Late Night 'Blackout (Full) 8/14/2003

Late Night with Conan O'Brien "Northeast Blackout of 2003"

[@funk3nst3in]

wow conan is so good he doesn't need writers OR power, he's literally fueled by spite and sheer will

[@JavierGodoy]

The fact that he himself is a writer makes it so brilliant

[@daveigh]

that's why he is the GOAT

[@kylesanders8276]

"We have no audience tonight. That's kind of what it looked like 17 years from now."

[@GraemeGunn]

Wow.

[@kriseisenmann8756]

Audience Empty

[@RealPhilGames]

Yeah but different network

[@kylesanders8276]

Because kovid.

[@OldTelivisionRocks]

Wow and 17 years later it really was empty.

[@AbzArt]

Conan thrives in this kind of unexpected environment

[@jahithber1430]

Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel can't hold a candle to Conan 😂

[@georginatoland]

GenX can (and will) survive anything.

[@safin8101]

I love how effortlessly funny Conan is.

[@STORMreviver]

0:44 😄

[@estebangrijalva2443]

Not even a blackout could stop Conan

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

When the theme started, I just got a nostalgic rush...this was the only truly MUST SEE show for me during my early to mid 20's at this time. Conan was freakin' hilarious.

[@nunyabidness5375]

Same here, 90s Simpsons, SNL, and Conan (all of which he was involved with) were the trifecta of comedy.

[@simseema1155]

That band is on point

[@tigbittygf]

oh man i remember this blackout. it was like one of the hottest, smoggiest days in Canada and my dad just got home from work and my mom was working her shift at the hospital. i just remember being in the basement watching tv and everything just shut down. mom came home and was trying to figure out wtf happened because everything at the hospital was barely disrupted. all of us huddled in the basement to stay cool for as long as possible until we gave up and set up the sprinkler outside and then my parents were complaining under the breath that they would miss out on Conan 😂

[@adityajogalekar2376]

Conan doing this before lockdown.... 17 years ago... a man ahead of his time

[@KnivesNIN]

I remember watching this live. I liked getting to see a bit of the real Joel. He seems like a really great man.

[@callmeshaggy5166]

Joel stayed and Andy didn't #neverforget

[@jdt2003]

this is the type of show i actually would watch

[@360zm4]

Power or no power the band killed it!

[@cjhs2006]

I Love Just How Involved Conan's When it Comes to His Show

[@djcj]

so real. love it

[@michaelpotter1244]

Never got to see this until now. Was driving from Michigan (affected by the blackout) to NYC to start my internship with Letterman.

[@stephenwyatt88]

No more how many times I hear that Late Night theme, it brings me so much nostalgia.

[@user-be8uv9sz5o]

That theme song got me a little emotional. A lot of nostalgia from watching Conan all those years ago. Combined with the high-level of musicianship!!

[@ireneadler4925]

fun fact: joel has a chemistry degree from emory.

[@AfnanStudio_]

This is basically another episode of scraps rehearsal except it was aired

[@Kirmz]

I ate a quarter ounce of magic mushrooms that day about an hour before the power went out. It kicked in around sunset.

[@hectorornelas6182]

Kirmz what a day

[@k8572]

Scary

[@assmane999]

That must’ve sucked. Nothing to do with no power

[@erixouther]

Woof

[@WalnutSpice]

Was like 6 when this happened and I remember it clearly. My area was affected up to 6 days. There were no crosswalks, regular civilians were directing traffic. People were donating ice with communities loading food into communal ice chests after the first two days and sharing canned food. People who lived in lucky blocks that did still have some power opening up their homes, was a crazy time. It's sad the only things that brings us together anymore is something like that, or what happened just two years before. Police were routinely going door to door just making sure everyone was keeping on okay asking if anyone needed anything Akron Ohio

[@kelseycoca]

Conan is such a gem. I'd really love to intern for him lol

[@user-be8uv9sz5o]

I don’t have the energy to keep up with him, but I love watching from afar

[@1locust1]

Didn't Conan do another complete blackout show outside of Rockefeller plaza? I seem to recall him mentioning how they dug up manual typewriters out of storage to prepare for the show and having to hold on to paperwork to keep the night breezes from blowing it away. I think the power outage was limited to Rockefeller Plaza.

[@mattkomar7622]

I think you're talking about the studio fire which, if I remember correctly, happened in 1996. Conan did a show outside with the full band and everything afterwards.

[@1locust1]

@@mattkomar7622 I think that was it. Many thanks.

[@tb7667]

2:28 'Toshi's out of town' 😂. Late night was so funny.

