What's the best live performance you've seen on a Late Night Talk Show?

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I always thought that White Stripes medley on Conan was pretty good. The one where Jack throws his guitar on Conan's desk and playys slide on it.

That really kicks ass.

― Horrid Monsta (MichaelCostello1), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 23:17 (twenty years ago)

Sonic Youth on "Night Music" or whatever that show was called.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 20 July 2005 23:32 (twenty years ago)

My Morning Jacket on Conan a couple years ago and Radiohead on SNL when Kid A came out. SNL counts right?

― jmeister (jmeister), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 23:35 (twenty years ago)

Not really. It's not a talk show.

― Horrid Monsta (MichaelCostello1), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 23:37 (twenty years ago)

my funy valentine - rufus wainwright, valentine's day some time early 21st c. on letterman.

― piscesboy, Wednesday, 20 July 2005 23:42 (twenty years ago)

I'll second the MMJ on Conan- it was the only time I've ever heard Conan say anything other than 'that was great, thanks'. I think he actually said something about wanting to go out and buy the album.

― Kevin H (Kevin H), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 23:45 (twenty years ago)

Yeah he did. I seen it to and It was one of the few performaces I had in mind when I was going to post this thread.

― Michael Costello (MichaelCostello1), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 23:47 (twenty years ago)

Teenage Fanclub on Saturday Night Live around the time when Bandwagonesque came out. Gerard Love was chewing gum and shifting it to sing. They had that awful drummer, though.

― youn, Thursday, 21 July 2005 00:18 (twenty years ago)

I think Jason Priestley was the Guest Host for TFC. That was a good performance but it don't count.

― Michael Costello (MichaelCostello1), Thursday, 21 July 2005 00:24 (twenty years ago)

Faith No More on SNL (forget the song, but Chuck ended up climbing the set and dropping back down onto stage).
Dr. Dre and Eminem on SNL ("Forgot About Dre" -- Em had jawdroppingly flawless flow).
The Pogues on SNL in the late 80s or early 90s ("Rain Street" -- Shane was semi-lucid).
Radiohead on SNL seconded ("National Anthem").
White Stripes medley on Conan seconded ("Let's Build a Home"/"John the Revelator"/"Goin' Back to Memphis").

― PB, Thursday, 21 July 2005 00:31 (twenty years ago)

pulp on letterman in like early 1996 changed my life forever, so uh that.

― gimme dat yayo, Thursday, 21 July 2005 00:32 (twenty years ago)

Duran Duran and Grandmaster Flash doing "White Lines" on Letterman in 1995. Oh my.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 21 July 2005 00:33 (twenty years ago)

Not to sound old, but the '79 three-song SNL performance by Bowie with Klaus Nomi singing back-up still amazes. And do you think SNL would let anyone do three songs these days (aside from the recent U2, of course)?

― Erick H (Erick H), Thursday, 21 July 2005 00:34 (twenty years ago)

Dave Grohl on Craig Kilborn, doing Tiny Dancer & basically just getting the audience to sing the chorus over and over again.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 21 July 2005 00:35 (twenty years ago)

do you mean the Elton song? if so, i wish i'd seen that.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Thursday, 21 July 2005 00:37 (twenty years ago)

the smothers brothers on the smothers brothers hour

― huell howser (chaki), Thursday, 21 July 2005 00:56 (twenty years ago)

Dave Grohl did Stairway to Heaven on Kilborn too, basically just singing the first verse and then skipping to the heavier part. It was pretty funny

― jedidiah (jedidiah), Thursday, 21 July 2005 00:57 (twenty years ago)

Although I'm not really a fan, The Hives were fantastic on Letterman last year. Normally Dave is totally nonchalant about musical guests, but after they were done you could tell he was uncharacteristically affected by their performance. He went up to them and said something like "Now that's how you do it."

― Keith C (kcraw916), Thursday, 21 July 2005 01:04 (twenty years ago)

tom waits has been real good on letterman through the years

― huell howser (chaki), Thursday, 21 July 2005 01:06 (twenty years ago)

White Stripes - "Let's Build a Home" on Conan. Jack White with that awesome solo on top of Conan's Desk...just awesome.

― That One Guy (That One Guy), Thursday, 21 July 2005 02:02 (twenty years ago)

Sonic Youth on "Night Music" or whatever that show was called.

OTM! Though Sun Ra on the same show (different night) completely boggled my teenage brain.

