Music

Foo Fighters Return to “Late Show,” Performing “This Is a Call” and “Everlong”

Foo Fighters made a full-circle return to “The Late Show,” playing “This Is a Call,” their 1995 single that marked their late-night TV debut, and “Everlong,” a favorite of former host David Letterman.

Rolling Stone·May 14, 2026·via Rolling Stone

Foo Fighters Return to “Late Show,” Performing “This Is a Call” and “Everlong”

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Foo Fighters Have Full Circle ‘Late Show’ Moment, Playing ‘This Is a Call’ and ‘Everlong’

The band played its first-ever late-night TV performance “This Is a Call" on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1995. They were also his last-ever musical guest in 2015, playing his favorite son “Everlong"

By Cheyenne Roundtree

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May 14, 2026

Foo Fighters returned to the Late Show on Wednesday night, playing a high-energy medley of the very first and very last song they played on the iconic program’s stage in a full circle moment.

Late Show host Stephen Colbert noted the group played its first-ever TV performance in 1995 with “This Is a Call,” under former host David Letterman. They were also Letterman’s last-ever musical guest, playing Letterman’s favorite song “Everlong,” before he handed over the reins to Colbert in 2015.

Letterman had credited “Everlong” in helping him through a five-week recovery period following a quintuple bypass surgery in 2000, and the band once “dropped everything” to perform the anthem for Letterman’s comeback show.

“When we found out [Letterman] actually liked our music, that he actually was a fan, I was really blown away,” Grohl previously told Rolling Stone . “When he came back from his open-heart surgery, they requested that we play our song ‘Everlong’ because that was his favorite song … I think we even cancelled a tour. We just felt like we had to be there. Not only was it an honor to be asked, but it felt like something we had to do – because he had always meant so much to us. And that started this connection that we’ve had for years. It’s fucking cool, you know?”

The Foo Fighter’s performance on Wednesday is likely their last time on the late-night institution as Colbert is set to wrap up his decade-long run at the helm of the show later this month, following CBS’ decision to cancel the program last year. The last show is Thursday, May 21.