Conan O’Brien & Phish: Watch Past Performances, Collabs & More

The final episode of ‘Conan’ airs tonight on TBS.

By Nate Todd Jun 24, 2021 1:17 pm PDT

Legendary late night host Conan O’Brien will offer his last episode of Conan tonight on TBS. In a clip detailing the departure of Conan — O’Brien’s popular travel segment Conan Without Borders will continue to air as a special on TBS — the talk show host said that a program with HBO Max is in the works which, as he mentioned, will be the fourth iteration of his show. Conan began his late night journey with Late Night With Conan O’Brien on NBC. O’Brien briefly helmed The Tonight Show after the departure of Jay Leno in 2009 before a less than favorable split with NBC. Conan then found a home for 11 years on TBS.

But it was on Late Night With Conan O’Brien where many fans were endeared to the hilarious self-deprecating comedian. The slot after The Tonight Show also affords its host and guests a bit more freedom in content and was a perfect stage for Phish beginning in the late 1990s. Conan is a genuine fan of the band and his brand of self-deprecating humor fits well with Phish, who often poke fun at themselves and their audience as well. Phish, guitarist Trey Anastasio and Phish fans have appeared on O’Brien’s shows throughout the years. In honor of the beloved late night host and his relationship with Phish, JamBase takes a look at a number past performances, collaborations and more for this edition of Throwback Thursday.

Steven Wright Promotes Phish’s ‘Billy Breathes’ Album | January 22, 1997

On Janaury 22, 1997, months Before Phish made their Late Night With Conan O’Brien debut, master of dour deadpan Steven Wright appeared on Late Night. About 4:40 into the interview Conan remarks that Wright has an album to plug and Wright produces Phish’s current album at the time, Billy Breathes. “You’re plugging Phish’s album?” Conan asks with feigned incredulity. Wright proceeds to say, “It’s an excellent album and I think you should maybe try listening to it” ahead of a hilarious story about his manager telling him to promote an album.

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Phish – Farmhouse | November 7, 1997

A few months later on November 7, 1997, Phish would make their Late Night With Conan O’Brien debut which also featured the unofficial debut of “Farmhouse.” The appearance came just before Phish’s ‘97 Fall Tour where they would unveil “Farmhouse” for the first time at a concert on November 17 in Denver, as per Phish.net. As mentioned above, Phish was given more freedom for the Late Night slot, performing “Farmhouse” for 4 minutes 42 seconds, longer than they played on their previous Letterman appearances for instance.


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Bob_Dobbs
Phish (See 4,311 videos)

Fred Savage Interview | February 25, 1999

On February 25, 1999, actor Fred Savage was a guest on Late Night and chatted with Conan about running into the him at Phish’s 1998 New Year’s Eve concert at MSG. Earlier in 1999, Conan spoke at length about attending the show and remarked, “it’s a scene baby.”

Phish – Back On The Train | June 27, 2000

Phish would return to Late Night with Conan O’Brien in 2000 to record “Back On The Train” in promotion of the album Farmhouse. The band found time to film the performance during a break on their 2000 Summer Tour with the show airing on June 27.


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Phish (See 4,311 videos)

Oysterhead – Oz is Ever Floating | November 15, 2001

On November 15, 2001, Trey Anastasio and Oysterhead, also featuring Les Claypool and Stewart Copeland, made their only late night TV performance to date. The trio delivered “Oz Is Ever Floating” in promotion of their one and only album, 2001’s The Grand Pecking Order.


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Clint Haller
Oysterhead (See 21 videos)
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Trey Anastasio Band – Push On Til The Day | February 23, 2001

Earlier in 2001, Trey brought a newly minted Trey Anastasio Band to Late Night With Conan O’Brien. On a recent episode of the new Alive Again podcast, Anastasio spoke about the period and noted that the TAB lineup had only played twice prior to the Late Night performance where TAB would deliver “Push On ‘Till The Day” ahead of a play at NYC’s Roseland Ballroom.


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Frank Musillami (See 215 videos)
Trey Anastasio Band (See 168 videos)

Trey With Conan – Alaska | June 7, 2010

On June 7, 2010 Conan — an avid guitarist — welcomed Anastasio during a stop on the former’s Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. Trey, sporting a Philadelphia Flyers jersey, led Conan and his band through the Marshall/Anastasio tune “Alaska.”


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Trey Anastasio (See 282 videos) and Conan O’Brien (See 7 videos)

Trey Anastasio Band – The Song | November 2, 2015

November 2, 2015 saw Trey Anastasio Band performing on the TBS iteration of Conan’s show. TAB played “The Song” from Trey’s 2015 solo album Paper Wheels on November 2 with the show airing on November 18.


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Sigmund Bops (See 2 videos)
Trey Anastasio Band (See 168 videos)

Check out bonus clips of Conan Phish quips below including a bit on Phish fan Kent ‘The Cue-Card Guy’:

Conan Jokes About Phish Shows

Conan Jokes About Phish Tour

Kent ‘The Cue-Card Guy’ Irwin Listens To Phish

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