Sure, Yoko Ono with Sean Lennon and Mark Ronson on Fallon was interesting (we only lasted 30 seconds before flipping channels), Tegan and Sara’s “Hell” sounded pretty good on Conan, and Ghostface Killah’s slot on Kimmel was—as the Awl put it—”blessedly free of autotune,” but here are a few of our favorite late night musical performances from the week:
Pixies on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien – “Here Comes Your Man”
It’s no surprise that the Pixies, who just dropped a free live Doolittle EP, while on their Doolittle Tour, where they’re playing the entire Doolittle album, opted to play this classic track from Doolittle on Conan. Some songs are just so well-written that they kill every freakin’ time. Watch it here or below:
Monsters of Folk and the Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon – “Dear God”
It’s always nice when a band uses the late night television platform to try something a little different, not to mention after their recent Kiss Halloween costume gig it seems the Monsters of Folk are up for anything. Watch here or below as Conor Oberst, Jim James, Mike Mogis, and M. Ward join Fallon’s house band the Roots for an inspired version of “Dear God.”
Regina Spektor on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson – “Eet”
Ever since we saw Regina Spektor open for the Dresden Dolls at Toad’s Place in New Haven, CT a while back, we’ve been big fans of her albums, but even bigger fans of her live show. Whereas her studio work can sometimes sound too sterile for our taste, Regina always has a way of bringing out an emotional live performance. Watch here or below as she plays a perfect version of “Eet” (complete with banter about her album art by our favorite Scottish late night host):