Thursday night, Conan O’Brien had his final show with his house band, Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band, with whom he’s worked for 25 years. The change comes as Conan moves from hourlong to half-hour episodes.
In their final show together, O’Brien reminisces over his time with the band and praises them for “melting the audience” before O’Brien even set foot on stage. When he was without a show, Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band went on tour with O’Brien. Throughout O’Brien’s career, the band had been there beside him, even offering up guitar lessons before each show. He laments that, although he’s not sure if his comedy is any better, he knows his guitar playing is.
After a lengthy monologue dedicated to Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band, O’Brien transitions over to their final set. They gave a passionate performance to the tune of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing Floor.”
Ironically, the soulful intro leads into the vocals: “I should’ve quit you a long time ago.”
Conan will begin airing its half-hour episodes in January, with the idea of expanding into digital mediums.
Watch O’Brien’s tribute to his band below.