The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour

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The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour
A caricature of Conan O'Brien in black and white, except for orange hair, with the word "Conan" in white at the top and the words "The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour" in orange at the bottom, with the logo for American Express
Official tour poster, based on Mike Mitchell's "I'm with Coco" poster
Comedy tour by Conan O'Brien
Location  United States
 Canada
Start date April 12, 2010
End date June 14, 2010
Shows 42

The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour was a 2010 comedy tour featuring American comedian Conan O'Brien. Its title is a reference to the 2010 Tonight Show host and timeslot conflict, which resulted in O'Brien resigning from his position as host of The Tonight Show in January 2010. O'Brien reached a settlement with NBC that barred him from appearing on television as the host of a program until September 2010, but it did not bar him from performing before a live audience in a concert setting. From April through June 2010, O'Brien performed 42 shows in the United States and Canada.

O'Brien announced on March 11, 2010 via his Twitter account that he would embark on a 30-city live tour beginning April 12. Even with the unconventional marketing campaign of a single Twitter announcement, many locations sold out within hours of the tweet and additional shows were added on to meet demand.[1] During the tour, O'Brien announced that his new show, Conan, would debut on TBS in November 2010. A documentary following O'Brien during the tour, Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, was released in June 2011.

Contents

Background and announcement [edit]

See also: 2010 Tonight Show conflict
A gathering crowd where some people wear orange and hold signs that say "I'm With Coco".
O'Brien's supporters rally outside Universal Studios in Los Angeles

In January 2010, late-night talk show hosts Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno engaged in a public relations conflict over who should host The Tonight Show. Due to low ratings for The Jay Leno Show and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, NBC announced a schedule change, moving Leno from 10:00 pm to 11:30 pm, and O'Brien from 11:30 pm to 12:00 am. This change resulted in a public outcry and public demonstrations largely in support of O'Brien.[2][3][4][5] O'Brien indicated that he would quit his show and leave the network if NBC were to implement it, citing the "destruction" of the venerable franchise which had aired at or around 11:30 pm for over 60 years.[6]

As part of the deal between O'Brien and NBC, O'Brien was legally prohibited from appearing on television prior to September 1, 2010.[7] He began to utilize social media to remain engaged with his fan base.[8] O'Brien started a Twitter account on February 24, 2010.[9] After about one hour, O'Brien's subscriber list had reached over 30,000 members and, approximately 30 minutes later, he was on the brink of passing 50,000 followers.[10][11][12] After 24 hours, O'Brien had well over 300,000 followers.[13] In late May 2010, he surpassed the one million mark for number of Twitter followers.[14]

O'Brien announced via his Twitter account that he would embark on a 30-city live tour on March 11, 2010, beginning on April 12, 2010.[15] On the same day, teamcoco.com, an official website, was launched.[16] According to TMZ, O'Brien decided not to keep any of the proceeds from the tour, in order to employ his show's staff members.[17]

Format [edit]

A man in a purple leather suit holds a microphone, standing in front of a large screen.
O'Brien performing in a replica of the costume Eddie Murphy wore in Eddie Murphy Raw.

Several members of O'Brien's staff joined him for the tour, including sidekick Andy Richter, and the former Tonight Show Band, temporarily renamed "The Legally Prohibited Band".[18] Max Weinberg, the band leader, was unable to participate in the tour due to his recent heart surgery,[19] although he did appear at one of the New York City shows.[20]

Signs at each venue encouraged audience members using Twitter during the show to use a unique hashtag.[21] Reggie Watts served as the tour's opening act.[22] In the video introduction to the show, Conan appeared as an obese and bearded version of himself struggling to cope with the loss of his talk show while Eric Carmen's "All By Myself" plays. He then transforms back into his thin self during his exercise montage (by merely pulling off his body suit) after getting the call to go on tour.[23]

