America, aging and Butch Walker. Those were the themes in play Tuesday night (and Wednesday morning) on the talk shows. Naturally, nobody played it bigger and bolder than The Killers, who enlisted a choir for the debut performance of their politically charged anthem Land of the Free on Jimmy Kimmel Live. To be fair, they actually played it Monday night, but didn’t drop the video until Tuesday, along with their extended performance of the Hot Fuss chestnut All These Things That I’ve Done. If listening to a song you loved back in 2004 didn’t make you feel a little old, maybe these guys will: Broadway star Ben Platt hit the nail on the head with his gospel-tinged soul-stirrer Older on The Late Late Show With James Corden, while Matchbox 20 frontman Rob Thomas presented his ode to aging One Less Day (Dying Young) on The Ellen Degeneres Show. The latter comes from Thomas’s upcoming album Chip Tooth Smile, which was produced by Nashville rocker Butch Walker — who also happened to be on Last Call With Carson Daly, backing up singer-songwriter Rayland Baxter on the Kinks-style number Casanova. Baxter’s other number? Strange American Dream, bringing us right back where we started. See how it all comes together? But of course, there’s always an exception. On Tuesday it was singer-songwriter H.E.R., ignoring the nightly trends by playing Hard Place on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Then again, what could be more American than striking out on your own?
https://youtu.be/TdICOuTQxUA
https://youtu.be/I5A8j38PIvs
https://youtu.be/7rL6UnEj82Q
https://youtu.be/Yz4kZ4sshBA