― teh Nü and Impröved john n chicago (frankE), Thursday, 21 July 2005 02:23 (twenty years ago)

i remember seeing Luna on some show (not conan)... like Tom Schneider's show but hosted by a woman... around the time of Days of our Nights or whatever that album was called. Also, the Plastics on SCTV (which i saw rebroadcast many years later)

― ken taylrr (ken taylrr), Thursday, 21 July 2005 02:24 (twenty years ago)

About the Hives on Letterman.

After the commercial break, Dave said something like "Now that's all we wanted, a real rock n' roll show" to Paul. I'm not sure if that's what he said but you can tell he really enjoyed it.

― Horrid Monsta (That One Guy), Thursday, 21 July 2005 02:29 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, the Hives on Letterman was pretty good.

Dave loves music. His favorite song is "Everlong" by the Foo Fighters (Dave Grohl played it on Dave's heart surgery comeback show).

― PB, Thursday, 21 July 2005 02:38 (twenty years ago)

Faith No More on SNL (forget the song, but Chuck ended up climbing the set and dropping back down onto stage).

That would have been Mike (Patton), not Chuck.

― Edward Bax (EdBax), Thursday, 21 July 2005 02:38 (twenty years ago)

The Pogues on SNL in the late 80s or early 90s ("Rain Street" -- Shane was semi-lucid).

utterly incoherent, as i recall it.

also, here's list of SNL hosts and guests. i would love to see this:

April 14, 1979
Host: Milton Berle
Musical Guest: Ornette Coleman

― teh Nü and Impröved john n chicago (frankE), Thursday, 21 July 2005 02:44 (twenty years ago)

That would have been Mike (Patton), not Chuck.

Oh, oops.

― PB, Thursday, 21 July 2005 02:50 (twenty years ago)

Best I can recall on SNL: Beck, "E-Pro" (the insane trash-can percussionist/robot-dancer made the song for me)

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Thursday, 21 July 2005 03:01 (twenty years ago)

HEY! SNL isn't a late night talk show. it's a sketch comedy show that features special guest hosts and musical breaks.

I'm talking about:
David Letterman
Jay Leno
Conan O'Brien
The Late Late Show
Carson Daly
Tom Schneider
Craig Furgeson
etc.

― Horrid Monsta (That One Guy), Thursday, 21 July 2005 03:04 (twenty years ago)

John Cale, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, about 12 years ago

― SoHoLa (SoHoLa), Thursday, 21 July 2005 03:10 (twenty years ago)

xpost

Not nearly as many I find interesting. I guess I'd have to say Bette Midler on Johnny Carson's last episode of the Tonight Show, maudlin though it may be.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Thursday, 21 July 2005 03:11 (twenty years ago)

Man, I've gotta see this White Stripes thing! YSI? ftp?

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Thursday, 21 July 2005 03:15 (twenty years ago)

Ben Folds Five on Conan, playing Underground changed my life and set me rolling down the musical highway.

― VoodooRunner, Thursday, 21 July 2005 03:18 (twenty years ago)

PUSSY GALORE ON UNCLE SHIT WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT DUDE'S NAME???!?

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 21 July 2005 03:29 (twenty years ago)

Craig Kilborn himself also performed an acoustic version of the Ewok 'Yub Nub' song that was nigh on classic.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 21 July 2005 03:40 (twenty years ago)

Sigur Ros on Kilborn.

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Thursday, 21 July 2005 04:00 (twenty years ago)

pretty much any Tom Waits on Letterman, but especially that weird softshoe performance he did around the time of Mule Variations. I only knew him by name then, and it was kind of shocking for some reason. That chilling performance last year too, anyone not in awe of what he can actually do with his voice should watch that one.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Thursday, 21 July 2005 04:07 (twenty years ago)

I'd say Morrissey on Kilborn, all 276 times he was on that show. Why did Kilborn have such a hard-on for the Moz?

― bernie ebbers, Thursday, 21 July 2005 04:14 (twenty years ago)

GG Allin on the Joe Franklin Show

― fliank, Thursday, 21 July 2005 04:14 (twenty years ago)

White Stripes did a whole week on Conan, my favorite was The Hardest Button To Button, which sounded much, much better than it did on Elephant.

All-time favorite: Pearl Jam around the release of No Code, did Hail Hail on Letterman for a special live broadcast. It was just so intense, one of their best-ever songs played with absolute ferocity. Afterwards, Dave came over and said, "Guys, I can't thank you enough for that."

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Thursday, 21 July 2005 04:21 (twenty years ago)

man some of you guys like some pretty fucking lousy music.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 21 July 2005 04:31 (twenty years ago)

hstencil

Pussy Galore was on Uncle Floyd???

― Horrid Monsta (That One Guy), Thursday, 21 July 2005 04:36 (twenty years ago)

yeah they were! great footage! spencer's strap breaks!

