The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour

Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour
Comedy tour by Conan O'Brien

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
Start date April 12, 2010
End date June 14, 2010
Number of shows 42 in North America

The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour (also known as the Prohibited Tour) was a comedy tour by American comedian and talk show host 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 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.

Background and announcement

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

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]

Opening act

Special guests

Tour dates

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
Date City Country Venue
North America[54][55]
April 12, 2010 Eugene United States Silva Concert Hall
April 13, 2010 Vancouver Canada Orpheum Theatre
April 14, 2010
April 16, 2010 Spokane United States INB Performing Arts Center
April 17, 2010 Edmonton Canada The Venue at River Cree Casino
April 18, 2010 Seattle United States McCaw Hall
April 19, 2010
April 22, 2010 San Francisco Nob Hill Masonic Center
April 23, 2010
April 24, 2010 Los Angeles Gibson Amphitheatre
April 25, 2010
April 29, 2010 San Diego San Diego Civic Theatre
April 30, 2010 Phoenix Dodge Theatre
May 1, 2010 Las Vegas Pearl Concert Theater
May 2, 2010
May 4, 2010 Reno Grand Theatre
May 5, 2010 San Jose Event Center Arena
May 6, 2010 Sacramento Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
May 9, 2010 Boulder Macky Auditorium
May 10, 2010 Denver Ellie Caulkins Opera House
May 13, 2010 Dallas McFarlin Memorial Auditorium
May 14, 2010 Austin Austin Music Hall
May 15, 2010 Tulsa Brady Theater
May 16, 2010 Kansas City Midland Theatre
May 18, 2010 Minneapolis Orpheum Theatre
May 19, 2010 Chicago Chicago Theatre
May 20, 2010
May 21, 2010 East Lansing Breslin Student Events Center
May 22, 2010 Toronto Canada Massey Hall
May 24, 2010 Columbus United States Value City Arena
May 30, 2010 Atlantic City Borgata Event Center
June 1, 2010 New York City Radio City Music Hall
June 2, 2010
June 4, 2010 Boston Wang Theatre
June 5, 2010
June 6, 2010 Uncasville Mohegan Sun Arena
June 7, 2010 Upper Darby (PA) Tower Theater
June 8, 2010 Washington, D.C. DAR Constitution Hall
June 10, 2010 Nashville Third Man Records
June 11, 2010[A] Manchester (TN) Comedy Theatre
June 12, 2010[A]
June 14, 2010 Atlanta Fox Theatre
Festivals and other miscellaneous performances

[A]This concert is a part of the "Bonnaroo Music Festival"[56]

Box office score data

Venue City Tickets sold / Available Gross revenue
McCaw Hall Seattle 5,782 / 5,782 (100%) $328,770[57]
Nob Hill Masonic Center San Francisco 6,003 / 6,003 (100%) $362,103[58]
Gibson Amphitheatre Los Angeles 11,876 / 11,966 (99%) $685,543[58]
Dodge Theatre Phoenix 4,923 / 4,923 (100%) $270,346[59]
Grand Theatre Reno 1,830 / 1,830 (100%) $104,695[60]
Event Center Arena San Jose 4,531 / 4,531 (100%) $267,495[58]
McFarlin Memorial Auditorium Dallas 2,422 / 2,422 (100%) $145,880[60]
The Midland by AMC Kansas City 2,248 / 2,248 (100%) $127,396[61]
Orpheum Theatre Minneapolis 2,515 / 2,515 (100%) $152,160[62]
Chicago Theatre Chicago 6,912 / 6,912 (100%) $364,468[63]
Radio City Music Hall New York City 11,876 / 11,876 (100%) $871,641[60]
Wang Theatre Boston 7,084 / 7,122 (99%) $456,632[64]
Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, CT 5,276 / 6,020 (88%) $323,540[65]
Fox Theatre Atlanta 4,533 / 4,533 (100%) $280,460[61]
TOTAL 77,811 / 78,683 (99%) $4,741,129

Response

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.[66][67] 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.[68]

Even with ticket prices starting at $40, The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour sold out.[66] 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.[69]

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.[70][71]

Notes

a Sarah Killen was chosen at random to be O'Brien's one follow on Twitter.[72]
b O'Brien performed two shows at the Borgata on May 30, 2010.