The tour differed from his television shows in that there was no desk or celebrity interviews, but presented as more of a variety show than a stand-up routine. Many elements from TV were incorporated into the show, including video bits, musical and comic performers, and cameo appearances by celebrities. Classic sketches were also revived for the tour, albeit under different names due to legal issues over the ownership rights. The Masturbating Bear, for example, made a brief appearance before being transformed into the Self-Pleasuring Panda.[24] Also, the "Walker, Texas Ranger lever" was retitled the "Chuck Norris Rural Policeman Handle".[25] Triumph the Insult Comic Dog mocked the city the tour was appearing in as himself in a prerecorded bit that inserts information about the city by dubbing over the original audio. O'Brien also introduced a giant inflatable bat he claimed to have purchased during Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell tour and at one point walked onstage wearing a replica of Eddie Murphy's purple suit from his comedy special Eddie Murphy Raw.[26] In addition, O'Brien performed music throughout the show, including the disco hit "I Will Survive" and a personal parody of "On the Road Again".[27]

Tour dates [edit]

A man in a white jacket and blue shirt plays a white guitar.
O'Brien performing a cover of "I Will Survive" on his first day of the tour in Eugene, Oregon.
The marquee in front of a theatre, advertising that night's performance.
Marquee at the Chicago Theatre
The stage of a concert hall with blue flood lights.
Stage from the April 24 show at Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California
A sign indicating which Twitter hashtag to use when tweeting about the performance.
Hashtag from the April 24 show
The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour[28]
Date City, State/Province Venue Special guest(s) Twitter
hashtag
02010-04-12April 12, 2010 Eugene, Oregon Hult Center for the Performing Arts Spoon, Jack McBrayer[29] #jubjub
02010-04-13April 13, 2010 Vancouver, British Columbia Orpheum Theatre #conezone
02010-04-14April 14, 2010 Vancouver, British Columbia Orpheum Theatre Seth Rogen[30] #labamba
02010-04-16April 16, 2010 Spokane, Washington INB Performing Arts Center #spococo
02010-04-17April 17, 2010 Edmonton, Alberta River Cree Resort & Casino #bessielou
02010-04-18April 18, 2010 Seattle, Washington Marion Oliver McCaw Hall Dave Matthews[31] #cocobday
02010-04-19April 19, 2010 Seattle, Washington Marion Oliver McCaw Hall Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready[32] #hotcoco
02010-04-22April 22, 2010 San Francisco, California Nob Hill Masonic Center Chris Isaak[33] #cobnob
02010-04-23April 23, 2010 San Francisco, California Nob Hill Masonic Center Chris Isaak[34] #cocoroni
02010-04-24April 24, 2010 Universal City, California Gibson Amphitheatre Jim Carrey, Aziz Ansari, Jack McBrayer, Jonah Hill, Jon Hamm[35] #cocosback
