Welcome to the latest episode of Theme Week here in Late-Night TV Music land. For those keeping score at home. Monday was Bad Musical Theatre Night, while Tuesday was Mellow Night. As for Wednesday, well it was apparently Roots Night, thanks to a trio of country(ish) performances. Naturally, my vote for best clip of the night goes to the legendary Steve Martin and Steep Canyon Rangers, delivering a suitably clever reading of their unrequited West Coast love letter California on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Behind them we have Orville Peck’s appropriately dark and twangy rendition of Dead of Night on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Little Big Town’s harmonious Next to You for Late Night With Seth Meyers. Sadly, it appears a couple of shows either didn’t get (or more alarmingly chose to ignore) the roots memo. I’m looking at you, Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: You very blatantly hosted rapper Roddy Ricch, who paid tribute to Kobe Bryant during his performance of The Box. And don’t think I didn’t notice Celeste crooning the transifixing ballad Strange on your stage, The Late Late Show With James Corden. I have to say I’m very disappointed. After, all, Theme Week only works if everybody participates. Otherwise, we have late-night musical anarchy. And nobody wants that. Certainly not me. Then I’d have to come up with some other daft concept to string this stuff together.
https://youtu.be/oc48ELH16zA
https://youtu.be/E9dFgzvSnMM
https://youtu.be/vfuymDnHgEc
https://youtu.be/sPNnHZk0ai8
