The 25 Best Musical Performances on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

By Elijah Watson

Though Jimmy Fallon has moved on to hosting The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, leaving his position as host of Late Night to Seth Meyers, he has left behind a legacy of eclectic musical guests.

So, in celebration of Fallon's recent move, we revisit the best performances on Late Night. Huge thanks Questlove, Jonathan Cohen, and Fallon for choosing such an incredible roster of performers, and long may you continue to do so on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

From Morrissey to Bon Iver and Kid Cudi to Lauryn Hill, here are the 25 best performances from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Date performed: October 3, 2012

Why were the members of Morrissey's backing band wearing t-shirts with he word "Thug" on it? It's a question that will only plague viewers for a brief moment, as once Morrissey got going, he had your undivided attention. The guy strutted around with undeniable swagger, and his baritone vocal delivery? Still eargasmic. Time and time again, he'll hurt us by knocking down the possiblity of a Smiths reunion, but as long as we have Morrissey, we'll be okay.

Date performed: September 21, 2009

It's been years since their inception (1983), but Living Colour can still put on a show. Sure, the performance lacked a certain level of shred (it's difficult to watch this set and not see Vernon Reid go into a face-melting guitar solo), but the guys showcased one of the qualities that made them so interesting in the first place: their versatility.

Date performed: August 10, 2010

Television sets across the country likely broke down during this performance. Hearing Jimmy Fallon utter the words, "World Painted Blood" on national television is just as awesome as it is absurd. But once the cameras panned over to Slayer, the legendary thrash metal group, viewers were immediately reminded that the band can still put on a blisteringly fast-paced show. All that's missing from their set is Questlove headbanging and/or stagediving from one of Slayer's stacks of Marshall amps.

Date performed: February 23, 2011

You know "Poison." Your friends know "Poison." Your parents know "Poison." The song is a Bell Biv DeVoe classic, and if you ever doubted its timelessness for a second, this performance knocked you over your head quicker than you could say, "Never trust a big butt and a smile." Plus, look at those synchronized dance moves. If you were embarrassed about dancing in front of your TV screen during this performance, rest assured: so was everybody else.

Date performed: June 21, 2011

Despite Justin Vernon's scruffy appearance, he is a man with the voice of an angel. Seriously, listen to him hit that high note at the 1:30 mark. And those harmonies? Sure, Vernon's recent rendition of "Holocene" with The Roots is good, too, but nothing can touch the original.

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Date performed: November 3, 2010

Kid Cudi, St. Vincent, Cage, and The Roots all on one stage? That's a rare sight. Everything about this performance was spot on. From Cudi's hypnotizing verse, to Cage's stone-cold delivery, to the random guy in gray most likely recording the performance on his iPhone, this live rendition of "Maniac" is both haunting and enthralling.

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Date performed: November 21, 2011

Recorded, "Midnight City" is a modern masterpiece of electronically charged catchiness. But live, the song's nuances come to life. The danceable percussion, the infectious hook, and that incredible saxophone solo all made M83's performance on Late Night so memorable. Plus, it was kind of cool to see Anthony Gonzalez mess around with all that analogue equipment like some methodical dream-pop scientist.

Date performed: September 13, 2013

Drake could have played it safe. He could have performed the boisterous "Started From The Bottom," or the romantic "Hold On, We're Going Home" (both of which could have been great with support from The Roots). But instead he took a chance by selecting the introspective "Too Much."

"I just want to say, to my friends and family: I want the best for everybody and I love you all," he says, right before Sampha's mesmerizing vocals led into the song. This performance of "Too Much" resonated for all of the obvious reasons—Sampha, ominous lighting, and Drake, who bore his soul during this deeply personal performance.

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Date performed: November 7, 2011

What began as a relatively calm performance would soon explode. St. Vincent confidently strumming away at her guitar, producing distorted, jarring chords reminded viewers that Annie Clark isn't just another pretty face, another tender voice—she's a force to be reckoned with. Her intense, unwavering gaze also made it difficult for one to look away.

Watch the video here.

Date performed: August 14, 2012

It's easy to get lost in this performance. As Claire Boucher impressively and patiently layers each element of the song, introducing them one at a time, it is like watching a master methodically approach her craft. A highlight from the performance is definitely when she rested the microphone between her neck and shoulder so that she could cue a sample and play the keyboard—that's some next level multitasking there. The backup dancers are the icing to Boucher's cake, but Grimes remained as the center of attention.

