George Harrison Week On Conan | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

Just got back from my second (and last) taping of Conan. I arrived earlier and one of the audience coordinators beamed at me and said, “You came back!” I told her how I’d been waitlisted for today’s show, and the ticket became available while I was in yesterday’s taping. As we waited, I made fast friends with a nice lady wearing a sparkly Beatles t-shirt.

My earlier arrival was rewarded this time with a front row seat. Which sounds awesome, and was extremely exciting right up through the monologue (during the band warm-up, La Bamba came over and sang right at me). It was terrible for everything else because all the cameras were in my line of sight. But I manged to move around in seat/fake-crouch enough to see between the arms and legs of crew members.

There are only two guests for tonight: Luke Wilson, then Dhani “and friends” (a billing Dhani found highly amusing). So needless to say, there’s both an interview with Dhani and the performance. And the performance itself is amazing – he performed one of my favorite George songs.

[Edit: Removed spoiler tag] They did “Let It Down !” OMG, I had to contain myself from screaming, remembering I was at a taping and not a concert. Conan’s bandleader later confirmed that George never performed it live.

Going by the Facebook post, it was Dhani, Jonathan Bates from Big Black Delta, Mark Stoermer from The Killers, Stephen Perkins from Jane’s Addiction, Aaron Embry, Jimmy Vivino “and more!” The “and more!” turned out to be Conan’s Basic Cable Band filling in the horns. I couldn’t stop bouncing in my seat. It was pitch perfect. Dhani’s voice, his guitar playing, the way the ended it with a jam session. It was a dream come true hearing the song, and so thrilling to watch Dhani take his place front and center singing and playing guitar unlike the Concert for George. The online post doesn’t do nearly enough justice to the power of hearing it live. I also notice that Dhani sounds nervous, which makes my heart go d’awww….

Afterward, Dhani and Conan mostly talked about the journey of creating the box set, and how it’s been a long time coming, seeing as we’re nearing the 13th anniversary of George’s death. He spoke warmly of everyone who has helped out with the upcoming concert and this week of performances. And Conan spoke of how generous Dhani has been to him, inviting him to Friar Park and letting him see and touch his dad’s guitars. Warm fuzzies all round.

Someone later asked me of any other impressions I have of Dhani, so let’s see… I feel like he looks less like his father and more like his mother over time. The resemblance is still striking, but not as spooky as before. He’s so tiny compared to Conan. He’s all business. He was just a spry little jackrabbit tuning his guitar and getting ready, super-focused. Afterward, during the interview, he seemed much more relaxed (it’s really funny when he pokes gentle fun at the “and friends” part – you might even hear me laugh during that part). I don’t necessarily see his father’s mannerisms in him, but I do see his father’s humor. I think the Conan connection makes sense, given his father’s connection to the Monty Pythons. Despite his understandable nervousness today, overall, he comes across to me as self-assured.

Conan said a bonus performance will be posted online. That must have been recorded before we were allowed into the studio.

Afterward, I caught up with my new friend, who had been given a call sheet as a souvenir, and she let me take photos of it.

It was over too soon. I wish I could go to the concert, but I’m grateful to have had a little taste this week.

[x-posted to the Fiendish Thingies thread]

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Dhani and Conan:

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Instagram video of Dhani and friends backstage. Looks like someone has a cigar box guitar.

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