Paul Simon delivered an ecstatic performance of his Cajun-inspired Graceland classic “That Was Your Mother” on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Monday.
The performance found Simon teaming up with Late Show house band, Jon Batiste and Stay Human, with Batiste — a Louisiana native — stepping out from behind his piano to play the accordion. Colbert even joined the rave-up, strapping on a frottoir (a zydeco washboard worn as a vest) and wailing away on it with a pair of spoons. As for Simon, the musician reveled in the performance, shuffling his feet in between verses while the musicians traded solos and gamely laughing off a planned final guitar blowout of his own when his strap accidentally broke (he did throw in some air guitar for good measure, though).
Simon previously appeared on The Late Show in January and spoke about revisiting and revising old songs for his 2018 album, Into the Blue Light. He also performed two reworked tracks from that LP, “Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War” and “One Man’s Ceiling Is Another Man’s Floor.”
Last year, Simon embarked on an expansive farewell tour that culminated with a hometown gig in Queens, New York. At the time, the musician said he still planned to work as a recording artist and perform the occasional one-off concert. This summer, he’ll play Outside Lands in San Francisco, August 9th through 11th.