There are only so many chances left for Stephen Colbert to insert himself into one of his musical guests’ performances on The Late Show. Tuesday night, he took one.
During the broadcast, David Byrne and his blue-suited band and backup dancers delivered a spirited performance of “Burning Down the House.” Near the end of the number, Colbert emerged in a blue suit of his own, joining Byrne and company onstage for a final burst of dancing.
The moment continued a Late Show tradition that dates back to Colbert’s very first week: Colbert joyfully crashing his musical guests’ performances, often with more enthusiasm than polish—though some have been quite polished.
Given the timing, the song choice was hard to miss. In a 2024 interview with The Wall Street Journal, the former Talking Heads frontman described “Burning Down the House” as “a metaphor for destroying something safe that entrapped you,” calling it an expression of liberation and breaking free from whatever was holding you back.
It wasn’t Colbert’s first trip into Byrne’s songbook. In 2017, a video of him performing “Once in a Lifetime” at a benefit for the Montclair Film Festival in New Jersey made the rounds.
The Late Show has just one episode left before its series finale on Thursday. Though CBS and the show have kept a tight lid on their plans for the farewell, we wouldn’t be surprised if Colbert manages to squeeze in at least one more musical number before signing off.
Wednesday night’s penultimate episode will see Colbert joined by a group of special guests as he takes “The Colbert Questionert.” Bruce Springsteen is also set to perform.
Watch David Byrne’s Late Show performance of “Burning Down the House” at the top of this post.
