Michael Stipe’s Tribute to David Bowie

Stipe Bowie

This week, Michael Stipe appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to pay tribute to the late David Bowie. It was a rare recent public performance by the former lead singer of R.E.M. and a moving way to honor Bowie with a performance of “The Man Who Sold the World.”

Accompanied only by piano, a bearded Stipe sang a haunting version of Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World.” Check it out. [2018 Update: The video of the performance is no longer available, but the video below contains the audio of Stipe’s appearance.]

Stipe is also taking part in two New York City David Bowie tribute concerts this week. One will be at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, March 31 and the other will be at Radio City Music Hall on Friday, April 1. You may watch a live stream of the April 1 tribute concert at musicofdavidbowie.com with a small donation that goes to the Melodic Caring Project, a non-profit that helps bring streaming music performances to kids in hospitals.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Reunited Replacements on “The Tonight Show”
  • Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’s Last Waltz
  • Watch One of R.E.M.’s First Shows
  • R.E.M. Calls It a Day
  • Micky Dolenz Covers R.E.M. Song That Was Partly Inspired By the Monkees: “Shiny Happy People”
  • Karen O and Willie Nelson Record “Under Pressure” (Pandemic Song of the Day)
  • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    “More Than Words” From Jimmy Fallon, Jack Black, and Weird Al

    More Than Words Parody

    Recently Jack Black and Jimmy Fallon put together a shot-for-shot remake of the classic video of Extreme’s song “More Than Words” for The Tonight Show. The creators of the new video did a great job with both the singing and the images, even including the shot of the band member holding up a lighter.

    “More than Words” originally appeared on the 1990 album Extreme II: Pornograffiti. The ballad was a bit of a departure for the rock band, but it went to number one. While the Fallon-Black remake probably will not be a number one song, the video is already popular on YouTube. Check it out.

    The Fallon-Black remake is not the first time the video has been copied. “Weird Al” Yankovic did his twist on the “More Than Words” video with his video for “You Don’t Love Me Anymore.” The song appeared on Yankovic’s 1992 album Off the Deep End.

    While the original song by Yankovic was not a parody of “More Than Words,” some fans mistakenly thought it was. So when the record company insisted on a parody video to accompany the release of “You Don’t Love Me Anymore” as a single, Yankovic decided to use the “More Than Words” video as the basis for his video. Check it out (trivia: the piano player who gets the bow in the eye is singer Robert Goulet).

    If the parody/tribute videos leaves you wanting to see the original Extreme video, see below. Or you can play it simultaneously with the Fallon-Black one above.

    What do you think of the videos relating to “More Than Words”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Weird Al Yankovic Joins Weezer in Video for “Africa”
  • Dylan’s Late-Career Classics: Not Dark Yet
  • Michael Stipe’s Tribute to David Bowie
  • Weird Al Summarizes “The Phantom Menace”
  • Jimmy Fallon is “Saved By the Bell”
  • What if William Randolph Hearst Could Hack?
  • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Jimmy Fallon is “Saved By the Bell”

    Tonight Show Saved by the Bel

    Recently on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon remembered his days in high school with the Saved by the Bell cast. Check out as Fallon reunites the gang from Bayside High: Slater (Mario Lopez), Zack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Kelly (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen), Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley), and Mr. Belding (Dennis Haskins).

    One thing missing from the reunion was Screech Dustin Diamond, who was recently arrested.

    What is your favorite memory of Saved by the Bell? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • New York Is Not “Invisible” When U2 Play on Fallon Debut
  • Late Night Wars: Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon Sing
  • Michael Stipe’s Tribute to David Bowie
  • “More Than Words” From Jimmy Fallon, Jack Black, and Weird Al
  • Reunited Replacements on “The Tonight Show”
  • Bob Dylan’s 1964 Quest
  • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Reunited Replacements on “The Tonight Show”

    replacements fallon
    Last night, The Replacements appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and performed the song “Alex Chilton” from their classic album Pleased To Meet Me (1987). The band features featuring founding members Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson with Josh Freese (drums) and David Minehan (guitar).

    The Replacements, who recently launched a reunion tour, have not toured since 1991 so it was cool to see the great band playing together again. The performance on NBC on a show hosted by a Saturday Night Live alum is especially sweet considering that the band had been banned from the network’s Saturday Night Live show in 1986 after appearing drunk and destroying a dressing room. Reportedly, Fallon’s late-night show had been working for nearly a year to get “The Mats” to appear. Check it out.

    The song “Alex Chilton” is a tribute to the leader of the band Big Star. To listen to a whole concert from the reunited Replacements, check out this story.

    What is your favorite song by The Replacements? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • The Replacements Reunite
  • Michael Stipe’s Tribute to David Bowie
  • Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’s Last Waltz
  • I Wish It Was Christmas Today
  • A Famous Encounter and “Like a Rolling Pin”
  • Paul McCartney Joins Springsteen for “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”
  • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    New York Is Not “Invisible” When U2 Play on Fallon Debut

    U2 Invisible New York
    Last night, Jimmy Fallon hosted his first Tonight Show with guests Will Smith and U2. In a musical segment, Fallon introduced U2 from the Top of the Rock, the rooftop observation deck of Rockefeller Center. When they recorded the segment, the sun was setting, highlighting a beautiful view of New York City as the city returns as the location of The Tonight Show.

    Bono and the band were at their bombastic best, having experience playing a rooftop in their “Where the Streets Have No Name” video way back in the 1980s. This time, there were no police. Check out U2 performing “Invisible,” followed by Fallon interviewing the band:

    The show was not a surprise for anyone who has followed Fallon on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The Roots continued their great late night support, and Fallon showed off his variety show skills with a dance segment with Smith. A number of celebrities stopped by for a brief cameo to lend their support too. It was a good start to what looks like it might be a long run.

    What did you think of Jimmy Fallon’s first Tonight Show? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Late Night Wars: Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon Sing
  • John Legend and The Roots Perform “Dancing in the Dark”
  • Jimmy Fallon is “Saved By the Bell”
  • Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’s Last Waltz
  • Springsteen and Fallon as Two Springsteens Stuck in a Traffic Jam
  • All-Star “Fairytale of New York” on Jimmy Fallon
  • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)