For all the big name musicians that have appeared during Conan O’Brien‘s currently ongoing “Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television” North American tour, it’s the one who hasn’t that has been the most noticeable.
For nearly two decades, Max Weinberg has played O’Brien in and out of commerical breaks as the leader of both Max Weinberg 7 on Late Night and the Tonight Show Band on Tonight Show. However, when O’Brien was booted from the Tonight Show last year and subsequently announced his comeback on TBS this fall, there were questions as to whether Weinberg would join him. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the drummer failed to put said questions to rest.
“I literally have not thought about it,” Weinberg answered when asked about his role on O’Brien’s forthcoming TBS show. “There have been no discussions. It’s kind of an open question.”
However, in a not so subtle way of saying he probably won’t be joining Conan, Weinberg added that he intends to focus his attention strictly on his brand new project, the Max Weinberg Big Band Tour. Set to launch tomorrow night (June 11th), in Red Bank, New Jersey, the drummer’s 15-piece band will mix classics by Buddy Rich and Count Basie with big-band style arrangements of Bruce Springsteen songs like “Born to Run”, “Kitty’s Back”, and “Thunder Road”.
“I’m strictly thinking about mounting my big band tour, taking some time off in the fall and getting back on the road with this band. We have dates booked through the summer of 2011,” explained Weinberg. Find the band’s current itinerary below.
Weinberg did note though that he is still a member of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band — which is good news — and that he fully expects the band to embark on another world tour — which is also good news.
As for other good news? According to Weinberg, long rumored electric version of Nebraska does exist — for Springsteen geeks, this is the equivalent of the Holy Grail… or Ryan Adams’ cover album of Is This It. He also confirmed that that a Darkness on the Edge of Town reissue is in the works. “I don’t really exactly know what the stage of thinking is relating to that project seeing the light of day,” he said. “But it would certainly be a wonderful thing to come out. A lot it was captured on film. There was always a guy in the studio with a little hand-held camera. If that does make the light of day, it would be something I would heartily endorse.”
You can check out the complete interview, in video form, below. Find those aforementioned tour dates after that.
Max Weinberg Big Band Tour 2010 Tour Dates:
06/11 – Red Bank, NJ @ Count Basie Theatre
06/13 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun (Wolf Den)
06/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
06/15 – Cambridge, MA @ Regatta Bar
06/16 – Jim Thorpe, PA @ Mauch Chunk Opera House
06/17 – Easton, MD @ Avalon
06/21 – Evanston, IL @ Space
06/22 – Madison, WI @ Majestic
06/23 – Minneapolis, MN @ Dakota
06/25 – Newport Beach, CA @ Hyatt Regency Newport Beach Summer Jazz Series
06/27 – San Francisco, CA @ Yoshi’s
07/13 – Lansing, MI @ Common Ground Music Festival
10/08 – Buffalo, NY @ Center For The Arts
