Late Night Performances

Brittany Howard Performs “Baby” on Corden: Watch

Earlier this month, Brittany Howard was remixed by Bon Iver and EarthGang. Now, the Alabama Shakes frontman has again taken center stage — this time quite literally — with a performance on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Appearing on Tuesday night’s episode, the incomparable Howard flexed her impassioned pipes while delivering “Baby”. A pair of backup singers and a full band also accompanied her in social distanced fashion. It was a solid yet bittersweet reminder of just how darn good she is live and how much she’s sorely missed on the road. Howard later spoke to Corden about her upcoming birthday (October 2nd, mark your calendars), and how she plans to celebrate with a fishing trip. She also talked about her newest quarantine hobby — while we’ve all been baking bread, Howard se...

BTS Perform “Home” as Tonight Show Takeover Continues: Watch

BTS launched their weeklong takeover of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, and did so with a “Dynamite” bang. On Tuesday, our favorite Bangtan Boys made sure to keep the late-night party going by performing “Home” from their 2019 EP, Map of the Soul: Persona. Whereas yesterday’s performance of “Dynamite” saw BTS deliver a rousing choreographed routine in front of the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea, the group kept things much more chill on Tuesday night. They stayed inside, threw on their pajamas, and had themselves a good ol’ fashioned sleepover. Catch the replay below. “BTS Week” continues tomorrow, September 30th, with the K-pop boyband serving as the episode’s lead guest. This residency comes on the heels of BTS becoming the first all-South Kore...

BTS Perform “Dynamite” and “Idol” to Kick Off Tonight Show Residency: Watch

BTS Week on The Tonight Show got off to an explosive start highlighted by a pair of exhilarating performances. The Bangtan Boys will be front and center for every show through the end of the week. To kick things off on Monday night, the septet of Jin, RM, Suga, J-Hope, V, Jimin, and Jungkook teamed up with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots for a remixed version of their latest hit single, “Dynamite”. They then returned to the airwaves at the end of the episode for a show-stopping closing performance of “Idol”, from their 2018 album, Love Yourself: Answer. Replay both performances below. BTS have stormed through America in a way not seen since The Beatles. Their latest history-defying release was “Dynamite”, which became the first single by an all-South Korean group to top the Billb...

Aminé Performs in Hot Air Balloon on Kimmel: Watch

Aminé soared over Los Angeles in a hot air balloon for his Thursday performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. The balloon itself was a statement, festooned in Black Lives Matter messaging, flags of countries, and religious symbols from around the world. While attempting to honor the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Sandra Bland, Aminé made a broader statement about the interconnectedness of humanity. The rapper launched into the two opening tracks of his new album Limbo, but in reverse order. First, he essayed his latest single “Woodlawn”. Lines like “Came a long way from that Woodlawn Park,” hit differently at 2,200 feet. After landing, Aminé stepped inside the balloon itself, transforming a mode of transportation into a dramatic venue. He played “Burd...

Bon Iver Performs “22 (OVER S∞∞N)” on Colbert: Watch

Even with Bernie Sanders out of the presidential race, longtime supporter Justin Vernon is still very closely following the 2020 Election. In fact, earlier this week, the Bon Iver leader helped launch For Wisconsin, a “get-out-the-vote” initiative in his home state. “Free speech and freedom begin and end with voting,” read a statement. “If you don’t mark your ballot someone else will define your Wisconsin and your future.” In support of this new campaign, Vernon delivered a #PlayAtHome performance for the Late Show with Stephen Colbert this afternoon. With his equipment set up in front of a large window, the indie rocker unfurled “22 (OVER S∞∞N)”, from his 2016 Bon Iver album 22, A Million. Throughout the appearance, Vernon’s face was covered by a message imploring Wisconsin nati...

Tenacious D Perform a Post-Apocalypto Medley on Jimmy Kimmel: Watch

Tenacious D teleported down from their space station on Tuesday night to join Jimmy Kimmel for a late night chat and rock session. The duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass Zoomed in to promote everything Post-Apocalypto, from their latest album to their newly released graphic novel (which apparently features 96 hand-drawn penises). Despite causing a ruckus in their own homes (with Black flailing around a Pickle Rick pillow), the D assured Kimmel they were responsible rockers respecting quarantine. “There’s only like three bands that don’t quarantine now,” joked Black, “You’ve got Kanye, you’ve got Smash Mouth, and Kid Rock. But other than that, everyone’s on the same page.” Black, who was wearing Black Sabbath’s Black Lives Matter shirt, went on to explain how the band’s 2018 album, Post-Apocal...