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 21 July 2005 04:37 (twenty years ago)

do you know where i can find it?

― That One Guy (That One Guy), Thursday, 21 July 2005 04:38 (twenty years ago)

Stretching the definition of "Talk Show" to the limit here, but L7 on The Word made me smile.

― bg (creamolafoam), Thursday, 21 July 2005 07:40 (twenty years ago)

Anyone remember Jack Docherty's short lived chat show on channel 5, well the episode with Bowie on was a classic. Docherty obviously a fan but not too in awe of him, Bowie relaxed and playful and on top form.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Thursday, 21 July 2005 07:44 (twenty years ago)

The Clash on Tom Snyder in 1981, right in the middle of their run at Bonds. It was what made me start listening to punk/new wave.

― Jim M (jmcgaw), Thursday, 21 July 2005 11:10 (twenty years ago)

Sigur Ros on Kilborn

But they didn't even get to play the whole song!

― PB, Thursday, 21 July 2005 12:17 (twenty years ago)

anyone have a clip of mmj on conan?

― Lupton Pitman (Chris V), Thursday, 21 July 2005 12:20 (twenty years ago)

PJ Harvey doing "Dress" on the Late show ok thx bye.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 21 July 2005 12:24 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 28 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Since SNL doesn't really count (I saw most of SNL from '75-'81 when it originally aired) I'll have to go with The Mekons on Letterman.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Thursday, 21 July 2005 16:42 (twenty years ago)

Dweezil Zappa & John Tesh (on keytar) covering Black Sabbath's "The Wizard"

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 21 July 2005 16:43 (twenty years ago)

Fishbone kind of sucked on SNL. they were crammed into this dinky space of a stage and the singer was trying so hard to be weird by flailing his lanky body around. I don't think it converted many people. They looked like a bunch of assholes up there.

― Truth is, Thursday, 21 July 2005 16:45 (twenty years ago)

looked like a bunch of assholes like a fox...

― geyser muffler and a quarter (Dave225), Thursday, 21 July 2005 16:52 (twenty years ago)

pulp on letterman in like early 1996 changed my life forever, so uh that.
-- gimme dat yayo (yesmrbelvedereiwilltouchyourballsno...), July 21st, 2005.

not good enough. tell me all!!!!! write an essay if you have to.

― piscesboy, Thursday, 21 July 2005 17:02 (twenty years ago)

i tell you what soulseek-ing THESE is tough.

― piscesboy, Thursday, 21 July 2005 17:04 (twenty years ago)

last memorable performance I remember was Death From Above 1979 on Conan a few months back where at the end of the song, Max Weinberg runs in and plays the drums. He messes up a bit when he's taking his suit coat off and gets it stuck, but still, that just makes it more punk rock or something.

― pinder (pinder), Thursday, 21 July 2005 18:51 (twenty years ago)

speaking of memorable Lettermans...the Warren Zevon "goodbye" episode (enjoy every sandwich) where he did Mutineer was pretty touching....but I thought mostly the interview parts with him and Dave were the best parts, even better than the performances.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 21 July 2005 18:56 (twenty years ago)

Oh shit, I forgot about that DFA1979 thing! That was so the fucking SHIT. I bet Max had a raging boner!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 21 July 2005 19:20 (twenty years ago)

I first discovered Maldita Vecindad when they appeared on some chat show Jonathon Ross used to present.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 21 July 2005 19:54 (twenty years ago)

I agree with Gygax - that was awesome.

― schwantz, Thursday, 21 July 2005 20:10 (twenty years ago)

tom waits yeah, but also the butthole surfers on lettermen back when 'pepper' came out, both unexpected and excellent, with gibby haynes setting his arm on fire...

― chris andrews (fraew), Thursday, 21 July 2005 20:10 (twenty years ago)

and here's the vid (realmedia - sorry):
http://blogfiles.wfmu.org/LB/Zappa_Boys_John_Tesh_-_The_Wizard.rm

― schwantz, Thursday, 21 July 2005 20:12 (twenty years ago)

"Glory Days" by Springsteen on Letterman's last NBC show.

Sonny & Cher, also on "Late Night with David Letterman"

Pavement might not have been the best performance I'd ever seen, but their appearance on Jay Leno was memorable.

Buddy Rich on Carson was always cool.

Spinal Tap on the Joe Franklin Show.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Thursday, 21 July 2005 20:22 (twenty years ago)

I can't think of many good ones on actual talk shows, but I do like how Conan seems genuinely appreciative and enthusiastic when he comes up to a lot of the bands afterwards.