02010-04-25April 25, 2010 Universal City, California Gibson Amphitheatre Jim Carrey, Seth Green, Aziz Ansari, Jack McBrayer, Sarah Silverman, Jonah Hill[36] #cobreturns
02010-04-29April 29, 2010 San Diego, California San Diego Civic Theatre Jason Mraz[37] #palemale
02010-04-30April 30, 2010 Phoenix, Arizona Dodge Theatre #keepcool
02010-05-01May 1, 2010 Paradise, Nevada Pearl Concert Theater #betonred
02010-05-02May 2, 2010 Paradise, Nevada Pearl Concert Theater Mike Tyson[38] #vivalascoco
02010-05-04May 4, 2010 Reno, Nevada Grand Sierra Resort #grandyandy
02010-05-05May 5, 2010 San Jose, California San Jose State University Events Center #cincodecoco
02010-05-06May 6, 2010 Sacramento, California Sacramento Memorial Auditorium #cocosac
02010-05-09May 9, 2010 Boulder, Colorado Macky Auditorium #cocomack
02010-05-10May 10, 2010 Denver, Colorado Ellie Caulkins Opera House The Fray[39] #milehicoco
02010-05-13May 13, 2010 Dallas, Texas McFarlin Memorial Auditorium Jimmie Vaughan, Dirk Nowitzki[40] #fagerstrom
02010-05-14May 14, 2010 Austin, Texas Austin Music Hall Charlie Sexton[41] #conestar
02010-05-15May 15, 2010 Tulsa, Oklahoma Brady Theater Hanson[18][42] #billtulsa
02010-05-16May 16, 2010 Kansas City, Missouri Midland Theatre Jason Sudeikis[43] #pender
02010-05-18May 18, 2010 Minneapolis, Minnesota Orpheum Theatre Brian Setzer[44] #minnecoco
02010-05-19May 19, 2010 Chicago, Illinois Chicago Theatre Brian Urlacher, John C. Reilly[45] #lincoln
02010-05-20May 20, 2010 Chicago, Illinois Chicago Theatre Lil' Ed Williams, Tim Meadows[46] #richter
02010-05-21May 21, 2010 East Lansing, Michigan Breslin Center Sarah Killen,[a] Kid Rock[47] #bigbley
02010-05-22May 22, 2010 Toronto, Ontario Massey Hall #fedexpope
02010-05-24May 24, 2010 Columbus, Ohio Jerome Schottenstein Center[48] #cocolumbus
02010-05-30May 30, 2010[b] Atlantic City, New Jersey Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa #thesolution
02010-06-01June 1, 2010 New York, New York Radio City Music Hall Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, John Krasinski, Vampire Weekend[49] #triumph
02010-06-02June 2, 2010 New York, New York Radio City Music Hall Max Weinberg, Pee-wee Herman, John Krasinski, Eli Manning[20] #oldyolsen
02010-06-04June 4, 2010 Boston, Massachusetts Citi Performing Arts Center Ed Helms, Dropkick Murphys[50] #brookline
02010-06-05June 5, 2010 Boston, Massachusetts Citi Performing Arts Center Dropkick Murphys[51] #cocoswang
02010-06-06June 6, 2010 Uncasville, Connecticut Mohegan Sun Arena #conanecticut
02010-06-07June 7, 2010 Upper Darby, Pennsylvania Tower Theatre Tina Fey, Trey Anastasio[52] #pimpbot
02010-06-08June 8, 2010 Washington, D. C. DAR Constitution Hall #eisenmug
02010-06-10June 10, 2010 Nashville, Tennessee Third Man Records Jack White[53]
02010-06-11June 11, 2010[c] Manchester, Tennessee The Comedy Theatre #cocoroo
02010-06-12June 12, 2010[c] Manchester, Tennessee The Comedy Theatre #cocoroo
02010-06-14June 14, 2010 Atlanta, Georgia Fox Theatre Evander Holyfield, Jack McBrayer[54] #tbyes

