The Walkmen geared up for a series of upcoming reunion shows by serving as the musical guest on Tuesday’s episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The group tore through their 2004 hit “The Rat” for their first performance in nearly 10 years.
While the members of the band took to social media before their Colbert appearance to temper expectations, they did a fine job on the cut from their Bows + Arrows album. “Ever since we started the Walkmen, we’ve done everything by the seat of our pants. We don’t ‘plan’ much. So during our Zoom ‘planning’ meeting, we decided the best way to play together for the very first time would be on national television without a single rehearsal,” The Walkmen wrote on social media.
Guitarist Paul Maroon purportedly texted his bandmates asking if the “no rehearsal” plan was a joke. Among the responses came “we had like an hour long zoom meeting just to decide not to practice” from drummer Matt Barrick.
Watch The Walkmen end their decade-long hiatus by performing “The Rat” on Colbert below:
The Walkmen’s reunion tour begins on Friday in Westerly, Rhode Island.