[@benfranklincatappleshark]

Man, I was on a flight over US during the blackout and landed in Detroit. It was pandemonium. I was 14 and it was also coincidentally the first time I ever flew alone. I had to navigate a bleak, powerless airport with a million strangers like we were moments from devolving into Lord of the Flies. We were scrounging for food from fast food bodegas with panicked employees, and had devolved into a barter system with strangers for random granola and backpack snacks. Truly, an insane memory. Seeing this cements how much the rest of the country was confused had to improvise too.

[@NEETdreams]

Never knew about this. WIsh I could have watched it at the time but we didn't have power.

[@DeadRaymanWalking]

I remember that blackout, I happen to live in Western, NY which was affected by the blackout. It went out at 4ish in the afternoon, but I got power back at 8 PM that night. It was still crazy though!

[@midnighter1339]

Wow - I was in NE Ohio and we lost it around that time and didn't get it back for like 24-48 hours

[@DeadRaymanWalking]

@@midnighter1339 Ouch!

[@gheald5245]

Lived in Northeastern Ontario at the time. Took 2-3 days to get power back.

[@H1bbe]

The Dandy Warhols and Queens of the stone age. Damn good musical guests!

[@hellgodbabydamnno8978]

also a great rendition of the theme song

[@WarmandHardy]

Conan always made the best out of any bad situation.

[@RaithGyaron]

I actually remember watching this live.

[@pagsoinagpdophandh]

nice upload-any old remotes/ cooking segments would be awesome

[@katmandoot5941]

Me in 2022, as a regular listener to Conan needs a friend podcast: "take it away, Jimmy!"

[@ian5007]

did this air?

[@WhatsOn427]

In the parts of the country with power, yes

[@blackmoreOrion]

So how the satellite from New York that was transmitting was working?

[@bleungzorz]

Backup power. These are typically also emergency services.

[@bigleeroytruckenstien4480]

Back up power?! That’s genius.

[@CHIIIEEEEEEEEFFFFSSS]

@@bigleeroytruckenstien4480 it's called a generator. Ever seen those TV trailers at sporting events with the huge loud boxes? Those a generators (they give backup power but are also used as a portable power source.)

[@1nemann]

I remember watching this live

[@STORMreviver]

I remember when this happened i was 13 and all day i was just waiting to see what conan would do🤣🤣🤣

[@Dynanium]

Even weirder than the blackout is seeing Joel out of character.

[@lNoWayAroundItl]

Conan is my absolute favorite. I like Letterman but he was just a little before my time. This video has the same energy as Seth Myers during lockdown.

[@Garrettdx1988]

I remember watching this live and it was how i found out about the blackout lol

[@BradyA1124]

1:31 when Conan said "bottom" he sounded very Boston

[@Turbogirl90]

😍

[@TheDanrox110]

“bAHttom”

[@lNoWayAroundItl]

5:39 8:29 I loved that part.

[@richardgaudreault2887]

I remember that day. Started my shift at 4. By 5 I was home.😂 was a beautiful day.

[@uli_Gio]

Prove Conan can improvise but anything

[@SmrtPhonRtistCF]

That night was crazy, I was there!

[@TXnine7nine]

Just having a conversation with a hand full of people around him. Like an early version of his podcast.

[@dianaclark3698]

Scraps before there was Scraps.

[@snoopyshultz]

wow i never seen this because: black out in new york

[@cjhs2006]

Joel Actually Looks at Least 1/2 Way Normal

[@Whiteythereaper]

Holy shit Joel sounds like Keith David

[@DC.....]

01:02 I'm guessing I'm not going out on a limb by saying this but I bet Jordan wasn't one of the loyal Conan workers

[@jacksonjack7838]

The Largest Power Outage in NA History. This is History.

[@HumblyArtsy]

I miss Joel and Conan

[@moviebuffshatto7375]

Conan with no Audience... Never Heard of It

[@phillies4100_mainsite]

Coronavirus: "Hold my beer"

[@wolfbeard1532]

Awesome

[@DougMcDave]

haha I remember this

[@DC.....]

I would of loved a joke about not bothering to do the show since no one would be watching with no power

[@johnking5174]

Remember the power outage was only on the upper east coast - a fair chunk of the rest of the country had power

[@Thompsonnw]

Conan doing some improvising.

[@paddawan_]

Quarantine style

[@spidrawebster]

Thanks for posting this. What a great bit of history. /wiki/Northeast_blackout_of_2003

[@mccobsta]

Would it be possible to upload the entire episode if you have it

[@Isaacandjed]

After this, they just cut to a rerun. May 21st, specifically

[@nadimnassar7094]

Man I love special days like this I wish I’d been working there that day 😂 Thing is that was 3 months before I was born

[@RepsUp100]

Hilarious!

[@georginatoland]

Leave the World Behind, 2003 edition.

