The Best in Late-Night Music: Week of Oct. 5

Greetings, music fans. Once again, I beseech you to step away from your radios, your playlists, your downloads. Open your eyes and your ears to see the power of live music and live TV. It’s a powerful combination that creates a certain type of performance not easily replicated. Something happens when a musician has three pairs of eyes on him: those in the studio audience, those behind the camera, and those sitting in front of their screens. It’s magic, people. Behold.

This week’s late-night winner: Stephen Colbert

The Colbert Music Nation is born. He’s one month into the gig, and Colbert is starting to find his groove. He’s also booking some insanely cool and adventurous music. What I dig the most? Artists who come onto The Late Show feel free to go off-script. Instead of recreating studio performances note-for-note, songs get striped down, turned around, and pulled inside-out. Plus, where else would cellist Yo-Yo Ma and a New Orleans jazz band perform a classical suite from 1886 on network TV? It’s live music without a net.

MONDAY

Paul Weller on Conan

The former Style Council and Jam mastermind continues his white Britsoul journey. He’s even sitting behind the piano like a Surrey Ray Charles sitting in with a mod backing band. Pushing 60 years old, Weller’s still the coolest guy in the room. (WATCH HIM HERE)

TUESDAY

Florence + The Machine on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Anyone who brings a harp to a gig is all right with me. Florence stripped her current single “What Kind of Man” bare, leaving behind the beat and throwing all the ache front and center. Stirring.

WEDNESDAY

Tame Impala on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

More Perth pop perfection from Tame Impala, who turned Colbert’s TV church into a 1960s trippy planetarium rave. They were the most hypnotic thing on TV all week.

THURSDAY

CeeLo Green on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

I’ll admit that I got a little burned out on CeeLo after one too many Voice and reality TV appearances. But here he is — looking like crimson Black Moses surrounded by the Watson Twins playing the part of his ‘70s femme fatales. Welcome back, CeeLo. The overexposure is forgiven. Even the eDiets ad.

Follow The Reverend Shawn Amos on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+

Listen to the Reverend Shawn Amos on iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud

Watch the Reverend Shawn Amos on YouTube