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At age 84, Doc Severinsen hasn't given up life on the road.

The band leader and jazz trumpeter says he'll keep performing as long as audiences want to see him play.

Whether a show goes well or not depends on the audience, Severinsen told us. The venue doesn't matter so much and he knows the band will be having fun.

"I'd rather have a good audience in a big hall than a bad audience in a small hall," he said.

Severinsen is best known as the longtime bandleader on "The Tonight Show" during Johnny Carson's tenure as host. If you don't remember the music they played, you probably remember some of the outlandish suits Severinsen wore on the program.

These days, he's performing and recording with a group of Mexican musicians for one project. And he also has his big band, which will accompany him during his performance in Omaha on Saturday.

Severinsen wasn't sure what the band would play when it comes to town, but he was working on a set list.

"We have thousands of tunes to choose from, which in a way makes it more difficult," he said. "We'll throw a bunch of stuff against the wall and see what sticks."

Though he's firmly in his 80s, the music veteran doesn't feel too old to be performing live. He doesn't sit down and he doesn't slow down the music.

"I can't relate to the fact that I'm as old as they say I am," Severinsen said. "If it slowed my performance, I wouldn't be out there doing it. I'd be home trying to find my teeth and petting the dog."

Fans of his run on "The Tonight Show" want to know more than just what kind of music he'll play. What will he be wearing?

"I have different outfits, but they're just as outrageous," he said. "It'll be wild."

Contact the writer:

402-444-1557, kevin.coffey@owh.com

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