Late Night Performances
The National’s Matt Berninger Performs “One More Second” on Colbert: Watch
Last week, The National’s Matt Berninger celebrated the release of his debut solo album, Serpentine Prison. To further promote the project, the indie rock frontman performed “essential” track “One More Second” on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday. Accompanied by his backing band, Berninger played from inside a warehouse-type space. Berninger’s signature bellow, pensive and somber, set the tone for the entire appearance, along with the moody blue lighting that blanketed him. Watch the video replay below. In a review of Serpentine Prison for Consequence of Sound, Jordan Blum wrote, “Serpentine Prison isn’t the drastic change of pace that many frontmen create when they do a project outside of their main band, but it does enough to justify i...
Gorillaz and Beck Perform “The Valley Of The Pagans” on Animal Talking: Watch
While remote performances are par for the course these days, leave it to Gorillaz to find a unique and innovative way to promote the newly released first season of their audiovisual project, Song Machine. The band appeared on the latest episode of Animal Talking, the real-life talk show hosted by Gary Whitta within the video game world of Animal Crossing. There, they delivered a performance of their Beck collaboration “The Valley Of The Pagans”. Because of the limitations of Animal Crossing, only Gorillaz’s 2D and Beck were able to appear inside the Animal Talking studio for the performance. Also, somewhat hilariously, the cartoon band received their very own cartoon avatars, which makes sense but also feels equivalent to dressing up a cat like a cat for Halloween. Prio...
The War on Drugs Debut New Song “Ocean of Darkness” on Fallon: Watch
During the early months of the pandemic, The War on Drugs revealed they were working on a new album. Now, some of the fruits of their labor have arrived: the indie rockers debuted a new song called “Ocean of Darkness” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday. The group’s first offering since 2017’s A Deeper Understanding was both propulsive and pastoral, and soaked in wistfulness not unlike their past material. Donning a cap that said “VOTE”, frontman Adam Granduciel could be heard singing, “You’re just a poor boy/ Your blood rushes through me/ Alone in the great divide/ To love and understanding.” “Once I was eight years old/ I’d stare at the ceiling/ Get lost in a memory,” he continued, his voice faded like a ghost half-materialized. “Remember the feeling/ I was tire...
HAIM Get a Call from Robert Pattinson During “3 AM” Performance on Seth Meyers: Watch
HAIM have really got this “appearing on a late night talk show during quarantine” thing down. Last month, they set up outside of Los Angeles’ The Forum for a performance on Kimmel. Then on Thursday night, the siblings brought Halloween — and a special guest — to Seth Meyers. The trio’s rendition of “3 AM” from their latest LP, Women in Music Pt. III, opened with a call from Robert Pattinson. Listed in HAIM’s phone as “Emotional Vampire” (get it? ‘Cause of Twilight? You get it…), Pattinson recreated the booty-call intro from the album version of the song. After sending him to voicemail, the band revealed themselves in wedding gowns as (slightly) undead brides set in an exceedingly well-lit backyard. The vibe put a spooky sheen on the R&B jam, including a comically threatening call ...
Foo Fighters Play Acoustic Version of “Learn to Fly” on Kimmel: Watch
This weekend, Foo Fighters return to the stage for their first live performance since the beginning of quarantine. They’ll set up shop at the Troubadour in Los Angeles as part of the #SOSFest. Coming in support of the National Independent Venue Association, the three-day virtual festival will see 35 artists performing from 25 concert venues across the US, with proceeds benefiting music venues impact by the pandemic. As a test run of sorts, Foo Fighters appeared on last night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live. Broadcasting remotely from the Troubadour, Dave Grohl and co. delivered an acoustic rendition of their classic track “Learn to Fly”. Catch the replay below, and watch Foo Fighters’ full set on Saturday, October 17th at 10:35 p.m. ET via NIVA’s YouTube page. Editors’...
Jack White Reworks “Ball and Biscuit”, Plays Eddie Van Halen Guitar on SNL: Watch
Not all heroes wear capes; some rock out on guitar. After this weekend’s original musical guest, country singer Morgan Wallen, violated COVID-19 safety protocol, Saturday Night Live found itself in need of a last-minute replacement. Jack White answered the call. Accompanied by drummer Daru Jones and bassist Dominic John Davis, White ripped through some of his greatest hits with a few unexpected twists. For his first performance of the evening, White played a bit of his Beyoncé collaboration, “Don’t Hurt Yourself”, before transitioning into “Ball and Biscuit”. The Elephant track was reworked to feature lyrics from “Jesus is Coming Soon”, a traditional gospel song about the 1918 Spanish Flu that was famously performed by Blind Willie Johnson. The lyrics are just as relevant to...