Response [edit]

Just hours before the first show of the tour, O'Brien announced that he would host a new show on cable station TBS, titled Conan, which debuted in November 2010.[55][56] In addition to the announcement of the television series, TBS also announced a one-hour TBS Special, featuring several writers for Conan, as well Watts.[57]

Even with ticket prices starting at $40, The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour sold out.[55] Footage of O'Brien's tour has been uploaded onto YouTube by fans in attendance and immediately went viral. A clip of O'Brien's performance of "I Will Survive", for example, has received more than 320,000 views.[58]

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, a behind-the-scenes documentary film shot during the tour, was released in June 2011. It focuses on the production of the tour, O'Brien's interactions with fans and his crew, and O'Brien's thoughts on the Tonight Show conflict and legal injunction that inspired the tour. The movie was filmed, directed and produced by director Rodman Flender, a college friend of O'Brien.[59][60]

Notes [edit]

Portal icon Comedy portal
a Sarah Killen was chosen at random to be O'Brien's one follow on Twitter.[61]
b O'Brien performed two shows at the Borgata on May 30, 2010.
c These shows were part of the 2010 Bonnaroo Music Festival.

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Conan O'Brien coming to Chicago Theatre, tickets sell out immediately". Chicago Tribune. March 11, 2010. Retrieved December 12, 2011. 
  2. ^ "Jay Leno may regain 'Tonight Show' perch (Updated)". Los Angeles Times. January 7, 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2010. 
  3. ^ Access Hollywood article: "Jay Leno Heading Back To Late Night, Conan O’Brien Weighing Options".
  4. ^ Carter, Bill (January 24, 2010). "O’Brien Undone by His Media-Hopping Fans". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 January 2010. Retrieved January 26, 2010. 
  5. ^ Stelter, Brian (January 14, 2010). "In Leno vs. O’Brien, Fans Show Allegiance Online". The New York Times. p. C1. Retrieved June 28, 2010. 
  6. ^ by Citlali on Tue, January 19, 2010 - 14:14 (January 14, 2010). "Conan O'Brien to quit if 'Tonight Show' rescheduled – 14 Jan 2010". Abs-cbnnews.com. Retrieved October 25, 2011. 
  7. ^ "Conan's Payback: How Much Did O'Brien's Bugatti Stunt Cost NBC?". ABC News. January 21, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  8. ^ Taylor, Catharine P. (March 11, 2010). "Conan O'Brien's New Gig: Post-Mass Media Phenomenon". Retrieved April 2, 2012. 
  9. ^ Lyons, Margaret (February 25, 2010). "Conan O'Brien's Twitter debut". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  10. ^ Matyszczyk, Chris (February 24, 2010). "Conan joins Twitter, beats Leno in hours". Cnet. Retrieved February 29, 2012. 
  11. ^ "Conan O'Brien joins Twitter and doubles Jay Leno's follower count in two hours". Los Angeles Times. February 24, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  12. ^ Kanalley, Craig (First Posted: 02–24–10 06:16 pm; Updated: 04–26–10 05:12 am). "Conan O'Brien Joins Twitter: New Account EXPLODES With Followers". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 13, 2010. 
  13. ^ Manker, Rob (February 26, 2010). "Conan, Ozzie and the Dalai Lama: Together on Twitter: For some celebrities, it’s never too late to hop aboard the bandwagon". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  14. ^ Oldenburg, Ann (May 25, 2010). "Tweet this: Conan reaches 1 million; Britney overtakes Ashton". USA Today. Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  15. ^ Marikar, Sheila (March 11, 2010). "Conan O'Brien Announces Live Tour Across U.S., Canada". ABC News. Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved February 26, 2011. 
  16. ^ "Conan Launches TeamCoco.com to Promote 30-City Comedy Tour". March 11, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  17. ^ "Conan's Tour — No Bread for the Redhead". TMZ.com. Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  18. ^ a b "Conan a laugh riot at the packed Brady". Tulsa World. May 15, 2010. Retrieved February 29, 2012. 
  19. ^ Smith, Melodie (October 8, 2010). "Max Weinberg reveals he had open-heart surgery; Hollywood actors, then and now; and more". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Retrieved February 29, 2012. 
  20. ^ a b Bleyaert, Aaron (June 2, 2010). "Thank You Radio City!!". teamcoco.com. Retrieved June 3, 2010. 
  21. ^ "Conan O'Brien Hearts Social Media". Socialfresh.com. August 26, 2010. Retrieved February 29, 2012. 
  22. ^ Elber, Lynn (April 13, 2010). "A high-energy O'Brien opens nationwide comedy tour". BusinessWeek. Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  23. ^ "Conan O'Brien performs at TBS, TNT upfront". The Hollywood Reporter. May 19, 2010-05-19. Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  24. ^ Ditzian, Eric (April 13, 2010). "Conan O'Brien's Live Tour: The Reviews Are In! - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  25. ^ Crisp, Scott. "Dallas Is With CoCo". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth (Nbcdfw.com). Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  26. ^ Markstrom, Serena (April 13, 2010). "Conan O'Brien's Tour Opener: Special Guests, Jabs At NBC — Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  27. ^ Elber, Lynn (April 12, 2010). "A high-energy O'Brien opens nationwide comedy tour". the Seattle Times (Rolling Stone). Associated Press. Retrieved February 29, 2012. 
