I couldn't agree more. The band is, far and away, the weakest part of the show. From reliable reports, they're interesting in the theatre, but it sure doesn't translate through the screen. To me, it's a lack of variety. Batiste's musical menu and tastes seem thin - especially in (inevitable) comparison to Paul Shaffer, who could/can play pretty much anything in any style and whose musical knowledge is encyclopedic. The rest of the band - especially the bass player and guy in the cowboy hat - just seem like smug douchebags, and not really people I want to spend any time with. Colbert said on the podcast where he announced Batiste's hiring that he was someone he could play with (dramatically, not musically) effectively on a long-term basis. I've seen only one bit of evidence of that (late this last week), and the results weren't felicitous. Batiste hasn't shown a personalty yet, either as a musician or a person.
There are other aspects of the show that I hate: the standing ovations, the standing for the musical act (trust me; when I go, I won't be standing), Colbert's dancing/kicking/whatever the hell it is he's doing at the top of the show, and his insistence on singing, but I assume that will all settle down in time. Colbert is still trying to find a persona (I agree that "Colbert" is sneaking in fairly often), but that's also something that's still getting sorted out. Overall, I think the show is in a good place, but the band is terrible - as are the musical acts, but I consider that continuity from Dave's tenure. His acts were usually some combination of loud and untalented. --Dave Sikula On Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 8:35:22 AM UTC-7, PGage wrote: > > Just saw this. I think Kevin is making a bit too much of this - I don't > get a hit of desperation from the "happy happy" musical style Colbert is > using, and I think he has plenty of serious, adult content that makes his > show unique and, IMO, head and shoulders above the competition. But I have > to agree that the music is, for me, the least attractive part of the show. > It gives Colbert not so much a "Jimmy" as an "Ellen" vibe, that I can > definitely do without. I can believe that Jon Batiste is a great musician > and a good human being, but he is not exactly my cup of tea. I like Jazz - > but not this jazz. I actually kind of like the theme that plays over the > animated opening, but I almost never get the smile that grows from deep > inside listening to just the small bits of music going in and out of > commercials that I almost always got from Paul, or frankly that I get on > the very rare occasions I am watching Fallon. Indeed, to my taste there is > an odd mismatch in hosts and music at NBC and CBS - I would much rather see > Colbert with the Roots and Fallon with Stay Human. > > As I expected I have been watching Colbert religiously, and enjoying it > tremendously. I have a friend who thinks that Colbert is still using too > much of his old persona to interview guests, but I don't really see that. I > do think he is sometimes either too focused on being gracious (though I > approve of his shushing of the crowd for booing Cruz) or has too little > time to push and follow up with his guests. The most obvious example of > this was not pushing Trump on his Birther views, but there have been other > moments when he seems to be on the verge of a confrontation and then lets > it go too easily. > > On Sun, Sep 20, 2015 at 4:04 PM, Kevin M. <[email protected] > <javascript:>> wrote: > >> Watched a couple of episodes over the weekend. There is a pervasive >> belief in the "new" late night scene that everybody should be seen to be >> having so much fun they are practically leaping out of their skin. Talk >> shows used to be likened to a cocktail party filled with interesting people >> with interesting stories. Now they seem to be more like present-day clubs >> with bright lights and loud music and people dancing around. I find it >> exhausting to watch. And I'm 40-years-old... have you ever seen a guy in >> his 40s in a club? You know how sad and desperate looking that guy is? >> >> I look at Colbert dancing around at the top of his show with his >> bandleader. It makes me sad for him. It makes him seem desperate. For all I >> know, Colbert is genuinely that happy, but how long can anybody >> realistically maintain that level of energy? It's wasted time... it is Leno >> shaking everybody's hand at the start of the show. It takes away from the >> meat of the meal. If that's what it takes to warm up the audience, let that >> be part of the pre-show ritual. >> >> On Fri, Sep 18, 2015 at 10:05 AM, M-D November <[email protected] >> <javascript:>> wrote: >> >>> YACS. I didn't catch his name, but he's the primary percussionist >>> (there are two in the band); whenever the band would explore the space, >>> he'd follow with a tambourine. (And I never thought I'd say this, but he >>> actually had a rockin' tambourine solo at one point.) >>> >>> >>> On Friday, September 18, 2015 at 8:42:40 AM UTC-4, Diner wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>> On Thursday, September 17, 2015 at 10:52:16 AM UTC-4, Bob Jersey wrote: >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Someone (camera-op? sound guy?) is seen scrambling along the upper >>>>> walkway above the band just as one of the main cams is panning from near >>>>> there towards the big Late Show sign above the 'garage door'. You can >>>>> always just see him for a split second at the opening. >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> I believe that's one of the band members (the white guy with the cowboy >>>> hat) on the catwalk, shaking a tambourine. >>>> >>>> -Tim >>>> >>> -- >>> -- >>> TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "TV or Not TV" group. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>> <javascript:> >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> [email protected] <javascript:> >>> For more options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en >>> --- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "TVorNotTV" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected] <javascript:>. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Kevin M. (RPCV) >> >> -- >> -- >> TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >> Groups "TV or Not TV" group. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >> <javascript:> >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected] <javascript:> >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "TVorNotTV" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected] <javascript:>. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
