After weeks of speculation surrounding Conan O'Brien's plans to circulate the country on a comedy tour (and no less than two false starts by eager distributor Ticketmaster), the former Tonight Show host officially announced his Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour this morning. In a statement provided to TheWrap, O'Brien revealed that NBC's ironclad exit deal didn't leave him many options: "It was either a massive 30-city tour or start helping out around the house."
The two-month tour will kick off on April 12 from Eugene, Oregon before the comedian works his way across North America with a stop at the Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 11. Says TheWrap:
O'Brien will hit at least 20 states and 30 cities between April 12 and June 14 -- including the famed Bonnaroo Music Festival. More dates are expected to be added in the coming weeks with the possibility of Conan flying oversees to Europe.
Coco will tour with sidekick Andy Richter and members of his former Tonight Show band (without bandleader Max Weinberg), offering up "a night of music, comedy, hugging, and the occasional awkward silence," promoters promise.
Tickets will be available for purchase via O'Brien's new official website, TeamCoco.com, or via Ticketmaster. They'll range in price from as little as $34 to as much as $79 (though a few casino dates may be priced higher, while the usual VIP packges offered by promoters will run in the hundreds of dollars).
American Express has signed on as corporate sponsor of the tour. TeamCoco.com will expand in the coming weeks to include more O'Brien-themed content.
Conan is expected to officially announce the the tour to his Twitter followers later this morning.
Tour dates are listed below.
4/12/10 Eugene, OR -- Hult Center for the Performing Arts
4/13/10 Vancouver, BC -- Orpheum Theatre
4/16/10 Spokane, WA -- INB Performing Arts Center
4/17/10 Enoch, AB, Canada -- River Cree Resort & Casino
4/18/10 Seattle, WA -- Seattle Center - Marion Oliver McCaw Hall
4/22/10 San Francisco, CA -- Nob Hill Masonic Center
4/24/10 Universal City, CA -- Gibson Amphitheater
4/29/10 San Diego, CA -- San Diego Civic Theatre
4/30/10 Phoenix, AZ -- Dodge Theatre
5/1/10 Las Vegas, NV -- The Pearl Concert Theatre @ The Palms
5/4/10 Reno, NV -- Grand Sierra Resort & Casino
5/5/10 San Jose, CA -- San Jose State University Events Center
5/6/10 Sacramento, CA -- Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
5/9/10 Boulder, CO -- Mackey Auditorium
5/10/10 Denver, CO -- Ellie Caulkins Opera House
5/13/10 Dallas, TX -- McFarlin Memorial Auditorium- SMU Campus
5/14/10 Austin, TX -- Austin Music Hall
5/15/10 Tulsa, OK -- Brady Theater
5/16/10 Kansas City, MO -- Midland Theatre
5/18/10 Minneapolis, MN -- Orpheum Theatre
5/19/10 Chicago, IL -- Chicago Theatre
5/22/10 Toronto, ON -- Massey Hall
5/30/10 Atlantic City, NJ -- Borgata Spa & Resort - Event Center
6/1/10 New York, NY -- Radio City Music Hall
6/4/10 Boston, MA -- Wang Theater
6/6/10 Uncasville, CT -- Mohegan Sun Arena
6/7/10 Upper Darby, PA -- Tower Theatre
6/8/10 Washington, DC -- Constitution Hall
6/11/10 Manchester, TN -- Bonnaroo Music Festival
6/14/10 Atlanta, GA -- Fox Theatre
ยท Exclusive: Coco A-Go-Go! The Conan Tour Starts April 12 [The Wrap]