SNL: Radiohead and Fishbone were definitely amazing. Fishbone I remember vividly, Everyday Sunshine blew my mind at the time.

My favorite has to be Harry Connick Jr. and his big band though, they used the whole big stage w/the band around the edges and did "It's Alright With Me". Killed it.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 21 July 2005 20:55 (twenty years ago)

Conan plays guitar, right?

Joe Franklin! I remember one show with Screamin' Jay Hawkins -- not performing, just being interviewed. He explained that what he really wanted to do was sing opera.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Thursday, 21 July 2005 20:58 (twenty years ago)

"do in life," not on JF's show

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Thursday, 21 July 2005 20:59 (twenty years ago)

I thought he played drums. I remember him beatboxing with hilarious results on Leno once.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 21 July 2005 20:59 (twenty years ago)

Pavement might not have been the best performance I'd ever seen, but their appearance on Jay Leno was memorable.

-- Pleasant Plains /// (pleasant.plain...), July 21st, 2005 2:22 PM. (Pleasant Plains ///)

I was at that taping! Drew Barrymore and Harry Shearer were the other guests.

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 21 July 2005 21:01 (twenty years ago)

I thought the Zevon interview on Letterman and his playing were most notable too.

As for SNL: Peter Tosh - Don't Look Back with Mick Jagger as a walk-on. Christ I think it was Peter Tosh.

― jim wentworth (wench), Friday, 22 July 2005 00:20 (twenty years ago)

John Fahey on "Laura Weber's Guitar" show on Berkeley Public Television, 1969.

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 22 July 2005 00:22 (twenty years ago)

Yes, Conan plays the guitar. Lots of times after a band plays and he sends it to commercial, you can hear or see him admiring the band's guitars.

― PB, Friday, 22 July 2005 00:40 (twenty years ago)

Ooooh, I completely forgot about Yo La Tengo ripping it up on John McEnroe. I think a lot of unsuspecting Americans got their asses handed to them that night.

― geyser muffler and a quarter (Dave225), Friday, 22 July 2005 00:53 (twenty years ago)

Speaking of John Tesh on Conan, John Tesh is on Conan tonight.

― PB, Friday, 22 July 2005 01:03 (twenty years ago)

Damn, I'm amazed at a slough of these, like Beefheart, Nomi, Cocteaus, Cale, Faithfull -- although I knew about the Beefheart and Cocteau performances. Personally, I've never seen a good live performance on a late night show. The closest would be Portishead on SNL around 1997 and they were pretty nondescript.

― Kitten, the body needs it, the body cries out for Ian Riese-Moraine! (Eastern Ma, Friday, 22 July 2005 01:12 (twenty years ago)

bjork doing 'coccon' on leno
cat power doing 'maybe not' on letterman

and there have been some good performances on ZED, a late night arts programme in Canada. it's not really a talk show though.

― La Monte (La Monte), Friday, 22 July 2005 01:22 (twenty years ago)

cocoon

― La Monte (La Monte), Friday, 22 July 2005 01:25 (twenty years ago)

SNL: FISHBONE(!), Nirvana's first ("Territorial Pissings" in particular), The Tragically Hip (and I don't even like them)

Sonic Youth on Letterman '94 - Kim was about 7 months pregnant wearing a Knicks jersey. They played "Bull in the Heather". Dave seemed really into it.

J.Mascis and Del the Funkee Homosapien on Arsenio playing "Missing Link".

― J-rock (Julien Sandiford), Friday, 22 July 2005 01:32 (twenty years ago)

yeah, that pussy galore on uncle floyd was synched, but i figure canned pussy galore is still better than live pearl jam.

conan plays guitar, a friend made a custom guitar strap for him.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 22 July 2005 02:09 (twenty years ago)

the white stripes series on conan. i had fallen asleep and was woken up by The hardest Button to Button.

I found a site once that had a video of the one where he plays slide on conan's desk, sadly i've lost the link. im sure its still out there.

― AaronK (AaronK), Friday, 22 July 2005 02:23 (twenty years ago)

J.Mascis and Del the Funkee Homosapien on Arsenio playing "Missing Link".

*cries*

― kit brash (kit brash), Friday, 22 July 2005 04:21 (twenty years ago)

Yellow Swans on Last Call with Carson Daly (first season, unaired)

― Roque Strew (RoqueStrew), Friday, 22 July 2005 08:22 (twenty years ago)

tori amos doing a tom waits cover on letterman right after 9/11

on snl: the b-52's doing "rock lobster", david bowie doing "the man who sold the world"

― Johann (johann), Friday, 22 July 2005 09:23 (twenty years ago)

the white stripes series on conan. i had fallen asleep and was woken up by The hardest Button to Button.
I found a site once that had a video of the one where he plays slide on conan's desk, sadly i've lost the link. im sure its still out there.

