James Brown, “Sex Machine / There Was a Time / I Got the Feeling”, 1. —Trevor Courneen, TV on the Radio on the TV turned out to be even better than TV on the Radio on the radio when the band performed “Wolf Like Me” in 2006. On October 30, 2002, David Letterman gave his whole show over to one guest: Warren Zevon, who had just been diagnosed with a fatal and untreatable form of lung cancer. “David Letterman is a true television icon, and I can’t wait to see him out in the wild, out from behind the desk and interviewing the people he finds most interesting. The sheer joy of watching Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein jump up and down while they rip through the bull-dozing bridge of the song is worth the price of admission. His show was a constant reminder that there were still idiosyncratic, literate voices left in American music. Frontman Jarvis Cocker gave an epically animated performance. 1994 was a magical year for music on Letterman. Follow. —Robert Ham, On Dave’s final NBC broadcast in 1993, he explained that there was one person he’d wanted on the show for years who’d never appeared. —Hilary Saunders, Darlene Love performed this Christmas classic for Dave since 1986—first on Late Night on NBC, then on CBS’s Late Show—so it’s impossible to choose a single performance of hers for the purposes of this list. This time, he brings a string section with him, climbs atop a piano and shrugs his way through some of his strongest lyrics to date. St. Paul & The Broken Bones, “Call Me”, 13. Led by the unmatched emotion of lead vocalist Samuel T. Herring, the band’s synth-pop performance carried an incredible charisma not normally seen from fellow under-the-radar bands stepping onto a late-night talk show stage. Dylan, promoting Infidels, refused to be interviewed, so he performed three songs. —Hilary Saunders, Some of the best bands of all time came from England, but by 1995 we were stuck with either the cartoonish ogres of Oasis and their acolytes or the digressive art-school whimsy of Blur. It was a powerful, driving performance, and a defiant farewell from one of the 20th century’s most underrated songwriters. —Amy McCarthy, Other late night shows have been more welcoming to hip-hop acts, but when Letterman welcomed that sound into his studio, the artists in question tended to respond by throwing down in a huge way. Rage Against the Machine, “Guerilla Radio”, 14. Back when started Late Night With David Letterman on NBC in the early 80’s, he distanced himself from mentor Johnny Carson by featuring a variety of rock acts that would have freaked out audiences during The Tonight Show’s time-slot. His taste had a major impact on breaking young musical acts to a wider audience. The outside segment was filmed with a fisheye lens, mimicking their official music video for the song, and when the trio entered the studio, the in-house audience erupted with glee. He’s in a cab! But it’s also worth noting his musical legacy. 3,154 Tastepoints. Shopping. The lineup includes Robert Downey Jr., Dave Chappelle, Lizzo and Kim Kardashian West. 2. Never mind that it’s one of the best songs Sleater-Kinney ever wrote. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. —Matthew Oshinsky, With such an extensive body of work, there are plenty of Dylan tracks that have somehow managed to fly under the radar, even as the man himself has grown into a national musical treasure. All of this was made all the more emotional by Killer Mike’s command to his audiences at home: “If you ever lost someone, if people are still here, man, that you love, put your RTJs in the air tonight.” —Tess Duncan, For those of us who have sat through countless high school and graduation montages set to Green Day’s “Good Riddance,” it can be hard to remember that in 1994, with the release of Dookie, they became emblems of youthful defiance. David Letterman went out of late-night TV the way he came in: on his own terms, guided by a subversive sense of humor that was severely allergic to sentiment or phoniness. —Amy McCarthy, Father John Misty’s first Letterman appearance, performing “Only Son of the Ladiesman,” is worthy of its own spot on this list, but when it came time for him to return to the show and debut the “Bored in the USA” single ahead of I Love You, Honeybear’s release, Josh Tillman somehow topped himself. —Garrett Martin, Letterman’s longstanding relationship with Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters made for a mutual admiration society since the band first appeared on Late Night back in 1995. The other half was from Letterman. On this day in 1977, Elvis Presley performed "Moody Blue" for the first, and last, time. They were personally asked by Letterman to play their seminal hit “Everlong” for his first show back from having quintuple heart bypass surgery in early 2000, dropping everything—“I think we canceled a tour,” Grohl said—to do so. A crew of videographers and assistants helped McCartney climb out of the window and on the makeshift stage before he launched into a rollicking version of the Beatles’ “Get Back.” The crowds for the free show spanned at least two city blocks—a fitting return for the legendary singer and triumphant feat for Letterman and the intersection of television and pop culture. The Britpop icons made their U.S. television début on Letterman’s Late Show back in 1994. Letterman has never been shy about hosting musical guests (or any guests, for that matter) who stand by their social and political beliefs. Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago would later say of Letterman’s musical director/organist: You know, he did a good job, scrunched up on his keyboards rocking away! The host banters with frontman Paul Janeway and Co. for a good two minutes before the Birmingham-based group even starts playing, during which time he reveals the show’s previous attempts to book the band, and begs them to “beat [the song] to death” like the first time he heard the soulful “Call Me.” With just over five months left in his television career at the time, Letterman seemed to delight in the perks of his victory lap, beseeching the band to do it for him. Letterman’s near-condescension in the introduction gives way to a surprised admiration when the song ends. David Letterman discography and songs: Music profile for David Letterman, born 12 April 1947. A slamming Tom Waits cover from the group’s final studio album. He hosted a late night television talk show for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC, and ending with the May 20, 2015, broadcast of the Late Show with David Letterman on CBS. So. And this is something that hasn’t waned: back in April, the internets were abuzz with the bizarre, theatrical performance by synth-poppers Future Islands, bringing them significant mainstream exposure. On Wednesday, May 20, 2015, CBS’s The Late Show with David Letterman will be signing off. From May 9th through the 13th in 1994, David Letterman took his Late Show to California. On June 18, the former star of Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show kicks off a series of performances at New York's Radio City Music Hall, where he'll be … For the three-and-a-half-minute duration of the song, TV on the Radio thoroughly rocked the Late Show stage, standing in the spotlight of an undoubtedly full moon. Favorite child Melissa implored Letterman to sing “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”, to which the host acquiesced to, in full silhouette, with a voice that was clearly not his own. Pearl Jam performed Black on the show, and Letterman was so enthralled he later asked Schaffer to work out the melody…thus prompting Vedder to pop up unannounced and wail the outro, only to disappear again. No such luck). Tomorrow night is David Letterman's final Late Show, which means he'll be presenting his last Top Ten List. Central Rain” was actually the second song the band played on Letterman, but it’s noted by some superb conversation between Dave, Peter Buck and Mike Mills. Thanks for the laughs Dave…and the musical memories. There’s no word yet from Netflix about whether Letterman will host musical guests on his new show, but we’re holding out hope. Letterman is clearly smitten with vocalist Johnette Napolitano, teasing her before their set: their lead singer turns out to be my fiancée! Killer Mike and El-P refuse to let pertinent problems like police brutality to continue to be swept under the rug. As his last song, he played “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner” at Dave’s request. CBS's Late Show with David Letterman regularly featured different sketches that follow the monologue and precede interviews with guests. While the late Layne Staley’s gaunt appearance is a disturbing foreshadowing of things to come, the performance is electric. His intro was short but sweet: Ladies and gentlemen, my favorite band, playing my favorite song. 0/12.5K likes in common. Then they take the stage in penguin suits. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window). One of which turned out to be The Sex Pistols Steve Jones. David Letterman was your taste-maker older brother who shared his favorite music nightly like a perfectly curated mixtape. Share. A performance so cantankerous it couldn’t be confined to the Ed Sullivan theater. It’s simply not Christmas until this late-night tradition, with its choir, horns, fake snow and all, airs, so we have to assume that now that it’s over, the holiday is canceled this year. Dave chases after him in delight, screaming Eddie! Ironically enough, Letterman A match made in heaven. Last night Vedder did a performance of Better Man on Letterman (I was just waiting for him to sing Letterman as a quick homage. All Rights Reserved, David Letterman will return to television, 24. Their taste tends to be both up-to-the-minute and pretty good; equal parts mainstream, Pitchfork and Random Shit on the Internet. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Part of what makes this “Bored in the USA” performance so incredible is that the studio audience clearly has no idea what to make of it—particularly once that laugh track kicks in. Not only does Paul Shaffer join the band for a ridiculous organ solo (which is exactly as weird as it sounds), but no one else in the band plays their regular instruments. 