Stephen Colbert’s bandleader is giving the Late Show host the gift of music as he celebrates a milestone birthday.
Born in 1964, Colbert turns 60 today. To mark the occasion, Late Show Band bandleader Louis Cato posted a special performance of one Colbert’s favorite songs. As part of his weekly #CatoCover series on Instagram, Cato performed a rooftop acoustic rendition of Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman.”
Colbert will be spending the landmark birthday at work, kicking off a week of new Late Show episodes. But he’ll be celebrating with old friends and heroes.
His guest tonight is Steve Carell, one of Colbert’s closest friends. The two came up together at The Second City in Chicago, and both went on to star in the short-lived The Dana Carvey Show. They then served as correspondents on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, overlapping from 1999-2005. One recurring TDS segment at the time was “Even Stevphen,” which pitted the two hosts against each other in debates.
The Late Show will also feature a special perforamce from Paul Simon tonight. Colbert called Paul Simon “one of [his] favorite musicians of all time” when Simon guested on The Late Show in March.
The Late Show Instagram account also posted 61 photos (one for good luck) of Colbert on his big day.
Recognition of Colbert’s 60th came from outside The Ed Sullivan Theatre, too. Jimmy Kimmel shared a birthday shoutout for his fellow late-night host on Instagram, wishing him a “Happy 60th Colberthday!”
