Max Weinberg leaves for Springsteen tour IMMEDIAMENTE

I'd like to think that in the special waiting lounge for skeptics in the Great Beyond, the late great Steve Allen, author of so many of the great live visual stunts in late-night television history, was watching when this tremendous sight gag played out on Thursday's "Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien." (By the way, I'm finding it is still a blast to type those words.)

Max Weinberg has been Bruce Springsteen's drummer since 1974. He hasn't missed a tour date in all those years, and as you can imagine, that record was in a bit of jeopardy when it was announced that the Boss would be world-touring this summer just as "The Tonight Show" was signing on the air. But they worked it out. There is a Weinberg-Springsteen Rule at NBC, and it was adhered to on last night's broadcast.

But boy, did Max cut it close!

As an added touch, the band and Max also played "together" (the band in a picture-in-picture frame) going into and out of the next break, and Conan checked in with Max at an In-n-Out Burger drive through and the airport: