Tonight's Musical Guest, Today
The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Nirvana on Saturday Night Live. Warren Zevon on David Letterman. Sometimes, late-night TV musical performances live on forever. Most don’t. But we still want to talk about them.
Each week on “Tonight’s Musical Guest, Today”, long-time friends Alex Beaton and Jon Hillman dive in on the music and cultural memory of a band through the arc of their late-night TV performances. Watch along with Alex and Jon as they examine and react to these musical history moments preserved in the amber of time alongside two celebrity guests and a talk show host.
From Conan to Colbert, Letterman to Leno, or SNL to MadTV, there is no shortage of iconic late-night musical moments. And no end to the ones you don’t remember.
Tonight's Musical Guest, Today
No Doubt
They sparked a national obsession with ska horns and new wave keyboard while being led by one of the most famous frontwomen of the 1990s. It's NO DOUBT week!
The clip journey this week takes the show from local SoCal cable access in 1990 to Super Bowl 37 in 2003. In between, the guys discuss the formative and massive impact of Tragic Kingdom, with 1996 performances on Conan and SNL. A performance on Conan four years later finds the band trying a little too hard to replicate that mega success. And the band's big left turn, hit-making Rocksteady era is captured on SNL. Plus the debut of Only the Voice!
Want to watch along with us? Check out the links below for the performances discussed this week!
Up Yours/Big City Train, 1/10/90 on The Gig
Just a Girl, 1/30/96 on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Don't Speak (37:43 mark)/Excuse Me Mr. (56:50 mark), 12/7/96 on Saturday Night Live
Ex-Girlfriend/Simple Kind of Life, 4/7/00 on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Hey Baby (26:40 mark)/Hella Good (1:00:20 mark), 12/15/01 on Saturday Night Live
Just a Girl/Message in a Bottle with Sting, 1/16/03 on Super Bowl 37