[@kenny.2021]

👌 3:17

[@mikeygabbard9268]

SuWoop!

[@erixouther]

Basically conan invented vodcasts

[@jXmikeX]

Joel sounds a little like Plankton

[@rayrayy841]

4:27 Rick Springfield 😆

[@MarcusBrannon]

I was at Cedar Point in Ohio when this blackout happened

[@deusexmachina2222]

I miss Joel Goddard so much

[@bradunderwood2502]

Blackouts can be fun hehe

[@georgealbertmartinez8861]

In my opinion,at the end of episode 10 (series finale) Q needs to show up to advices Picard that Humanity trial has not ended until Picard proves himself to the Q continuem. Picard must treat his Last heroic mission as his final exam. We will find out if Picard passes or fails Q 's the human critical decision test. Picard 's legacy depends on it.

[@nannerz1994]

Camera operators have everything always.

[@jamirimaj6880]

wow Conan foreshadowed 2020 here o.o

[@haroldbirge6881]

🏆Hilarious🏆 Conan insults everybody😅 except for 🍀Himself 👀✌️

[@kriseisenmann8756]

Power Outage

[@thoserusskies115]

if the power went out, how did he expect anyone to see this episode? didn't the power in everyone's tv sets also go out?

[@SaintJimmy72]

+Those Russkies People in other parts of the country could still watch it ;)

[@TRJ2241987]

I 100% remember watching this, it must have been on Comedy Central the next day, they used to re-air last nights show at like 7:00PM or something. It was a great deal back then

[@TrustsLiars]

I saw it. Some of the power was back on by this time.

[@megamike15]

it was not all of the east coast. i was not effected by it and remember this airing when i was like 12.

[@jab69420]

This was around Cleveland Canada and by New York west coast could watch

[@SophieTheBagel1984]

Proof that Conan is funny whether he has an audience or not. Unlike Fallon who's just awful regardless.

[@limajlima]

COVID vibes

[@HIRED7DAYS]

Conan is awesome not like these new snowflake hosts that get serious over political crap...

[@mackdaddyg321]

Anybody getting mad like that sounds pretty snowflakey to me.

[@ginagonzalez7492]

Conan o brien blackout prediction of COVID 19 no audience

[@bradshawdavis2732]

Covid audience

[@inspectorsteve2287]

How are people supposed to watch TV if the power is out?

[@Framsky]

The blackout was only on the East Coast.

[@jaredrosenberg1172]

As Conan says in the video, they usually filmed Late Night at 5:30pm, which is also likely when they filmed this short segment. By 12:30am when Late Night actually airs, they were hoping most people would have power back. I remember we got power back around 8 or 9pm in New York.

[@inspectorsteve2287]

@@jaredrosenberg1172 ok. I didn't watch the entire video. It didn't interest me but I had to ask.

[@chrome9455]

why people freak out about a blackout? was there a nuclear threat or something?

[@nitad001]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_blackout_of_2003

[@TiredRetrogamer2]

If I remember right it wasn't too long after 9/11 and the huge scope of it had many wondering if it was terrorism or something. And either way, people were still kind of on edge even a couple of years later.

[@Hempsterdance]

My neighbors were screaming that its bin Laden and hes coming for us lol. I just remember a lot of break ins around my neighborhood. We just ate dinner and bam! No power. We just read books by candle light and enjoyed family time while others freaked out.

[@jab69420]

How do you think water gets to a house electric low water is bad and what about the people in the underground subway

[@floydjohnson7888]

@@Hempsterdance I misread that as "Hempsteaderdance", thinking of Long Island

[@danjones2164]

If there is a blackout, then how did he get power?

[@TheSensfan09]

It's called a generator

[@TiredRetrogamer2]

Probably some sort of back up power the Rock has.

[@miragen125]

Conan O'Brian without bottox! good old time ..

[@nickmcdonald3083]

Botox doesn't make him less funny

[@miragen125]

@@nickmcdonald3083 yes it doesn't make him more funny as well. So we can agree that he just doesn't need to use bottox. It's just make him look like this red head from desperate house wife

[@WittyScoop]

He did bottox?

[@HumblyArtsy]

Witty Scoop according to Conan in 1999 the make up people used to put preparation H on his face. That’s not a lie

[@Michael15_25]

@@HumblyArtsy I hope preparation H Raymond applied it to his face

[@StevenTorrey]

Except nobody else in America has electricity to watch the show on TV!

[@CHIIIEEEEEEEEFFFFSSS]

It was just New York City that went dark.

[@Framsky]

@@CHIIIEEEEEEEEFFFFSSS It was the East Coast in the US and Canada.

[@spearofconquest]

so weird seeing people say positive things about Conan. Guy was hated and found to be unfunny by a lot for the majority of his career.