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There is something special about live performances on late night US talk shows. No matter how ‘cool’ of a band you claim to be, performing on Letterman used to be pretty close to the pinnacle. And you could feel that through the TV screen.

Whether it’s a band looking like they came straight out of an IT department, or a global superstar putting on an extravagant show, you can feel just how important it is to every musician. It means something that most performances don’t. An NPR Tiny Desk concert on YouTube is all well and good, but it doesn’t have the history, magnitude and opportunity that a late night show does. Just look at how The Beatles broke into America.

This idea came to me as I was scrolling Twitter last night. For some reason my timeline was bombarded with clips from Letterman. The classic confrontation between comedian, Andy Kaufman, and wrestler, Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler, popped up first. Check it out. Some classic kayfabe-blurring old-school 80s Memphis rasslin’. Alas, this is not a wrestling blog (unfortunately).

I then came across two bands ripping it up. And that’s where this list starts:

10. Future Islands – Seasons (Waiting on you) (2014)

I’ll be the first to admit I never really got into Future Islands. HOWEVER, this performance is pretty, pretty good.

This was the second performance which popped up on Twitter last night (the first to be revealed later). I don’t want to put a damper on it, but it did feel slightly overrated. Only because the discourse seemed to be that it should easily be No. 1. It’s never gonna be No. 1. But it’s definitely good enough to make the list. The fact that the lead singer was beating his chest so hard that the mic picks it up is maybe the best part of it. Not too forget that there seems to be a cookie monster looking to escape his body every now and then (listen to it you’ll know what I mean).

It’s also a perfect example of how these late night shows can help propel bands into the next stratosphere. Good effort, Future Islands.

9. Beastie Boys – Ch-Check it out (2004)

(Spoiler alert) The only band to appear on this list twice, Beastie Boys make a legendary entrance starting in the New York subway and ending up in the Letterman studio. I got proper into Beastie Boys a few years ago when my mum gave me her original ‘Licensed to Ill’ record from 1986 (with the HMV price tag on n all,, it cost 99p !) This was one of the performances that made me realise the true beauty of the rap trio from New York. They are flirting on the line of being too corny, which makes it perfect. Marching through the streets of New York City in matching outfits using a fisheye lens before ending the performance posing right in Letterman’s face, perfect. Long live the Beastie Boys. RIP Adam Yauch.

8. REM – ‘Radio Free Europe’ & So. Central Rain’ (1983)

This is maybe the best example of David Letterman’s show launching a band into the mainstream. REM were a little known band in 1983. Popular in their hometown of Athens, Georgia but not very well known beyond there. They came on Letterman, performed two tunes, and that was that. They were set. I love the nonchalant nature of their performance. They didn’t even have a name for their second song, simply stating that it’s too new to have a name. Great gig, check it out.

7. Weezer – ‘Say It Ain’t So’ (1995)

I fucking love this song. The first example on this list of a band that looks like it came straight out of an IT department (not the last). There is something special about a band that looks like this performing on a late night talk show. You can see that it is just about the music for them. There’s no sense of over-performing or looking too desperate. They stand there in their casual clothes and play a fucking fantastic tune. What more do you want.

6. Gwen Stefani – Hollaback Girl (2005)

I had to find a way to get Gwen Stefani in this list. No Doubt era Gwen might just be the coolest woman ever. Check out videos from the Tragic Kingdom tour if you haven’t. She may have lost some of that aura over the years, but let’s forget about that. This is the perfect juxtaposition to Weezer’s performance. Here we have a global pop artist going all out with a marching band and cheerleaders. There’s space in this world for both Weezer and Gwen Stefani. This performance was truly B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

5. Tracy Chapman – Stand By Me (2015)

From Gwen Stefani to Tracy Chapman. The two performances really couldn’t be more different. The only cover of a song on this list. Tracy Chapman in classic Tracy Chapman style stands there with only a singular guitar and covers one of the most iconic songs ever. There are very few people in the world who sound as good as Tracy Chapman when she has a guitar in hand, and this is comprehensive proof.

4. Van Morrison & Sinead O’Connor – ‘Have I Told You Lately?’ (1995)

Two Irish legends going at it. The only duet on this list. The often miserable Van Morrison and the often shy, troubled Sinead O’Connor spend five minutes forgetting about all of that and putting on a duet of a lifetime. The smiles from Sinead, the “blah-blah-blah’s” from Van Morrison. There’s so much individuality and emotion connected to this performance. It may just be the most powerful execution on this whole list.

3. Bruce Springsteen – Glory Days (1993)

Late Night with David Letterman had been on air for 11 years and not once had ‘The Boss’ performed on the show. That was, of course, until the very last show on NBC when Springsteen finally appeared to perform ‘Glory Days’. The night before he played at Madison Square Gardens, Brucey rocked up and rocked out. He had faith that a keyboard could hold his weight and jumped up onto it at the end of the performance. A fitting end to Letterman’s era on NBC.

2. Beastie Boys – Sabotage (1994)

And here’s the other Beastie Boys tune that I teased earlier. A rare example of a live TV performance sounding better than the studio version. The raw energy and swagger of the band screams to you through the screen. Already a well-renowned rap trio by this time, the Boys returned to their punk heritage and did it better than anybody else at the time. This tune along with ‘Remote Control’ on the album “Hello Nasty” show how Beastie Boys could’ve easily been one of the best guitar bands of the 90s had they gone down that root. They were still pretty damn good anyway.

1. TV on the radio – Wolf Like Me (2006)

And here is the other performance I came across on Twitter last night. An even better example than Weezer of a band looking like a bunch of IT nerds, but rocking the f out. Next time I watch the ‘Street Countdown’ episode of ‘The IT Crowd’ I’ll be looking out for these guys in the background, presumably rocking the f out, again. There’s no over-performance or sense of desperation to be a cool band. They just stand there and rock the f out. But is it really the greatest TV performance of all time? Hell yeah it is. I don’t even need to see any more, this is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.

So there you have it. The 10 greatest musical performances ever seen on TV. There is no debate. This is the definitive list. Maybe I’ll make a more English-centric list and rank the 10 best Jools Holland performances next. I feel like I’ve used the word performances way too much throughout this, sorry.

Until next time, ciao for now.