Conan O’Brien might be best known as one of America’s greatest late-night TV hosts, but in the summer of 2024, Conan scored a gig at the Newport Folk Festival, playing guitar alongside a host of special guests. One of these performances, featuring Jack White formerly of The White Stripes, ended up going viral with over 115K views to date, and it’s no mission for Music Man readers to figure out why.
Conan and Jack share a rarely awesome chemistry. Just as the viral clip begins, Jack reveals the pair have been friends for “years” before casually gifting Conan a megalodon tooth, of all things, sending the festival audience laughing as Conan contemplates the odd knickknack and places it aside. The two swiftly commence their White Stripes cover, “We’re Going To Be Friends,” an album track taken from the band’s 2002 record, “White Blood Cells.”
Jack masters the first verse before Conan steps in, singing and fingerpicking an acoustic guitar, wowing the crowd with his musical skill. He sings the song like a country classic, while Jack’s verses pull it back into the realms of indie rock. The song choice is perfect for the folk fest, its lyrics rich in storytelling, childhood nostalgia, and the good vibes of a lazy school morning; a night-and-day contrast to The White Stripes’ back catalog of grunge/indie rock hits.
You may also like...
- Article Continues Below -
The Michigan-born singer and guitarist Jack White (aged 49) hardly looks a day over 30, while Conan (61), to an outsider, wholesomely appears like a dad playing tunes with his son.
Conan has long been known for featuring stand-out artists on his evolution of late-night shows, and through the years, has taken to the stage with various guests of honor, including Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie. Conan hosted three consecutive TV shows, “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” and “Conan,” before turning to podcasting, hosting “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend,” as well as starring in the 2024 travel series, “Conan O’Brien Must Go.”
Jack White, meanwhile, released his first album with The White Stripes in 1999, achieving the band’s smash hit “Seven Nation Army” on their fourth album in 2003. Since the band’s split in 2011, Jack has released six solo albums, most recently the record “No Name,” which dropped in July 2024.