Watch Bob Dylan’s Willfully Strange Performance On David Letterman’s Penultimate Show
David Letterman’s last-ever Late Show will air tonight. But if Letterman somehow doesn’t make it to work today, last night’s show was a pretty good one to go out on. The episode had appearances from a couple of American legends who also happen to be perverse old kooks. Bill Murray, maybe Letterman’s favorite guest ever, showed up covered in cake, which just makes sense. And then, as the musical guest, Bob Dylan made his first Letterman appearance since 1993. (It might’ve also been his first late-night TV performance in general since then? Dylan just doesn’t do late-night TV.) Dylan’s performance was the sort of theatrical oddness we’ve come to expect from the man at this stage of his life. After Letterman called him “the greatest songwriter of modern times,” Dylan proceeded to sing a song he didn’t write: The old standard “The Night We Called It A Day,” from his new Sinatra tribute album Shadows In The Night. The performance felt meandering and off, as recent-vintage Dylan performances do. And when Letterman came out to share the stage with Dylan at the end, Dylan pretty much glared at Letterman, looking like a disapproving grandma. It was all tremendously entertaining, and you can watch it below.
There are no announced guests for tonight’s show, so I guess you’ll just have to watch instead of waiting for the next-morning YouTubes.