Marcus King on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Southern-rock guitarist and songwriter Marcus King made his debut Fallon performance last night, performing “Wildflowers & Wine” from his debut solo record, El Dorado. The remote recording featured most of the Marcus King Band members, in addition to two female background vocalists. The performance highlights King’s soulful vocal delivery, smooth and proficient guitar-playing, and an unbelievable understanding of the Southern rock tradition. To top it off, King teases the holiday classic “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” at its finish.
The Voidz on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas has been consistently releasing music with side project The Voidz, a more experimental outlet for the singer’s creative endeavors. Most recently, Casablancas has curated a radio station for video game Grand Theft Auto, an outlet he used to debut the newest Voidz track, “Alien Crime Lord,” before formally releasing it to streaming services this past week. The six-piece band performed the song for Fallon last night in a set that resembles a 90’s MTV shoot. Featuring layers of vocal effects, synthesizers and fuzzed out guitars, the song is classic Voidz, and certainly an interesting sound to bring to late-night television.
Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band on Saturday Night Live
Likely the biggest rock act to hit the revered musical stage of Saturday Night Live this season, Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band brought two songs to last week’s episode, the band’s first appearance on the show since 2015. Performing “I’ll See You In My Dreams” and “Ghosts” from the recently released Letter To You, the band showed a raw energy and excitement throughout. Notably missing was founding bassist Garry Tallent and violinist Soozie Tyrell, who didn’t join due to COVID concerns. Regardless of lineup, the performances offer all that you could want from Bruce and the band, amplifying the studio versions to entire new heights.
Phoebe Bridgers on The Late Late Show with James Corden
As Phoebe Bridgers continues to prove herself as one of the best new songwriters in the modern music scene, she continues to make her late-night-television rounds. Following memorable performances on Seth Myers’ and Stephen Colbert’s shows, Bridgers stopped by The Late Late Show for yet another incredible guest spot, this time performing a gorgeous rendition of “Kyoto.” Endlessly theatrical and creative, Bridgers initially sings the orchestral take of the song from her bed, before green-screening Carnegie Hall as a backdrop to complete it.
Lana Del Rey on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Pop songwriting icon Lana Del Rey has stayed busy in the last two years, releasing the fantastic, critically acclaimed Norman Fucking Rockwell! in 2019, the spoken word album Violet Bent Backwards Over Grass earlier this year, recorded an album of American classics expected to be released soon, and is now preparing for the release of a new full-length, Chemtrails Over the Country Club in 2021. The singer, who rarely performs on late-night television, stopped by Fallon’s show to perform her newest single from the latter, “Let Me Love You Like A Woman.” The glamorous performance is shot in front of what appears to be a vintage, small-town dive bar, and features a stripped down band with three background singers.
The White Stripes on Saturday Night Live
Though this one obviously isn’t a recent one, The White Stripes re-uploaded their only SNL performance in promotion of their recent Greatest Hits album and Rare B-Sides collection. Originally aired on October 19, 2002, following the success of their third full-length White Blood Cells, the garage-rock duo performed the brash “Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground” and softer “We’re Going To Be Friends.”