Megan Thee Stallion Uses SNL Debut to Demand Justice for Breonna Taylor: Watch
Megan Thee Stallion used her Saturday Night Live debut to demand justice for Breonna Taylor and publicly rebuke Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron over his handling of Taylor’s murder case. Midway through her performance of “Savage”, Megan played audio of Malcolm X’s “Who Taught You To Hate?” speech in addition to recent comments made by activist Tamika Mallory, who accused Cameron of being “no different than the sellout negroes that sold our people into slavery.” Megan herself then proclaimed, “We need to protect our Black women and love our Black women, because at the end of the day, we need our Black women.”. At the end of the performance, Megan and her dancers raised their fists, and the message “Protect Black Women” was displayed on the video screens in the background. Last...
BTS Perform “Mikrokosmos” for BTS ARMY as Tonight Show Takeover Marches On: Watch
On the fourth night of their Tonight Show takeover, BTS sweetly paid tribute to their loyal fans in BTS ARMY. The K-pop megastars returned to Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea to deliver “Mikrokosmos”, from Map of the Soul: Persona. The song is often the last one on the group’s live setlists, and BTS performed it as though they were closing out a concert. Each member waved their arms from side to side, while others screamed out “Love you” into the imaginary BTS Army crowd. At the very end, glowing lights above the palace came together to form the BTS ARMY logo. Elsewhere on Thursday’s episode, the Bangtan Boys played a game of Zoom Olympics with host Jimmy Fallon. One of the “events” involved popping their heads in and out from the screen like a Groundhog, while another ...
BTS Perform “Dynamite” to Close Out Epic Tonight Show Residency: Watch
On Friday, BTS delivered the fifth and final night of their Tonight Show residency, and it was every bit as grand as you’d expect. To close out the week, the beloved boyband aptly highlighted their hit single “Dynamite”. Since its release in late August, the track has already earned BTS a coveted spot in the history books: they are officially the first all-South Korean group to ever top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Inspired by the song’s throwback aesthetic, BTS presented a disco-themed performance, complete with strutting choreography and a handful of shimmering mirror balls. Toward the end of “Dynamite”, Jin, RM, Suga, J-Hope, V, Jimin, and Jungkook celebrated their successful late-night run by squeezing in a couple of minutes of fun rollerskating. Last night’s episode also saw host...
Travis Scott Performs “Franchise” on Kimmel with M.I.A. and Young Thug: Watch
Young Thug, Travis Scott, and M.I.A. on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Travis Scott was both the lead guest and musical performer on the Thursday night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live. When he wasn’t pimping burgers for McDonald’s, Scott reminded everyone that there’s an artist lurking beneath the brands with a performance of “Franchise”. Scott’s interview covered his new promotional deal with the Golden Arches, which is basically just a quarter pounder meal with limited options. The so-called “Travis Scott Meal” became a TikTok sensation, and so popular that some stores began to run out of quarter-pound patties. The Houston rapper then shifted into high gear for his delivery of “Franchise”, assisted remotely by collaborators M.I.A. and Young Thug. The high-production performance played out more l...
BTS Perform “Black Swan” as Tonight Show Residency Rolls On: Watch
On Wednesday night, BTS continued their world domination weeklong residency on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. This time, the beloved Bangtan Boys served as the episode’s lead guest, as they participated in a dance competition and sat down for an interview with Fallon, in addition to performing their song “Black Swan”. Night one of their residency saw the K-pop boyband deliver “Dynamite” in front of the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea, while Tuesday’s “Home” performance was built around a cozy sleepover theme. As for Wednesday night’s performance of “Black Swan”, the boys took BTS Army to church as they set danced amid the shrubbery of a dilapidated cathedral. Earlier in the episode, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook faced off against Fallon in a competition c...
HAIM Perform “Gasoline” Outside of LA’s The Forum on Kimmel: Watch
As our understanding of how to handle the pandemic gets better, so too do musical guests’ late night TV spots. On Tuesday night, HAIM made a virtual pitstop at Jimmy Kimmel Live!, but instead of Zooming in from home, they filmed their performance of “Gasoline” from an actual music venue. Well, from outside of an actual music venue. The trio of Este Haim, Danielle Haim, and Alana Haim (along with a pianist) set up in the empty parking lot of Los Angeles’ The Forum. Sure, it wasn’t like they filmed in a hot air balloon, but it was nice to see them out in the world for the rendition of the Women in Music Pt. III track. As the single-shot camera work panned around the sisters and the sun set behind them, HAIM put the matured sound of their latest album on full display in what was a surprisingl...