Polo G Makes Late Night Debut with “Martin & Gina” on Fallon: Watch

Four months after releasing his excellent sophomore full-length, The Goat, Polo G finally crossed the cable lines. The Chicago rapper made his television debut on Monday night with a performance of “Martin & Gina” on Fallon. On a stage as crisp white as his outfit, Polo G was backed by a full four-piece band. With soft lights cycling through colors around him, he demonstrated the strength of his consistent, quavering vocal style. He also showed appreciate for his rise, ending the performance by saying, “Shout out to my band for rocking out with me, and thanks Jimmy Fallon for having me.” Replay Polo G’s Fallon appearance below. [embedded content] Related You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving...

Phoebe Bridgers Performs Three Punisher Songs on CBS This Morning: Watch

Phoebe Bridgers has kept up her prolific streak into September. After taking part in a Daniel Johnston livestream tribute, playing a Tiny Desk (Home) concert in a miniature Oval Office, and covering Radiohead in a church, Bridgers stopped by CBS This Morning over the weekend for a Saturday Sessions performance. Bridgers delivered a trio of tracks off her latest full-length, Punisher, one of our favorite albums of the year thus far. Dressed in her now familiar skeleton suit, she sang “Garden Song”, “I Know the End”, and one of 2020’s best songs, “Kyoto”. Watch all three performances below. Earlier this summer, Bridgers contributed to a voters’ rights compilation alongside R.E.M., Hayley Williams, Angel Olsen, and others; teamed with Courtney Barnett to cover Gillian Welch’s “Everything...

Miley Cyrus Performs “Midnight Sky” and Covers “Maneater” on Fallon: Watch

Even during the era of social distancing, no one does late night like Miley Cyrus. The pop star was a guest on Thursday night’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and from her interview atop a Peter Shire throne to her dazzling, full-stage performance of “Midnight Sky”, it was as glamorous as pandemic entertainment can get. Talking with Fallon from her geometric chair set in a pitch black void, Cyrus discussed keeping herself centered amidst her crazy career and her recent VMAs performance. She also touched on asking Stevie Nicks for permission to sample “Edge of Seventeen” on “Midnight Sky”. “I have the coolest letter ever from Stevie, too,” she revealed. “I sent her the song, and I said, ‘I have an alternate melody. If you don’t want me to pay tribute to you and your greatness and h...

The Flaming Lips Perform “God and the Policeman” in Giant Bubbles on Fallon: Watch

On Friday night, The Flaming Lips appeared remotely on Fallon for a performance of “God and the Policeman”. This standout song from their just-released album American Head originally boasted the clarion tones of Kacey Musgraves. Perhaps her schedule kept her away from The Lips’ studio, or maybe Petco ran out of hamster balls. It wasn’t a matter of social-distancing, because the Lips have been pioneering that long before it was necessary. Their trademark personal bubbles served them well once again, allowing them to get a little closer than would normally feel comfortable. While many recent late night performances feature bands near each other on stage, the Lips seem to be actually playing together. “God and the Policeman” is a meditation on guilt. The words are simple enough...

Bright Eyes Cover Thin Lizzy’s “Running Back”: Stream

Bright Eyes returned last week with their long-awaited comeback album, Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was. In support of the release, Conor Oberst and his crew recorded a SiriusXM Session that featured a pretty unexpected cover song: Thin Lizzy’s “Running Back”. They also appeared on CBS This Morning over the weekend. While the indie/emo rockers maintain the folkier aspects of Think Lizzy’s 1976 Jailbreak original, Oberst’s distinctly raspy growl make this “Running Back” rendition a unique one all their own. We’ve certainly missed Oberst in Bright Eyes mode like this. As for the Omaha-bred band’s appearance on CBS This Morning, they performed Down in the Weeds singles “Persona Non Grata” and “Mariana Trench”. Oberst was joined by fellow Bright Eyes mates Mike Mogis and Nathan...

The Killers Perform “Blowback” on Colbert: Watch

Today, August 21st, The Killers dropped their new album Imploding the Mirage. That made yesterday Album Release Eve, and the band celebrated with a Late Show performance of the recent single “Blowback”. The twin demands of social distancing and television lighting kept the performers rooted in place. But the Las Vegas rockers have an almost spiritual commitment to putting on a show, and they found plenty of ways to inject drama. The first was singer Brandon Flowers‘ shirt, which came covered in a whole Dollar Store’s worth of rhinestones. The Killers also placed a giant Marquee light shaped like a “K” center stage, rakishly tilted to the side and quietly winking at the cameras. And if the the flashing stage lights didn’t keep your attention, perhaps it’s because you were captured...