I Was With Coco

It's funny because it's true.

The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour stopped at the Orpheum Theater on Tuesday, and I was there to witness Conan O’Brien take the stage.  After a round of drinks and tapas at the neighboring Solera Restaurant (paid for with a Groupon), we got in a line that stretched around the block.  We made our way in, booted some idiots out of our seats, and got ready for some funny.  I had to use the restroom, but didn’t want to miss a thing.  Plus, I was really shoehorned into my seat and the seat in front of me.  They didn’t build that theater with 6’3″ people in mind.  But I was able to ignore the pain coming from my bladder and kneecaps and enjoy the show.  A recap in bullet-point form:

• The opener, Reggie Watts, was pretty amusing and extremely talented.  He had a loop machine, so he was laying down his own beats and singing hilarious songs, including one about breakfast foods and another about a “fuck shit stack.”  Check it our for yourself:
• You don’t always notice on TV, but those late night house bands are insanely talented musicians and performers.  The newly named Legally Prohibited Band started the show off with a couple numbers.  LaBamba and the other horn players were firing up the crowd by jumping off the stage and running up and down the aisles.
• The lights dimmed and a video started playing on the big screen.  It was a shot of Conan in a fat-suit with long hair and beard.  He was lying a floor covered with empty beer bottles and pizza boxes.  The video then shows clips of him moping around the house while Eric Carmen’s “All By Myself” plays.  He then gets a phone call about the tour, and it switches to a Rocky-esque training montage.
• He started out with a monologue custom tailored to the host city, and he seemed to get a kick out off how some people would boo at the mention of St. Paul.  He advised us to get over it, we all go to the same mall anyway.
• There were plenty of old gags and characters, like Masturbating Bear, Triumph, and the Walker: Texas Ranger Lever.  Actually, he said NBC retained the rights to the Walker: Texas Ranger Lever, so what we saw was called the Chuck Norris: Rural Cop Handle.
• There was a giant bat:
  

  Bat out of hell.

• Conan picked up the guitar and rocked out with Brian Setzer.  They played “Rock This Town” and “40 Days.”
  

  Well, this photo certainly does suck, but I assure that is Brian Setzer and Conan O'Brien performing together.

• While thanking everybody for their support, he mentioned that this tour was the first time anybody has actually paid to see his show.  I found that interesting.  With TV networks owned and operated by huge publicly shared companies, you figured they would be all about opening up new revenue streams and charging money to see these live shows like Late Night, Oprah, Price Is Right, etc.
• We hung around the loading area and the cast members came out to take pictures and sign autographs.  My little sister actually met Conan a few months ago and had some pictures of them together that she hoped to have signed.  Conan was unfortunately only out there for a brief moment, but she managed to have her photo signed by Andy Richter, Mark Pender, and LaBamba.
  

  Mark Pender and Brian Setzer chatting after the show.

That’s about all I got.  It was an awesome show, and I can’t wait to see him back on TV soon.