The meteoric rise of last summer’s most promising unsigned act reached new heights tonight: Alabama Shakes made their television debut on Conan, unleashing Boys & Girls lead single “Hold On” along with a web-only take of “I Ain’t The Same” for the masses. Given that O’Brien and the Shakes have a mutual collaborator in the form of Jack White, the pairing seems particularly appropriate, but what stands out most around here is Conan’s enthusiastic live reaction to the aired cut. As you may recall, back in 2003, My Morning Jacket tore the roof off the old Late Night show before Conan took the stage and declared, “I am buying that record!” It was one of the more memorable musical moments from his stint on NBC — certainly the best Southern rock-related moment — making tonight’s endorsement feel warmly familiar. Check out both clips below:
(via Audio Perv)