I have mpegs of all three nights' performances on my computer, but have no clue how to go about posting them somewhere.....

― PB, Friday, 22 July 2005 12:40 (twenty years ago)

I remember Dinosaur Jr. playing "The Wagon" on Letterman a long time ago. It must have been frighteningly loud, as when they came back from commercials, Dave kept shouting, "Will someone answer that phone!" My brother & I thought that was hillarious.

― theophilus jones (theophilus), Friday, 22 July 2005 12:46 (twenty years ago)

sixteen years pass...

The one I go back to the most is Future Islands playing "Seasons" on Letterman, and I can't name another FI song lmao. But it's fucking great

― cerebral halsey (rip van wanko), Friday, 24 September 2021 21:21 (four years ago)

If you can find it, Sheila E. doing 'A Love Bizarre' on SNL is magic.

― Marty J. Bilge (Old Lunch), Friday, 24 September 2021 21:22 (four years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK4lD3Uf8_o

If you've not seen it

― cerebral halsey (rip van wanko), Friday, 24 September 2021 21:22 (four years ago)

xp sorry

― cerebral halsey (rip van wanko), Friday, 24 September 2021 21:22 (four years ago)

omg my second favorite is the last post before this revive. The house guitarist plays a serviceable guitar break then j kinda smokes him

― cerebral halsey (rip van wanko), Friday, 24 September 2021 21:26 (four years ago)

Re: The Late Show, Bob Mould (which seemed to disintegrate the rafter, literally hah) was also great.

Of all-time, Neil Young on SNL in 1989 is the greatest I've ever seen on a TV variety program of any kind, but if we're talking strictly talk shows, Letterman seems to have the best track record going back to Late Night. Like Bob Dylan & the Plugz, R.E.M. (also in 1984, their network TV debut), James Brown's first appearance on Letterman, Sinead O'Connor in her first appearance...it's a long, long list.

― birdistheword, Friday, 24 September 2021 21:26 (four years ago)

I remember Dinosaur Jr. playing "The Wagon" on Letterman a long time ago. It must have been frighteningly loud, as when they came back from commercials, Dave kept shouting, "Will someone answer that phone!" My brother & I thought that was hillarious.

Hahaha I remember that. “IS THAT THE DOORBELL?” Not surprisingly — and not Dinosaur Jr.’s fault, since Dave had a fairly loud house band for years — Dave has tinnitus.

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 24 September 2021 21:30 (four years ago)

I was pretty obsessed with this clip back around the time it aired (2005). The awkward interview that follows is pretty funny, as well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKV2bHpiH1E

― Les hommes de bonbons (cryptosicko), Friday, 24 September 2021 21:33 (four years ago)

Los Lobos rockin' the living hell out of Mas Y Mas on Letterman.

― Hideous Lump, Friday, 24 September 2021 22:28 (four years ago)

this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBZoL8wpZzU

― papal hotwife (milo z), Friday, 24 September 2021 22:30 (four years ago)

Letterman in 1983 bewildered by Talking Heads (with the Stop Making Sense lineup) playing I Zimbra.

― that's not my post, Saturday, 25 September 2021 04:13 (four years ago)

Ed Sullivan probably doesn't count, but this just got an official upload and it owns.

In 1971, the talent bookers at Ed Sullivan brought on Rahsaan Roland Kirk and gave him carte blanche to put a dream band together for his appearance. This is what happened...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRO1W5twBes

― Precious, Grace, Hill & Beard LTD. (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 25 September 2021 04:35 (four years ago)

that pj is alltime. absolute badass.

roland kirk also certified badass.

this king krule performance of "a lizard state" from 2013 on conan with the house horn section sitting in is mildly simmering:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLEI8PRke9Y

fun timeline trivia: the band played "easy easy" a few nights previous on letterman. everyone wore the same outfit, except archy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbUnTPv1ZAA

― things repeat forever and there never is a remedy (Austin), Saturday, 25 September 2021 04:43 (four years ago)

Flatly extraordinary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnBZ3MKhdOk

― piscesx, Saturday, 25 September 2021 10:12 (four years ago)

The Rahsaan Roland Kirk appearance on Ed Sullivan was a result of protests by the Jazz and People’s Movement, which Kirk co-led with Archie Shepp:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/oct/09/jazz-and-peoples-movement-revolution-black-genius-us-tv-rahsaan-roland-kirk

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, 25 September 2021 11:49 (four years ago)

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