Late Night Performances
The Killers Dedicate “Caution” Performance on Fallon to Frontline Workers: Watch
The Killers may not be able to hit the road due to the pandemic, but they’ve certainly been making the rounds on the TV circuit. In support of forthcoming album Imploding the Mirage, Brandon Flowers and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and CBS This Morning. On Wednesday, the pair continued their streak by performing an at-home edition of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Broadcasting from a remote location, Flowers and Vannucci rolled out early single “Caution”. Though it was only just the two of them at the helms, their homemade, stripped-back rendition still captured the spark of The Killers’ songwriting prowess. Prior to the performance, Vannucci dedicated the song to workers “who are putting themselves out on the frontlines helping e...
James Blake Covers Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You” on Corden from Quarantine: Watch
James Blake has been spending his time in quarantine perfecting the art of the cover song. In March, the UK crooner took to Instagram Live to perform countless originals by Radiohead, Billie Eilish, and Frank Ocean. He also tackled the Joni Mitchell track “A Case of You”, which he released on his own Enough Thunder EP from 2011. For his remote appearance on the Late Late Show with James Corden on Tuesday, Blake again dusted off that Mitchell cover. Cozied up to a piano in his own sunlit living space, the Grammy winner delicately, softly sang his way through the 1971 single. Elsewhere in last night’s episode, Blake spoke to Corden about his upcoming projects. He said his newest single, “Too Precious”, would likely end up on his next album, though “the rest of the stuff is quite di...
Tame Impala Gives a Trippy Performance of “Is It True” on Colbert: Stream
On Monday evening, Tame Impala played a special quarantine rendition of “Is It True” for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The performance of The Slow Rush cut was suitably psychedelic, but it also revealed some troubling tendencies in the band. The singer was almost late, the guitarist kept walking off-stage, and did they really need to hide the bass player all the way at the back? Of course, that’s Kevin Parker in all three roles, using the magic of video editing to express his status as a one-man band. While other artists have relied on pre-taped bathroom recordings to give the illusion of a live performance, Parker acknowledged the artifice, utilizing it to create a simple but thrilling spectacle. Check out “Is It True” below. Earlier this month, Tame Impala participated i...
Laura Marling Performs Quarantine Version of “Held Down” on Colbert: Watch
Updated for the pandemic era, The A Late Show with Stephen Colbert now sees musical guests perform from their respective self-isolation spaces. Such remote, stripped-down settings may require some acts to make major adjustments to their arrangements, but for Laura Marling, whose intimate folk translates seamlessly. Broadcasting from her cozy London living room Friday night, Marling delicately offered up “Held Down”, a quiet yet still powerful single from her recently released Song for Our Daughter. The new album came out last month during the peak of the coronavirus, so its tracks feel especially tied to this time; watching the UK songwriter sing, “‘Cause we all want to be here now/ And we all want to be held down” in front of her fireplace certainly has a different meaning in co...
Christine and the Queens Sings “People, I’ve been sad” on Colbert: Watch
Christine and the Queens has spent the global lockdown perfecting the art of the intimate at-home performance. Last night, she showcased all she’s learned by singing “People, I’ve been sad” on Colbert. Perched on a windowsill in her Paris abode, Chris sang the track off the La Vita Nuova EP while golden-hour light cracked through the clouds on the other side of the glass. Even sitting still, her foot propped up against the frame, she proved to be one of the most emotive and graceful artists working in pop. Watch the replay below. If Christine and the Queens seems particularly comfortable with these sort of isolated performances, it’s likely because she’s been regularly delivering livestream performances for fans. Included in the streams have been covers of The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights”, T...
Sheryl Crow Covers George Harrison’s “Beware of Darkness” on Colbert: Watch
Sheryl Crow appeared remotely on Tuesday night’s episode of Late Show With Stephen Colbert to perform a cover of George Harrison’s “Beware of Darkness”. In introducing the song, Crow called Harrison “one of my favorite artists of all time”. Watch her brilliant piano performance below. “Beware of Darkness” originally appeared on Harrison’s 1970 album, All Things Must Pass, and Crow recently released a recorded version of the song as part of her latest album, 2019’s Threads. She spoke about Threads, collaborations with Johnny Cash, Bonnie Raitt, Mavis Staples, and more during a past appearance on Kyle Meredith With…, which you can also revisit below. [embedded content] [embedded content]
Ezra Koenig Performs Vampire Weekend Medley on Fallon from Quarantine: Watch
This past weekend marked the one-year anniversary of Father of the Bride, the stellar fourth album from Vampire Weekend. In celebration, frontman Ezra Koenig delivered a quarantine-style medley of the album’s songs on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday. Shot from his own spacious home studio, Koenig performed solo piano renditions of standout tracks “Flower Moon”, “Stranger”, and “Big Blue”. The album versions of these three songs benefited from robust instrumentation, but Koenig proved they sound just as lovely and clever when stripped bare. Watch video of the Fallon medley below. Editors’ Picks Prior to lockdown, Vampire Weekend shared three FOTB bonus tracks, as well as campaigned hard for former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Earlie...
