Conan O’Brien Welcomes Jack White, Mavis Staples, Nathaniel Rateliff & More At Newport Folk

Conan O’Brien closed out the 2024 Newport Folk Festival on Sunday in Rhode Island with a guest-filled set billed as “Conan O’Brien & Real Musicians.” Dawes and Jimmy Vivino were O’Brien’s house band for a performance at the idyllic Fort Adams State Park that featured sit-ins from Jack White, Mavis Staples, Langhorne Slim, Nick Lowe, Brittany Howard and Nathaniel Rateliff.

Jack White was O’Brien’s last guest and the biggest surprise of the evening. The pair joined forces late in the set to duet on The White Stripes classic “We’re Going To Be Friends.” White then teamed with Conan and his band on a rousing rendition of Eddie Cochran’s “Twenty Flight Rock” before a slew of Newport Folk 2024 performers added to the traditional “Midnight Special” to bring the set and festival to a close.

Conan O’Brien has a long friendship with Jack White. O’Brien selected The White Stripes to deliver “We’re Going To Be Friends” on the final episode of his stint as host of Late Night in 2009. Additionally, Conan uses the song for the theme song of his Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast.

Watch fan-shot footage of Jack White joining Conan O’Brien at Newport Folk below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQfGt4czwGw

Conan introduced himself as “folk music legend Conan O’Brien” early in the set. O’Brien and his band reeled off takes on Ronnie Hawkins’ “Forty Days,” The Allman Brothers Band’s “Ramblin’ Man” and Bob Dylan’s “Buckets Of Rain” over the course of the 13-song performance.

Langhorne Slim was the first surprise guest of the set and fronted O’Brien’s ensemble on his own “Found My Heart” and then Lowe emerged to lead the band through two of his beloved songs — “So It Goes” and “Cruel To Be Kind.” Later, Brittany Howard contributed to Redbone’s “Come And Get Your Love” before Nathaniel Rateliff shined on “Everybody’s Talkin'” by Fred Neil and The Rolling Stones hit “Let It Bleed.”

Mavis Staples was the penultimate special guest as she belted out The Staple Singers classic “I’ll Take You There.” O’Brien also brought out Triumph the Insult Dog during the set and told the crowd, “I am here to prove I can ruin any genre.” White’s appearance followed “I’ll Take You There” and led into the “Midnight Special” finale.

Check out more audience-captured footage of Conan O’Brien’s set:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH6qG_SMIlY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAdmEzSkvJc