The most heart-warming moment of Jimmy Fallon's unprecedented performance Sunday at the Orpheum Theatre came when the late-night king slid up next to Justin Timberlake to re-enact their Bee Gees impressions in a giddy rendition of "Nights on Broadway."
Unfortunately, the impromptu nod to their "Barry Gibb Talk Show" skits on "Saturday Night Live" came after the cameras were turned off, the Teleprompter wente dark and the 300-plus crew members began loading up the trucks for the long haul back to New York City.
Not that millions of viewers who stayed up late on a school night didn't get enough treats during the live broadcast of "The Tonight Show," 90 minutes after Super Bowl coverage had wrapped.
Dwayne Johnson munched popcorn while debuting a trailer for his upcoming film "Skyscraper," which looks like the Rock's version of "Die Hard." Cast members from "This Is Us" stumbled through the drama's "Big Three" chant. The Roots, the show's invaluable house band, were in a jubilant mood after the Super Bowl win for their hometown of Philadelphia. And Timberlake showed off more musical chops than he did at halftime with the help of a fellow guest, country star Chris Stapleton.
After the show ended, the Orpheum audience started chanting "One more song!" Timberlake and his band obliged, singing "Drink You Away."
Despite the sold-out venue's lack of booze — or even diet sodas — the tightly-packed house had a party atmosphere, led by late-night's most carefree host, who seemed genuinely giddy about his virgin voyage to the Twin Cities.
"You heard it here first. We are moving the show to Minneapolis," he said at the top of the program as the crowd remained on its feet throughout his opening monologue. "Hold on to your tater tots!"
During a commercial break, Fallon took questions from the audience, triggering the inevitable request from one bold audience member for the name of his hotel.