Paul McCartney Returns to the Ed Sullivan Theater to Close Out the Final Late Show

The final broadcast of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on 21 May pulled a direct line back to one of television’s most-watched musical moments. At the Ed Sullivan Theater, Paul McCartney appeared in the closing minutes to speak about the Beatles’ 1964 debut on the same stage, then led a performance of “Hello Goodbye” with Elvis Costello, Jon Batiste, Louis Cato, and Colbert on backing vocals. The show cut to McCartney and Colbert in the basement, flicking the switch together.

“We were a little bit nervous, but we’re young kids and we’re sort of full of ourselves. It was very exciting,” McCartney said of that first US television appearance. “America’s where all the music we loved came from — rock ’n’ roll, the blues and the whole thing, even going back to Fred Astaire. The land of the free; the greatest democracy. That was what it was, and still is, hopefully.”

Earlier, Colbert got a long-held wish, performing the 1982 Elvis Costello song “Jump Up” with its writer. For a host who built late-night around live music bookings, the moment was personal. CBS canceled the show last year, citing financial reasons, and its departure means one fewer regular slot for music on network television. The final episode didn’t frame that loss as tragedy; it simply handed the night back to a room that shaped the format’s musical memory.