The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Highlights

• Hello, Goodbye

  With guest(s)

As part of the promotional campaign for his album “The Boys Of Dungeon Lane,” Paul McCartney appeared on the final episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert“. Paul had previously appeared on the programme in 2019. No guest had been announced in advance for Colbert’s final broadcast, though speculation ahead of the taping pointed to Paul’s participation.

The episode featured an extensive roster of celebrity cameos, including actors Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Robert De Niro, Mark Hamill, Ben Stiller, Billy Crystal, Josh Brolin, and Martha Stewart; comedian “Weird Al” Yankovic; musician James Taylor; astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson; and fellow late-night hosts Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver, and Seth Meyers.

Paul McCartney was Colbert’s final interview guest of the series. During the segment, he presented Colbert with a signed photograph of The Beatles performing on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964 — the broadcast having taken place at the same venue, the Ed Sullivan Theater, where The Late Show was produced.

At the close of the episode, Paul performed “Hello, Goodbye”, accompanied by Elvis Costello and bandleader Jon Batiste, with the full production crew joining on stage.

The show concluded with a pre-filmed segment in which McCartney and Colbert appeared backstage near the electrical breaker panels. Paul was shown flipping a switch that extinguished the theater’s lights and triggered a green interdimensional portal effect — a visual conceit that had been introduced earlier in the episode by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

We’d never been to America; we come here and people said this is the biggest show. To tell the truth, we’d never heard of it. You know, England. It was fantastic… You had to go a few floors down to get makeup… We went down there and the girls put makeup on us and it was, like, bright orange.

Paul McCartney – Remembering The Beatles’ first performance at the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964

We were a little bit nervous, but we’re young kids and we’re sort of full of ourselves. It was very exciting. 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.

Paul McCartney – Remembering The Beatles’ first performance at the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964

From Wikipedia:

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is an American late-night news talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which aired from September 8, 2015 until May 21, 2026. The show is the second and final iteration of CBS’ Late Show franchise. It was taped at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City in the same studio as its predecessor Late Show with David Letterman. It aired new episodes live to tape in most American markets Mondays to Thursdays at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT/10:35 p.m. CT, as with its competitors Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Colbert was announced as the new host in April 2014, after existing host David Letterman announced his intention to retire earlier in the month; Colbert had previously hosted Comedy Central’s news satire The Colbert Report, a program where Colbert portrayed a character named Stephen Colbert as a parody of conservative pundits. As such, the series carried a stronger focus on discussing and satirizing current events, especially within American politics. Some of Colbert’s staff moved to The Late Show, along with Jon Stewart – who previously hosted The Colbert Report‘s parent series The Daily Show – serving as an executive producer.

The Late Show remained the highest-rated American late-night talk show for nine consecutive seasons as of 2025, marking the longest winning streak in franchise history over its competitors; since 2019, it exceeded The Tonight Show in key demographic viewership.

On July 17, 2025, CBS announced that it would be ending The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and will be retiring the Late Show franchise altogether in May 2026 after 33 years (with the first 22 seasons under David Letterman and the following 11 seasons under Colbert) and its timeslot will be given back to affiliates, describing the move as “purely a financial decision”. Unnamed sources at CBS claim The Late Show was losing $40 million per year with a staff of 200 and Colbert making $20 million per year. However, Colbert has pointed out that in 2023, less than two years before the decision to cancel the show, CBS offered him a five-year contract renewal; Colbert accepted a three-year extension instead. “Less than two years before they called to say it’s over, they were very eager for me to be signed for a long time,” Colbert told the New York Times. “So, something changed.” The announcement has drawn controversy due to the show’s relative popularity among late-night television viewers, its relation to the merger of Skydance and Paramount, and perceived political motive due to criticisms of the Trump administration by Colbert. The series finale aired on May 21, 2026 as an extended episode. […]

Ed Sullivan Theater

This was the 6th concert played at Ed Sullivan Theater.

A total of 6 concerts have been played there • 1964 • Feb 9 • 1965 • Sep 12 • 1992 • Dec 10 • Dec 11 • 2009 • Jul 15 • 2026 • May 21

Setlist for the concert

1. Hello, Goodbye

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   Elvis Costello : Guitar, Vocals