David Letterman’s last day on “The Late Show” is here.
The one-of-a-kind comedian will tape a farewell episode on Wednesday afternoon, and details are beginning to leak out about the plans.
The Foo Fighters, a quintessential “Late Show” band, will perform on the finale.
“Final time on this stage…#ThanksDave,” the band tweeted on Wednesday.
“The Fighters of Foo” as Letterman has called them over the years have appeared many times on Letterman’s broadcast and are arguably one of the most definitive “Late Show” bands.
To have the rock band on the final show is bound to be a touching moment for viewers and the host.
When the band played on the show last year, Letterman told an emotional story about how the band’s song “Miracle” had been added to a video of him and his son, Harry, skiing together.
“This is the second song of theirs that will always have great, great meaning for me for the rest of my life,” Letterman said at the time.
The Foo Fighters news was first reported by Rolling Stone.
Foo Fighters were also there for another emotional moment in Letterman’s career and life — the night the host returned from heart surgery.
In that performance, the band played “Everlong” which Letterman said was his “favorite song.”
The band also did a week-long stint on the “Late Show” last year and finished out the week by being a part of a Top Ten list titled “Top Ten Things Foo Fighters Would Like To Say After Spending a Week at the Late Show.”
“We agreed to do this because we thought Dave was dying,” said drummer Taylor Hawkins during the list.
Foo Fighters join other huge musical headliners from the week like Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder, who performed on Monday, and music legend Bob Dylan, who performed on Tuesday night.
There will be some surprise appearances Wednesday night as well — but no Jay Leno.
“Well, here we are at the last show,” veteran Letterman producer Barbara Gaines tweeted on Wednesday morning. “Everything I own I owe to Dave Letterman. Thank you for 35 years.”
Gaines’ Twitter bio says, “I work in television but only for one more month.”
Longtime “Late Show” executive producer Rob Burnett said of the last episode, “We have all kinds of stuff planned.”
In lieu of the usual sit-down interviews, there will be highlights from past episodes, visits from A-list guests, and a “beautiful ending to the show that Barbara Gaines, one of our executive producers, really marshaled,” Burnett said.
“I think it probably will come down to the minute that Dave says goodnight,” he added. “Dave is very good at that, and I think no matter what he does, it will have emotional impact.”
After Wednesday afternoon’s taping, the staff will gather for a party.