References

  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. ↑ 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 (February 24, 2010). "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. 1 2 "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. 1 2 3 4 Bleyaert, Aaron (June 2, 2010). "Thank You Radio City!!". Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco Website. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network/Team Coco Digital LLC. 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. 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. ↑ Itzoff, Dave Always the Quick-Change Artist, From Skits to Songs to Stand-Ups The New York Times. May 28, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2013
  29. 1 2 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...". Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco Website. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network/Team Coco Digital LLC. 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. 1 2 Letkemann, Jessica (April 21, 2010). "Pearl Jam duo joins Conan O'Brien on stage". Reuters. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  33. ↑ "San Francisco + Conan = Win". Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco Website. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network/Team Coco Digital LLC. 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)". Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco Website. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network/Team Coco Digital LLC. April 23, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
  35. 1 2 3 4 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!". Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco Website. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network/Team Coco Digital LLC. 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!". Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco Website. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network/Team Coco Digital LLC. May 10, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
  40. 1 2 "We Kicked Some Serious DallASS Tonight, Y'all!". Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco Website. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network/Team Coco Digital LLC. May 13, 2010. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  41. ↑ "Putting the "Awe" in "Austin"!". Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco Website. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network/Team Coco Digital LLC. May 14, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
  42. ↑ "USA! USA! USA! USA!". Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco Website. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network/Team Coco Digital LLC. May 15, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  43. ↑ "Kansas City Video Madness!". Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco Website. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network/Team Coco Digital LLC. May 16, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  44. ↑ Justin, Neal (May 19, 2010). "Review: Conan O'Brien keeps it far from routine". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  45. 1 2 Johnson, Steve (May 20, 2010). "Chi-coco Cuckoo for Coco". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  46. 1 2 Bleyaert, Aaron (May 20, 2010). "Bye Bye Windy City!". Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco Website. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network/Team Coco Digital LLC. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  47. 1 2 Bleyaert, Aaron (May 21, 2010). "THIS IS SPARTAAAAAA!!! (Okay, East Lansing. But Still)". Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco Website. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network/Team Coco Digital LLC. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  48. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Conan Versus Colbert". Warming Glow. June 2, 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  49. ↑ Bleyaert, Aaron (June 5, 2010). "So Long, Beantown.". Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco Website. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network/Team Coco Digital LLC. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  50. ↑ Bleyaert, Aaron (June 4, 2010). "Hometown Hero!". Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco Website. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network/Team Coco Digital LLC. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  51. 1 2 Cooney, Diane (June 12, 2010). "Conan O'Brien Triumphs at Tower Theatre". Philly2Philly. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  52. ↑ 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.
  53. ↑ Ho, Rodney (June 15, 2010). "Conan O’Brien gives Atlanta much love". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  54. ↑ Ward, Justin (March 12, 2010). "Tour Dates: The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour". Live Music Blog. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
  55. ↑ "Conan O'Brien: The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour". Ouab.osu.edu. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  56. ↑ Doyle, Patrick. Conan O'Brien Lands Bonnaroo Punch Lines at Fest Debut. Rolling Stone. June 12, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2013
  57. ↑ Boxscore: Concert Grosses. Volume 122, Issue 19.Billboard e5 Global Media, LLC. Post date May 15, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2013
  58. 1 2 3 Boxscore: Concert Grosses. Volume 122, Issue 20.Billboard e5 Global Media, LLC. Post date May 22, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2013
  59. ↑ Boxscore: Concert Grosses. Volume 122, Issue 21.Billboard e5 Global Media, LLC. Post date May 29, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2013
  60. 1 2 3 Boxscore: Concert Grosses. Volume 122, Issue 24.Billboard e5 Global Media, LLC. Post date June 19, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2013
  61. 1 2 Boxscore: Concert Grosses. Volume 122, Issue 25.Billboard e5 Global Media, LLC. Post date June 26, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2013
  62. ↑ Boxscore: Concert Grosses. Volume 122, Issue 22.Billboard e5 Global Media, LLC. Post date June 5, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2013
  63. ↑ Boxscore: Concert Grosses. Volume 122, Issue 23.Billboard e5 Global Media, LLC. Post date June 12, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2013
  64. ↑ Boxscore: Concert Grosses. Volume 122, Issue 27.Billboard e5 Global Media, LLC. Post date July 10, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2013
  65. ↑ Boxscore: Concert Grosses. Volume 122, Issue 30.Billboard e5 Global Media, LLC. Post date July 31, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2013
  66. 1 2 "Conan O'Brien to Debut New Late-Night Show on TBS". FOX News. Associated Press. April 12, 2010. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
  67. ↑ Carter, Bill (April 12, 2010). "How the Conan O’Brien-TBS Deal Happened". The New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
  68. ↑ "Andy Richter and Conan O’Brien Writers Team Up for One-Hour TBS Special". Turner Newsroom. May 26, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  69. ↑ Brenna Ehrlich (April 14, 2010). "Conan Comedy Tour Clips Hit YouTube [VIDEOS]". Mashable. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  70. ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (March 10, 2011). "Conan in the Wilderness". Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  71. ↑ 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.
  72. ↑ MacIntosh, Jeane (March 9, 2010). "'Tweeted' like queen by Conan". New York Post. Retrieved April 1, 2012.

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