Late Night Performances
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...
Perfume Genius Performs “Whole Life” on Colbert: Watch
On Thursday, Perfume Genius delivered a #PlayAtHome performance of “Whole Life” on The Late Show. Despite not actually broadcasting from a proper TV studio, the artist born Michael Hadreas still held viewers captive, thanks to some dramatic lighting and his magnetic body language. The whole thing was shot in a dimly lit room in Los Angeles with longtime collaborator Alan Wyffels. Hadreas can be seen performing in front of a projection screen rolling footage of collapsing water towers. Between that imagery, the song itself, and Hadreas’ body and shadow dancing in tandem with one another against the screen, it all felt somewhat poetic. You could almost say that the emotive potency of Perfume Genius is so powerful it transcends quarantine borders. Watch it for yourself below, and then revisit...
Margo Price Covers Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” on The Daily Show: Watch
Although Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” may already be the song of the summer, it’s caused some predictable controversy amongst those with more conservative tastes. Everyone from congressional candidates to Tiger King stars have taken issue with the track, which begs the question: Is this yet another example of women — particularly Black women — facing a different level of public scrutiny? Exploring that thesis on The Daily Show on Thursday night, Margo Price recontextualized “WAP” as a beautiful country song. Would it be any less “offensive”? Price’s cover came as host Trevor Noah and remote correspondent Dulce Sloan examined the media’s sexist reaction to Kamala Harris being selected as presumptive democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s running mate. While arguing that...
Trey Anastasio Becomes Late-Night TV’s First In-Studio Guest Since March: Watch
Trey Anastasio just became late-night TV’s first in-studio guest since production was shut down in March due to the coronavirus. The Phish frontman performed “I Never Needed You Like This Before” with The Roots on The Tonight Show on Tuesday. “First live in studio guest for us,” host Jimmy Fallon… Please click the link below to read the full article. Trey Anastasio Becomes Late-Night TV’s First In-Studio Guest Since March: Watch Lake Schatz 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 you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet rev...
Alanis Morissette and Her Adorable Daughter Perform “Ablaze” On Fallon: Watch
On Thursday, Alanis Morissette performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and she did so with a very special little guest in tow. The late-night appearance came in support of Such Pretty Forks in the Road, her first album in eight years, which officially arrived on Friday. Morissette delivered the… Please click the link below to read the full article. Alanis Morissette and Her Adorable Daughter Perform “Ablaze” On Fallon: Watch Lake Schatz 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 you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenu...
Tove Lo Performs “sadder badder cooler” on Colbert: Watch
It’s a tired line at this point, but coronavirus really does suck for artists like Tove Lo who make music that’s designed for dancing in close quarters. The Swedish pop star released a deluxe “Paw Prints” edition of her 2019 record Sunshine Kitty back in May, and like most Tove Lo songs, the eight bonus tracks were meant to soundtrack crazy club nights that don’t (or at least shouldn’t… looking at you, Florida) exist right now. She’s being a good sport about it, though, doing what she can to keep the party going from lockdown. Earlier today, she submitted a #PlayAtHome performance to of “sadder badder cooler” for the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The single is a self-empowerment anthem that’s just bleeding Tove Lo’s signature swagger, and in this video she gets really into the part:...
Ben Folds Serenades a Sucky Year with “2020” Performance on Colbert: Watch
At this point in 2020, it’s hard to even glance at any information source without deepening this sustained sense of despair. Imagine what it’s like for someone like Stephen Colbert, who has to actually put a smile on and joke about this dumpster fire of a year every night. Yet power to him, the late-night host continues on cheerily, even when a musical guest like Ben Folds comes on to remind him of how crappy everything is with a performance of “2020”. Folds delivered a #PlayAtHome performance of his new single on Thursday night’s Late Show. Colbert introduced the waltz by saying it “really captures the spirit of the moment” before the piano pop master took over from his (shockingly white) office. Sitting behind his keyboard, Folds asked, “How many years will we cram into one?” while ...
My Morning Jacket Perform “Spinning My Wheels” on Fallon: Watch
It’s been less than a week since My Morning Jacket dropped their excellent new album, The Waterfall II. On Wednesday night, the band celebrated the record’s release with a quarantine performance of “Spinning My Wheels” on The Tonight Show. Album opener “Spinning My Wheels” is sensual and introspective. It relies on piano and slide guitar flourishes to provide a backdrop of beauty for the ennui of the lyrics. For the first live performance behind the LP, frontman Jim James selected what seems to be a teal peacoat, and he arranged his flowing hair and beard into a lion’s mane around his head. Filming took place with a red curtain directly behind James, and blank walls on either side. This allowed the camera cuts to provide visual interest, without requiring the band to do anything other...
The Chicks Perform “March March”, Talk Dropping “Dixie” on Colbert: Watch
When the pandemic hit and lockdown was initiated, Stephen Colbert was forced to abandon the iconic Ed Sullivan Theater. His last guests scheduled to appear at the New York City landmark were the then-named Dixie Chicks, but they were understandably bumped in favor of CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta. On Thursday night, the group now called just The Chicks were finally able to make up that missed appearance on The Late Show with a remote performance of “March March” and a discussion about their new moniker. Asked why they’d chosen now to drop “Dixie” from their name, lead singer Natalie Maines said a change was always in the works. “Well, it’s because of everything that’s going on in the world. It was about time; we’ve wanted to change it for a long time, actually,” she explaine...
BLACKPINK Perform Record-Smashing New Single “How You Like That” on Fallon: Watch
Hours after unveiling their new single to the masses, the K-pop phenoms BLACKPINK performed it live for the first time on Friday night’s The Tonight Show. Appearing remotely via a soundstage, and accompanied by a troupe of backing dancer, BLACKPINK delivered “How You Like That” with the energy and choreography you’ve come to expect from the K-pop group. Catch the replay below. In the first 24 hours of its release, “How You Like That” set a number of world records. Most notably, the single was viewed 82.4 million times on YouTube, smashing the single day record previously held by BTS’ “Boy With Luv” (74.6 million). Additionally, a total of 1.65 million people tuned in to watch the video’s live premiere on Friday, topping BTS’ previous record of 1.54 million. As of publication, “How You...
