Littlest Finch

I was lucky enough to go to two dates on Conan O’Brien’s “Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On TV Tour” – both in Boston. The first night was by far superior – the Wang Theatre was just buzzing with anticipation and it was palpable from both the audience and the stage. You could tell how happy Conan was to be back in his home town. Not only that, but it was actually the very first time he’d ever performed in Boston. He also pointed out that this is the first time anyone has ever paid to see him perform. That being said, it was well worth every single penny and I am so happy that I went to both shows as you’ll find out in a moment.

The first show was just hands down better – I think because all of the people that were a part of the show realized how much it meant to Conan to be in Boston with his friends and family in the audience. Ed Helms from The Office was the special guest along with hometown favourites, Dropkick Murphys. The opener was Reggie Watts and while I think he has a lot more talent than he displays in his show, he was still very funny and very musically talented. Ed Helms performed what is now becoming his staple – to the tune of the ‘What Do Tigers Dream Of?’ song from The Hangover, he ad libbed a song about Conan’s lack of gluteal prowess, aka “No Ass Syndrome.” It was very cool to see him perform, especially when you consider that he was also on one of very last episodes of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.

I also feel very lucky that Conan is from Boston because I really do think it made our show that much better. In other states, it’s not quite the same when he has Triumph the Comic Insult Dog point out local traditions and sites while simultaneously tearing them to shreds. Conan knows Boston, so he knew exactly what the best local references would be – say Eagle Deli in Cleveland Circle, Revere Beach. He also made a point to name as many cities as he possibly could, just to prove that he’s still a Bostonian at heart. He came out in a Celtics jersey both nights and based on what I’ve heard – he ad libbed a lot more in Boston because he had a lot more to talk about and reference. It was really an amazing experience, but it doesn’t end there for me.

The second show was good, but not the same as the night before. Of course, it was also the second time I’d seen the show so obviously it was a bit old hat for me at that point, but objectively – the first night they were electric and the second night could not capture that energy that permeated the Wang Theatre the night before. It ended up being a better night for me, personally, but the show as a whole just could not compete with the hometown opener. I managed to get a ticket for about 10-12 rows back from the stage. La Bamba came out into the audience and was playing trombone and gave me a high-five, stopped, peeked down my shirt and then made an exaggerated wink at me. I can officially say I’ve been perved on by La Bamba. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

During the encore, Conan runs out into the audience and high-fives and shakes as many hands as possible. I’d been in the audience the night before in nosebleed seats, so I knew what was going to happen. Now I actually had the possibility of getting a handshake from Conan. My seat was also on the aisle, which got me even more excited. Conan ran down the left aisle and then behind my seat and as I stood up to see where he was going, he ran up and bear hugged me, surprising me to the point where I didn’t really understand what had happened until it was over, but I managed to squeak out something about gingers. I think. Who the hell really knows?

After the show, I was walking down the street and I saw Conan’s band behind the theatre and I realised that Conan was probably going to come out at some point. I asked some girls in line if they knew anything and they said they’d been the night before and he stopped for every single person in line, so I stayed and waited. The guys behind me in line were scheming to come up with something interesting or clever to say to Conan. “What can we say that will make him talk to us? Quick, we have to make something up! We need an in!” At that point, I realised – I have an “in” – I work in the same department as his father and have met him a few times before I realised who he was – but this was it! I had something to say!

A few minutes later, he came out and I managed to squeak out “I work with your dad” and he stopped and chatted with me about it for a bit and he said “My dad made me everything I am today – he is the reason I am who I am.” and it was extremely touching. We chatted a bit more and then he moved on to sign things for the other people in line. The guys behind me looked incredibly jealous that I “know Conan’s dad” – in reality, I’ve seen him a few times, been in a few meetings and I’ve added his name to a few webpages. Nothing too exciting, but still – it got me a conversation with Conan that wasn’t completely asinine. He also asked if I was the one who “WOO’ED” when he shouts out the name of the company where his dad works and I had to sheepishly say ‘Yes.’

After he finished signing for everyone, he came back and made a point to say “Goodbye” to me and that he hoped I had a good night and a good summer. I’ve met a good number of celebrities and I’ve only been disappointed a handful of times, but this was absolutely not one of those times. He could not have been more kind and more gracious and it really just cements everything that I thought about him before meeting him or seeing his live show. He is a class act and I am so excited for the new show on TBS. I’m with Coco.