Stephen Colbert dancing on “The Colbert Report” because he’s awesome. Farewell, sweet prince.
Alas, after nine years and 1,442 episodes “The Colbert Report” will end its incredible run of smart and hilarious political satire. On Dec. 18, Stephen Colbert will run out in front of a screaming crowd, sit at his “C” shaped desk and take the role of a conservative political pundit for the last time.
This isn’t a total loss for Colbert fans, though, as he’ll succeed David Letterman as the host of “The Late Show” in 2015.
Throughout the show’s nine years it wasn’t just known for biting political commentary and unwavering devotion to the art of satire, it was a place for some of television’s best musical performances and artist interviews. As we wrote when the news was announced that Colbert would take over “The Late Show”:
There’s a lot to like about Colbert: he’s obsessed with Lord of the Rings, he’s run for president, he has his own ice cream, has great hair, but most importantly, he’s a music lover. With a background in musical theater, Colbert sings, dances and performs with his musical guests … Colbert has a track record of bringing an unpredictable and well-curated group of musical guests on his show.
In honor of the show and its final episode, we put together a list of the best musical moments from “The Colbert Report.”
Pussy Riot Interview
A bold guest choice for “The Colbert Report.” Would these badass Russian political activists understand the nuanced humor of Stephen Colbert? Luckily, it worked out. After having been released from prison, Pussy Riot appeared for an interview that was light on the comedy and heavy on the insight.
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar didn’t waste his opportunity as the last musical guest on “The Colbert Report.” He used his appearance to debut a brand new song on the show. The performance was somewhat poetic, as both immensly talented artists will enter a new stage of their careers in 2015 — Colbert on “The Late Show,” and Lamar with his follow up to “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.”
Radiohead
Argue with us all you want, but Radiohead is the best act to grace “The Colbert Report” stage. The band performed four tracks and sat down for a surprisingly excellent interview — even if it was impossible to decipher what lead vocalist Thom Yorke was muttering. Colbert, like a good sport, played along.
Pavement
In 2010, as Pavement embarked on its long-awaited reunion tour, the band chose to make a stop at Colbert Headquarters. There, the band played “Gold Soundz,” marking the first time some hungry fans had heard the song performed live in years. Also, some critics consider “Gold Soundz” the best song of the ’90s.
Daft Punk’s almost-appearance
https://dailymotion.com/video/x12ucj4
by daftworld
Do you remember that one time that Daft Punk was slated to make a rare television appearance on “The Colbert Report” for what he called “StePhest Colbchella ‘013”? Well, they didn’t show up. Instead, the story goes that Daft Punk had to cancel to a prior commitment with an awards ceremony at the MTV Video Music Awards. The master of the evening improvised and shook his can with Bryan Cranston, Matt Damon and Jimmy Fallon to “Get Lucky.”
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Julio Enriquez is a Denver writer and photographer, editor of the Cause=Time blog and a regular contributor to Reverb
