Conan O'Brien says goodbye to the one-hour format and his beloved house band after 25 years

The Washington Post

Thursday was Conan's last one-hour edition of TBS' Conan before taking a break, going on tour and returning to a 30-minute, band-less talk show in January. Conan choked up as he paid an emotional tribute to his house band, which has been with him since his Late Night debut on Sept. 13, 1993. Originally called "The Max Weinberg 7," Conan's house band was rebranded as "Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band" upon Weinberg's departure when Conan moved to TBS in 2010. Guitarist and band leader Jimmy Vivino, Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg, Jerry Vivino, Mark Pender, Scott Healey and Mike Merritt have been with Conan since Day One. Drummer James Wormworth, who subbed for Weinberg in the 1990s and 2000s when the E Street band drummer would go on tour with Bruce Springsteen, joined the band full-time on TBS. “Since we began this journey 25 years ago, my band has been a daily source of joy in my life. These remarkable musicians have given their talent, energy, enthusiasm and incredible showmanship for over 4,000 hours,” Conan said. “They have been with me through all of the incredible highs and lows of Late Night, The Tonight Show and these past eight years at TBS.” Even though Conan is taking a three-month break from his show, he has a lot on his plate, including the release of a website featuring digitally remastered episodes of his old Late Night shows. Earlier Thursday, Conan also announced he will be launching a podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, in November. As previously announced, Conan will be embarking on an 18-city tour starting Nov. 2. He will also release another "Conan Without Borders" episode featuring his trip to Japan's Conan Town on Nov. 28. “I’m going to a half-hour so I can spend more time on the things I really love. I’m not talking about my wife and children – that ship sailed a long time ago,” he joked to his studio audience. “No, I’m talking about travel shows around the world; silly remote pieces; interviewing brilliant, distinct people. Really just focusing on the stuff that we love the most.”