Max Weinberg Won't Follow Conan O'Brien to TBS

When Conan O'Brien's new talk show makes its makes his highly anticipated debut on TBS, Max Weinberg won't be there, according to O'Brien's rep.

"Max has been a huge part of my life for the past 17 years and he is an incredible band leader and musician.  I hope he can find time to stop by the new show, sit in with the band, and pretend to find my monologue funny," O'Brien said in a statement. 

"Seventeen years — a lifetime on TV.  Conan and I met on a New York City street corner in the Spring of 1993 and my association with Conan, his staff, and crew has been a deeply rewarding experience for me," Weinberg added. "And, making music with Jimmy Vivino, Mark Pender, La Bamba, Jerry Vivino, Scott Healey, Mike Merritt, and percussionist James Wormsworth enabled me to become a better musician and bandleader.  I thank them for their first rate work on the bandstand. I wish Conan and his show the best and I do look forward to dropping by."
Jimmy Vivino, a guitarist and keyboard player in O'Brien's house band on Late Nightand The Tonight Show told the Riverfront Times that he would take over as band leader on O'Brien's new show, Conan, which is slated to debut Nov. 8.

Rep: Max Weinberg not out of running for Conan's TBS show

"Now, we're staying in L.A. and I'm committed to that now," Vivino said. "It feels different than when we went out and tried to continue the New York show, because now we're disassociated from one network and starting up with a new one. It's going to be great."Vivino said Weinberg would be busy drumming with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. "Max has his big band out there that has been his dream all his life, kind of a Buddy Rich band," Vivino said. "And there's a kid in Jersey that works with him occasionally. A singer-songwriter! Some guy that's got some hope over there!"Weinberg led the Max Weinberg 7 on both of O'Brien's NBC shows from 1993 to 2009, occasionally taking breaks to tour with Springsteen.