2626. In fact, the jumping and pushing and crowdsurfing began even before Zach de la Rocha began rapping. Half of my taste in music came from the record collections of relatives. Paul Schaffer is having the time of his life adding organ accompaniment. A performance so amazingly unhinged it was inevitable the band would combust soon after. Learn how your comment data is processed. Yep, this happened. “If I’d had known that, I would’ve gotten on the piano years ago,” Letterman quips after the performance, before flashing a grin and looking into Camera One, “Hey, I am Mr. Rock and Roll, aren’t I?” On this night he sure was. One of the last appearances of the late MCA features a spirited performance that sees the Beasties walking all the way from the NYC subway to the Ed Sullivan theater without breaking a sweat. He says, “It’s got the bitter medicinal taste and high alcohol content I love.” You know what comes next, of course. Mightytower28m h en 21. A grey-haired Cash performed the somber track, a story of a young cowboy with something to prove who is killed in a gun fight, on Letterman well after its original release. In his final appearance on The Late Show 30 years later in October 2002, Warren Zevon called the host “the best friend my music’s ever had.” The two friends spent the entire hour together—Zevon was the only guest, and they both knew this would be his last chance, because Zevon was sick with the cancer that would kill him less than a year later. The Foo Fighters have played The Late Show many times, but this was the most poignant. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. What set Billie Joe Armstrong apart from his peers, and what landed him a spot on network television, was his command of melody. —Robert Ham, Supposedly this wasn’t planned. —Amanda Schurr, The last time Paul McCartney played at the Ed Sullivan Theater, it was Feb. 9, 1964, and the Beatles were making their American television debut. This is an early glimpse of a future biggest band in the world, a beautiful and sad portal into the past when everybody was young or not even alive, yet, and when indie rock hadn’t become indie rock, yet. In a culture fixated on class, in a medium that at its best has always been very aware of class, Pulp somehow crafted the greatest British rock song about the subject. Each raised-eyebrow expression for every “People change…” was accompanied by Herring’s outreached hand which he would quickly pull back into his chest, clearly seizing the moment for his band. Cash would go on to perform on Letterman multiple times, but this performance still remains his best, and one of the best of all time. It’s really important that people in his position understand that they have influence over the direction of pop culture—especially musically. Ween on Letterman. The Boston band’s television début featured a spirited performance, joined by Paul Schaffer and the Late Show band. Often these are repeated absurdist segments, involving various cast members, Dave's friends, audience participation, edited or contrived news or promotional videos, or competitions or stunts staged outside the Ed Sullivan Theater . Before there were Thank You Notes with Jimmy Fallon or Carpool Karaoke with James Corden, there were Top Ten Lists with David Letterman. What David Letterman & His 'Late Show' Meant To MusicDavid Letterman was your taste-maker older brother who shared his favorite music nightly like a perfectly curated mixtape. 0/997 likes in common. The David Letterman era on network television has been full of mesmerizing, questionable, hilarious, and downright exceptional musical performances. And then Jarvis Cocker sensually gesticulated his way through the song on CBS one night in 1995 and made the entire American nation full of nerdy, repressed boys and girls fall endlessly in love with him. The trailer is the perfect blend of humor, heart and that distinctive David Letterman charisma. A great performance from one of Dave’s favorite bands. When they appeared on Letterman to play their hit single “Basket Case,” they represented a sort of second wave of punk. For a guy who’s launched everyone from Hootie and the Blowfish to Future Islands on air, he’s always given zero fucks about anything other than his personal taste. Tell us in the comments. “So. Not only was the duo’s delivery on point during their Letterman performance, but the combination of haunting beats, Boots’s soulful refrain, and the back-up singers’ Día de Muertos attire resulted in an eerily compelling show. It was this performance that helped bring the art-rock band from Brooklyn to the mainstream, further emphasizing Letterman’s reputation for helping modern indie bands (at least ones he likes) get their starts. Such was the case when Letterman fan-boy-fawned over up-and-comers St. Paul & The Broken Bones. View all posts by SLIS. Iggy Pop tops off a manic performance from his Instinct album with a hilarious interview. For more than thirty years, David Letterman has been the guy working the talk-show host. Much has been made of Letterman’s mark on comedy: his sense of irony and awkward humor helped shaped the face of 21st century comedy. . Watch later. were just a bunch of earnest nerds from Athens when they first dropped by Late Night in 1983, long before they became an era-defining rock band or the surest sign of the generation gap between Generation X’ers and their oblivious teenagers. Those same qualities became Letterman’s calling card at the start, and it’s no wonder the two got along so well when Zevon first appeared on his program in 1982. Before he has his own show, David Letterman would occasionally act as a guest host for "The Tonight Show," between 1978-1980. Until then, here’s a look back at our rankings, originally published on May 20, 2015 (the day of his final show on CBS), of the greatest performances during Letterman’s first 35 years on television. Follow. In the quiet beginning of the song, singer Adam Duritz stands awkwardly in the middle of the band with his hands in the pockets of his ripped jeans. 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