  28. ^ Ward, Justin (March 12, 2010). "Tour Dates: The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour". Live Music Blog. Retrieved April 1, 2012. 
  29. ^ Brown, Lane (April 13, 2010). "Conan’s First Tour Stop: Triumph, Self-Pleasuring Pandas, and Spoon — Vulture". Nymag.com. Retrieved April 27, 2010. 
  30. ^ "Goodbye, Vancouver...". teamcoco.com. April 14, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2010. 
  31. ^ Brodeur, Nicole (April 19, 2010). "Music & nightlife | Seattle says 'Happy birthday, Conan O'Brien' at McCaw Hall, April 18". Seattle Times. Retrieved April 27, 2010. 
  32. ^ Letkemann, Jessica (April 21, 2010). "Pearl Jam duo joins Conan O'Brien on stage". Reuters. Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  33. ^ "San Francisco + Conan = Win". teamcoco.com. April 22, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2010. 
  34. ^ "I Left My FART In San Francisco (sorry, but it makes me laugh every time I say it)". teamcoco.com. April 23, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2010. 
  35. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "Conan Back at NBC Universal (For Two Nights): “Bad Ideas Are Being Greenlit” Here". Deadline.com. Retrieved April 27, 2010. 
  36. ^ "Conan O'Brien Confirms He's Not Moving Back to NY". Wonderwall (Wonderwall.msn.com). April 25, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  37. ^ "San Diego? More Like San DiegWHOA!". teamcoco.com. April 30, 2010. Retrieved May 5, 2010. 
  38. ^ "The cult of Conan O’Brien takes over Pearl in the Palms". Las Vegas Sun. May 3, 2010. Retrieved May 5, 2010. 
  39. ^ "Beyond Cocodome!". teamcoco.com. May 10, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2010. 
  40. ^ "We Kicked Some Serious DallASS Tonight, Y'all!". teamcoco.com. May 13, 2010. Retrieved May 13, 2010. 
  41. ^ "Putting the "Awe" in "Austin"!". teamcoco.com. May 14, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2010. 
  42. ^ "USA! USA! USA! USA!". teamcoco.com. May 15, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2010. 
  43. ^ "Kansas City Video Madness!". teamcoco.com. May 16, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2010. 
  44. ^ Justin, Neal (May 19, 201). "Review: Conan O'Brien keeps it far from routine". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2010. 
  45. ^ Johnson, Steve (May 20, 2010). "Chi-coco Cuckoo for Coco". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 20, 2010. 
  46. ^ Bleyaert, Aaron (May 20, 2010). "Bye Bye Windy City!". teamcoco.com. Retrieved May 21, 2010. 
  47. ^ Bleyaert, Aaron (May 21, 2010). "THIS IS SPARTAAAAAA!!! (Okay, East Lansing. But Still)". teamcoco.com. Retrieved May 22, 2010. 
  48. ^ "Conan O'Brien: The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour". Ouab.osu.edu. Retrieved April 27, 2010. 
  49. ^ "Conan Versus Colbert". Warming Glow. June 2, 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2010. 
  50. ^ Bleyaert, Aaron (June 4, 2010). "Hometown Hero!". teamcoco.com. Retrieved June 5, 2010. 
  51. ^ Bleyaert, Aaron (June 5, 2010). "So Long, Beantown.". teamcoco.com. Retrieved June 6, 2010. 
  52. ^ Cooney, Diane (June 12, 2010). "Conan O'Brien Triumphs at Tower Theatre". Philly2Philly. Retrieved February 29, 2012. 
  53. ^ Kaufman, Gil (June 11, 2010). "Conan O'Brien Jams With Jack White In Nashville: Comedian covers Radiohead, White Stripes during intimate concert". MTV.com. MTV. Retrieved December 12, 2011. 
  54. ^ Ho, Rodney (June 15, 2010). "Conan O’Brien gives Atlanta much love". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved June 15, 2010. 
  55. ^ a b "Conan O'Brien to Debut New Late-Night Show on TBS". FOX News. Associated Press. April 12, 2010. Retrieved April 12, 2010. 
  56. ^ Carter, Bill (April 12, 2010). "How the Conan O’Brien-TBS Deal Happened". The New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2010. 
  57. ^ "Andy Richter and Conan O’Brien Writers Team Up for One-Hour TBS Special". Turner Newsroom. May 26, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2010. 
  58. ^ Brenna Ehrlich (April 14, 2010). "Conan Comedy Tour Clips Hit YouTube [VIDEOS]". Mashable. Retrieved April 15, 2010. 
  59. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (March 10, 2011). "Conan in the Wilderness". Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  60. ^ Castro, April (March 13, 2011). "O'Brien Attends Premiere of Post-Tonight Show Doc". ABC News (Abcnews.go.com). Associated Press. Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
  61. ^ MacIntosh, Jeane (March 9, 2010). "'Tweeted' like queen by Conan". New York Post. Retrieved April 1, 2012. 

External links [edit]
Television hosting
Major appearances
Other television work
Other work
Collaborators
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