Stephen Colbert joined Jack Johnson, one of the late-night host’s favorite artists, onstage to perform a pair of songs on Tuesday’s Late Show.
“Folks, this is the best job in the world because I got what I wanted,” Colbert told the audience prior to the performance of “Sleep Through the Static,” which marked the first time Johnson had played the 2007 song on television.
For the occasion, the singer-songwriter and the late-night host traded verses before joining together on the chorus. Colbert’s love of the Sleep Through the Static title track was evident in the way he deftly and confidently delivered the lyrics.
This marked the second time in less than a week that Colbert performed alongside the musical guest: On Friday, the host participated in David Byrne’s takeover of the Ed Sullivan Theatre stage when the singer and his troupe played “Everybody’s Coming to My House.”
Following “Static Through the Sleep,” as an online exclusive, Colbert and Johnson teamed for a seemingly impromptu rendition of “I Love You and Buddha Too,” a Mason Jennings track that Johnson contributed to in 2008. After running through the song’s first half, an elated Colbert smiled and said, “Okay, I guess that’s enough” before shaking Johnson’s hand and departing the stage.
Colbert then returned to his role as Late Show host to introduce Johnson and his backing band Bahamas before they performed “Big Sur,” a cut off Johnson’s 2017 album All the Light Above It Too.
