Today, CBS broke the news that Jon Batiste would be the bandleader of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Counting that new addition, the landscape of late night musicians has changed so much in merely a year. With that in mind, we decided it would be a perfect time to order these bands from best to worst. Here are the totally definitive, ultimate rankings of Late Night Bands.
6) Jimmy Kimmel Live – Cleto and the Cletones
Cleto and the Cletones are a good band. They aren’t ranked last because of quality. Honestly, they are down here because they are the most traditional of all the late night bands. Cleto is often in the background, never really riffing with Jimmy Kimmel too much or involved in bits. If anything, we could use a larger sample size, but since they are one of the longest tenured groups in the entire bunch, we probably have an idea of what they have to offer.
5) Late Night With Seth Meyers – Fred Armisen And The 8G Band
Fred Armisen’s almost off-putting anti-comedy should serve as the perfect foil for a late night host trying to stay on their toes. The sad part is that his obligations, be it for Portlandia or other projects, often keep him off the show. They try to patchwork Armisen in with filmed bits, but it’s clearly a lesser version of what it could be.
4) The Late Show With Stephen Colbert – Jon Batiste and TBD
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Now, a lot of this is on potential, but just in their interactions on The Colbert Report and his dramatic roles, Batiste seems like he’s a star waiting to happen. He’s clearly not shy and has proven to be a musical wizard. We’re really looking more at his ceiling than his floor, and the sky is the limit.
3) The Late Late Show With James Corden – Reggie Watts And The Late Late Show Band
There was a certain worry that when a comedic and musical genius like Reggie Watts went to CBS, he would be somehow neutered. Thankfully, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. While he’s not controlling the show as he does in his live shows or on Comedy Bang! Bang!, he still adds his unique and bizarre humor and James Corden is a great comedy partner to bounce off of.
2) Conan – Jimmy Vivino and The Basic Cable Band
Jimmy Vivino and some form of the Basic Cable Band have been with Conan for more than two decades. They’re really the perfect balance of traditional band and are always willing to get their hands dirty in the strangest bits for Conan. Guys like Richie “La Bamba” Rosenberg, Mark Pender, and Mike Merritt all willingly indulge their host, essentially, being a complete jackass to them. And even they get weird sometimes. It’s everything that you’d want it to be.
1) The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – The Roots
When Jimmy Fallon was announced as the new host of Late Night in place of Conan O’Brien, there was a great deal of skepticism. But when he decided to bring on The Legendary Roots Crew as his band, everyone’s ears perked up. The Roots are the new standard in late night: They can play anything on earth, they can improvise, and they can do bits. If you were to say that Questlove would be a household name a decade ago, people would have thought you were crazy. The Tonight Show as composed right now simply could not exist without The Roots, and late night television has changed forever because of it.
