Conan O'Brien good on stage but better on TV

The last full measure of devotion for a Conan O'Brien fan was to pay a hundred bucks for a show at Radio City Music Hall that, in parts, might otherwise have been free on TV - if, um, there still was a TV show.

About 6,000 devotees at Tuesday's "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on TV" tour - which also was performed Wednesday night - were, nevertheless, rewarded with a brisk, energetic show. None, best I could tell, asked for their money back.

Even so, some may have heard or seen much of this before. YouTube, the press, blogs and a million tweets had largely drained "LPFBFTV" of major surprises, although a couple - Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert - did drop by.

After a rousing opening number by his old "Tonight" band, O'Brien, jaunty and energized, strode out under those legendary gilded arches to a hero's welcome. He had made enough sartorial adjustments (tieless; mauve shirt) to suggest a complete repudiation of his former GE days.

If there was to be any fresh revelation Tuesday, it was that he's a far more gifted physical comic than fans may have remembered.

With his former network's home just across the street, certain observations were unavoidable: "I am standing 200 feet away from NBC headquarters. Sit back . . . and enjoy an incredibly awkward evening." But as comic grist, NBC was MIA - wise, considering just how truly moldy that joke has become. (There was a brief jab at Jay Leno - a snatch of high-pitched gibberish that O'Brien insisted was his imitation of Ludacris.)

Along with some fan favorites, there was plenty of music, much of it good. Playing guitar, O'Brien accompanied Vampire Weekend with the intense dedication of a wannabe rocker who never got beyond garage band proficiency. Bill Hader, John Krasinski and Paul Rudd turned up, also Triumph the Comic Insult dog via a taped bit. (Sbarro's and Anderson Cooper also got shout-outs that neither would have relished.) Colbert mocked the faithless O'Brien for abandoning New York for Hollywood. "I heard you slinked back to town."

And a challenge was issued - a dance-off - settled moments later by Stewart.

Yeah, you guessed right: All of this was enjoyable, like the rest of the show, though you couldn't help but think that, despite the energy of their performances, these guys are fresher, funnier and (paradoxically) more fully alive when they're on TV. True-blue fans must now wait until November and basic cable for the return of the king.