Conan O'Brien Joined by Jack White, Brittany Howard and More at Newport Folk Fest

"I'm here to prove I can ruin any genre"

Photo via @DaleMartin on YouTube

BY Megan LaPierrePublished Jul 29, 2024

Yesterday (July 28), Conan O'Brien closed out the 2024 edition of Newport Folk Festival with a set dubbed "Conan O'Brien & Real Musicians."

And real musicians aplenty joined the comedian, writer, former late-night host and current podcaster — including Jack White, fresh off the surprise release of a new solo album called NO NAME, which he has seemingly been encouraging people to pirate. White was the final guest of O'Brien's set, taking to the stage to perform "We're Going to Be Friends," the White Stripes song that serves as the theme for the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast, and a cover of Eddie Cochran's "Twenty Flight Rock."

Before that, O'Brien welcomed the likes of Brittany Howard, Nathaniel Rateliff, Mavis Staples, Nick Lowe and Langhorne Slim, as well as Late Night with Conan O'Brien character Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, to the stage, where he was backed by Dawes and guitarist Jimmy Vivino, the former leader of his show's house band.

"I'm here to prove that I can ruin any genre," the comedian reportedly joked. See if O'Brien was up to the task in fan-shot footage below, where you'll also find the full setlist.






Conan O'Brien & Real Musicians, Newport Folk Festival 2024:

1. Forty Days (Ronnie Hawkins cover, with Dawes)
2. Ramblin' Man (Allman Brothers Band cover)
3. Found My Heart (Langhorne Slim & the Law cover, with Langhorne Slim)
4. So It Goes (Nick Lowe cover, with Nick Lowe)
5. Cruel to Be Kind (Brinsley Schwarz cover, with Nick Lowe)
6. Buckets of Rain (Bob Dylan cover)
7. Come and Get Your Love (Redbone cover, with Brittany Howard)
8. Everybody's Talkin' (Fred Neil cover, with Nathaniel Rateliff)
9. Let It Bleed (Rolling Stones cover, with Nathaniel Rateliff)
10. I'll Take You There (Staples Singers cover, with Mavis Staples)
11. We're Going to Be Friends (White Stripes cover, with Jack White)
12. Twenty Flight Rock (Eddie Cochran cover, with Jack White)
13. Midnight Special (traditional)

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