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Date performed: July 12, 2013

How can you not feel some type of way when watching this performance? Ciara not only sounded, but also looked incredible, and The Roots were on point. No one would judge if you had to cool yourself off every 10 seconds, because her momentum, her sensual, fiery energy, persisted until the end, making this one of the most electric performances on Late Night.

An honorable mention goes to Future, though, for singing, and then lighting up a cigar and drinking some liquor throughout Ciara's performance on national television. Do you, Future. Do you.

Date performed: January 6, 2010

You probably couldn't even hear the performance over your replicating of the "Grindin'" beat on your coffee table. Though it sounds as if the tempo of the song was sped up for this performance, differing from the song's neck-snapping production, it's nonetheless Clipse and, more importantly, it's Clipse performing "Grindin'," one of their best known songs. If only Pharrell's Icecream shoes had aged as well as this infamous track.

Date performed: July 14, 2011

Similar to The xx's performance, James Blake's live rendition of "The Wilhelm Scream" satisfied through its minimalism. Blake's soulful voice resonated in the still air alongside rising synths and electronic percussion. There were moments when his voice gave way to the song's melodies, which were arguably the best parts of his performance. Those moments of (perhaps deliberate) error—those cracks or punctures in his vocal delivery—only add to the performance's gloomy allure.

Date performed: January 20, 2014

Everything about this performance worked. Sam Smith. The Disclosure brothers. That head overseeing the stage and mouthing Smith's vocal parts. When Smith belted out the chorus without missing a note, you couldn't help but stand up and dance along (that is, if you weren't already doing that). For a good four minutes, Disclosure latched onto us, and if they wanted to keep us in their embrace for a little longer, that would've been fine, too.

Date performed: September 9, 2013

This was the performance that made us realize that we all wanted a lot more Charlie Wilson in "Bound 2." Like, how does one not have an out of body experience when Wilson sings that hook? While the singer steals the spotlight from Kanye West in this performance, the children's choir harmonizing during the song's main melody also added a brilliant, moving element, and Kanye taking a jab at Ray J is never a bad thing. Thank you for this performance, Yeezus.

Date performed: October 3, 2011

Another performance that resonated with viewers while taking a minimalistic approach. Radiohead's rendition of "Give Up the Ghost" left you with chills. When that loop of Thom Yorke singing, "Don't hurt me," came in alongside Yorke's and Johnny Greenwood's guitars, the song became hypnotizing. Then Yorke's voice soared over every other element. Michael Stipe might have looked stone-faced before Yorke and Greenwood performed, but he was probably in tears off-camera.

Date performed: October 5, 2011

Portishead's performance of "Chase The Tear" was driven by an upbeat groove, and Beth Gibbons' vocal delivery was hauntingly good. Even if you're not interested in the quality of the group's performance, it's still be worth checking out solely for how they were set up. Gibbons was in the corner, hidden in darkness with the rest of her bandmates, demanding more of your attention. This was the band's first televised U.S. appearance in 13 years and, as you'll see above, it was an incredible comeback.

Date performed: June 14, 2011

Lauryn Hill live can be a hit or a miss nowadays, but when it's the former—or even remotely close to it—you know that you're in for a treat. Though the tempo of this rendition of Hill's classic "Doo Wop (That Thing)" is much faster than the original, it sounds great. And to top it all off, she's pregnant. She's jumping back and forth between soulful singing and spoken word raps, while carrying a child in her belly, and there's something very beautiful in that. Lauryn Hill will always be a queen, and if you need to be reminded of that, keep this performance bookmarked.

Date performed: July 9, 2012

Not only was this Frank Ocean’s first televised American performance, but it was the first performance after he published that open letter on Tumblr, recounting his unrequited love for another man.

Fittingly, Ocean chose "Bad Religion" for the performance, in which he uses the male pronoun when referring to his romantic interest. His voice was strong and declarative, but also pained and somber throughout, and the string section that accompanied him only added to the impact. Unrequited love is painful no matter who it's with, and Ocean addressed that in this performance of one of his best songs.