “Chuck Norris, Rural Policeman Handle” due to Conan’s former employer, NBC, owning the intellectual rights over the original name. For the same reason, “the Self-Pleasuring Panda” visited the crowd, instead of the notorious Masturbating Bear.
Seeing the Masturbating Bear (no, I will not use the new name. Screw NBC.), uh, ‘perform’ live was so much more fulfilling than on the TV, and seeing Andy kick him in the nether region nearly made me lose it. As Conan said, “some men don’t like that!”
Both bits brought familiar elements of Conan’s shows to the audience (including the famous “Walker” clip where Haley Joel Osment’s character bluntly states that “Walker told me I have AIDS”), and reminded people why they paid to see the show live. As Conan said, he was the first time people ever paid to see him, and in return, he attempted to make the show as personal as possible.
I felt kind of geeky for being the only person in the Breslin Center yelling out the infamous “Walker told me I have AIDS” line during the “Walker, Texas Ranger” bit, yet I didn’t care too much, because the bit was so hilarious that it didn’t matter how big of a fool I made of myself.
While Conan is best known for his comedy, another passion of his is music. Throughout much of the show, Conan had a guitar in his hand, singing original and parody songs (such as “My Own Show Again” to the tune of “On the Road Again”), which brought a unique spin to his comedy not often seen on television.
In keeping with the musical theme, Conan’s guest that evening, Michigan native Kid Rock, took the stage to explain, in song, why he would make a good president. “I’d put TV cameras in the Lincoln Bedroom, and the whole nation could watch Rock layin’ it down,” he sang. Even though I’m not a Kid Rock fan, his bit was fun. I support his presidential platform promise of giving mothers who raise the nation’s children a paid vacation. I like that he still lives in Clarkston, Mich., and has a lot of pride for the state.
Reggie Watts and Deon Cole weren’t my favorite parts of the show, but they did make me laugh quite a few times. Reggie’s song about women and their purses with their crumbling eye shadow was pretty dead-on, and I learned via Deon’s bit and audience participation that white people are afraid of black people seeing them play hockey. Luckily, as he said, no black person will watch hockey.
Conan’s show combined the best of his comedy with his personal musical hobbies, his friends in show businesses and local flavor to create a show that kept the audience laughing and cheering all night. At the end of the show, Conan ran through the crowd of the Breslin Center, high-fiving and hugging fans in the audience, all the way up to the upper sections of the arena.
I just can’t begin to describe how much fun the show was. Conan clearly put his all into the show, and even with the long hours and insane schedule (our show was the fourth of a five-day in a row schedule that week, in addition to a trip to New York earlier in the week for TBS upfronts, then back to Chicago to perform), he was still full of an insane amount of energy. I loved that he ran out into the audience with very little restraint, and really tried to make it a great experience for the audience.
He made the show as personal as possible, showing that even though he may have fared well financially in the wake of the NBC controversy, he still cared about the people who made him popular. He will begin his new show on TBS Nov. 8, so it is unlikely that Conan will have the chance to tour again. So, for those lucky people who had the chance to attend the Legally Prohibited Tour, it will be a memorable and unique experience.
Judging by the massive audience applause throughout the show, it seemed fairy unanimous that Conan made the show more than “sort of worth it.” MSU’s representatives of “Team Coco” can sleep well knowing that they were able to be a part of such a riotous experience that showed why Conan has been beloved for nearly 20 years.
I took way too many pictures that night, you can find my pictures by clicking the photo at the top of the page. I just wish I had a better camera!
My videos can be found at my YouTube account. Here are two of my favorites.
This is the Breslin Center at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. It's the home of the Michigan State Spartans basketball team (who appeared in this year's Final Four), but, as someone who cares a minimal amount about sports, that fact is semi-irrelevant. For me, the Breslin Center has a different significance.
In 15 days, on May 21, it will be the venue where I see Conan O'Brien on his "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour."
Crazy, right? Back in March, when dates were announced, they sold out so quickly that I was unable to get a ticket, and it broke my heart that I couldn't witness this event, since it was likely to be Conan's only tour ever. I was filled with jealousy as I saw photos, videos and recaps from his shows throughout April. Then, one day a few weeks ago, I saw on Twitter that the school was going to host his tour on May 21, between his Chicago and Toronto dates, and tickets were a lot cheaper for this show than they were for the other shows.
I figured it was a long shot, since, as someone not enrolled at MSU, I could not participate in the student pre-sale, and they were only selling 4,500 tickets. However, I set my alarm last Monday bright and early to try to buy a ticket. After 15 gut-wrenching minutes of denial by the website, I was finally able to get into the ticketing system, and I got my ticket. The sense of accomplishment was honestly greater than my sense of accomplishment I got from graduating from high school, as pathetic as that sounds.
I won't ramble on about this for too long, since on May 22, I will update this blog with a ridiculously long recap. But, I am so thankful I have the chance to go, because I know how many people were in my original situation. Thank you, MSU, for not making this event only for MSU students, as Ohio State University did for Conan's May 24 show.
I'm not going to get my hopes up for guests, because, after all, who would be in the East Lansing area? The preceding Chicago shows and following Toronto shows will probably have great guests, and we'll get the shaft. I mean, two of my favorite people on the face of the earth, Jack McBrayer and Jason Mraz, have made guest appearances at his shows. I can't be that lucky! But, I'm not complaining too much, because seeing Conan, Andy Richter and the Legally Prohibited Band will be enough for me. Forss Fagerstrom showing up would be nice as well.
In Conan news that is not related to my shameless bragging, he was on 60 Minutes Sunday, discussing his exit with NBC. Personally, I thought he came across as crestfallen but not bitter, and it only made me love him more. You can watch the interview here:
Additionally, CBS' YouTube account has some bonus videos. I'm partial to this one:
Oh, and this video is just for fun. It still cracks me up 2 1/2 years later. A fire alarm interrupts Conan, hilarity ensues.
NOTE: Although I am finished with my Online Journalism class for which this blog was created, I plan on keeping it up. I may be a bit less stringent on AP Style and may use slang/Internet lingo more in my updates. Additionally, my updates may not be as frequent as they were during the semester. Thanks for reading!
