Musical History Tour: Conan O'Brien - Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011)

"Polk Salad Annie" by Conan O'Brien

In 1993, Conan O'Brien took over the chair from David Letterman on Late Night, the show that followed The Tonight Show into the next day. After ten years of building a loyal viewership in the early hours of the weekdays, Conan's new contract set forth a path for him to take over Tonight in 2009 as NBC didn't want to lose him to another network. When it came time for the hosting transition, NBC couldn't lose Leno to another network either because of their contract with him. So, they programmed Leno a primetime slot leading into the local news before then airing The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.

Unlike Leno, Conan never really did stand up. He was President of the Harvard Lampoon, wrote for SNL and wrote some of the best and most iconic Simpsons episodes. From that and a fateful audition, Conan replaced David Letterman on Late Night as a complete unknown. He had never held such a large stage for a captive audience, but coworkers and friends said that he would captivate any writers' room he was in. Conan quickly proved to be a natural on stage. His show had more in common with the "anything goes that gets laughs" antics of Steve Allen and thus was a more anarchic version of Late Night than Letterman's wry subversion or Leno's workman-like production on The Tonight Show.

The abysmal ratings of Leno's new show caused an uproar amongst the local affiliates, and the slow start to Conan's ratings gave NBC executives an out. They had the host who was a guaranteed #1 in the late night ratings still on the payroll and wanted to dump two underperforming shows begat from their contractual snafus. The proposed solution was to shift the time slots. The Jay Leno Show, which had started at 2200 EST would now start after the news at 2335...the traditional starting time for The Tonight Show. The Tonight Show would then be pushed later and begin airing after midnight. Conan could either accept the changes or be forced out. (As previously hinted, Dick Cavett wrote a blog entry on the debacle and didn't side with either host but rather criticized the boneheaded contracts NBC drew up and wondered at the "wisdom" of writing Leno's planned departure while he was still at the peak of his popularity.)

Conan O'Brien exited NBC and his contract for a large but undisclosed sum. In the settlement, he could not appear on television, radio or the internet for six months after leaving The Tonight Show. So, Conan went on a grievance tour, or rather a concert tour, named The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour with the proceeds going to his laid off crew while he looked for a new home on television. With members of his erstwhile Tonight Show Band and some loyal staff, Conan performed over 40 shows across the United States playing music and comedy to sellout crowds. The tour was chronicled in the documentary Conan O'Brien Can't Stop directed by Rodman Flender. An original soundtrack for the film, Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, was released in 2011 on Lakeshore Records.

The album is a curated set list of the best songs Conan performed on the Tour. Even without the visuals, the audio is clear evidence that Conan gives the audience everything he has. The energy never falters but the exhaustion becomes audible, and banter about needing to go to the hospital by the end of a concert comes off as only half joking. Conan plays guitar and sings better than you'd expect, but it's the clever set list and The Legally Prohibited Band that helps Conan pull off the variety show concert. A learned sense for what the audience will respond to makes a playlist of rockabilly and Americana classics and allows Conan to go between impersonation, at times channeling Elvis, Chuck Berry or The Big Bopper, and his own pure energy (with a dash of Allan Sherman.)

Unfortunately, the album is just the concert's songs. It's a missed opportunity that the record is simply a soundtrack and not a live album that includes the monologues, guest artists and encores (and the Live at Third Man record is not that.) Part of what made the tour so popular and necessary was that the concert experience (monologue and skits included) allowed Conan to further air his grievances to an audience all too willing to support him and revel in a shared spite towards television executives. The Band's beloved "The Weight" is the album's centerpiece. It's a chance for Conan to take a little break during the concert and highlight the talents of his band, and although Conan would never allow it, voices the audience's desire to take some of that weight themselves from off of his shoulders.

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop is fun and engaging but probably more memorable as a live experience. As an intermission to his TV career, it is further proof that Conan has the talent and inspiration to be a great entertainer and a great comedian in any medium, and it couldn't be more apparent that, in another time, he would've made a decent disc jockey turned regional rockabilly artist.

Here is the discography surrounding Conan O'Brien's debut album:

And They Call Me Mad? (2010 single)

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop

Live at Third Man (2011 live album)

"The Weight" by Conan O'Brien and The Legally Prohibited Band