{"id":2324527,"date":"2026-03-12T10:59:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T10:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2324527"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:59:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T10:59:50","slug":"dave-matthews-reveals-what-concert-made-him-cry-plays-new-songs-on-colbert-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/dave-matthews-reveals-what-concert-made-him-cry-plays-new-songs-on-colbert-watch\/","title":{"rendered":"Dave Matthews Reveals What Concert Made Him Cry, Plays New Songs On ‘Colbert’ [Watch]"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Dave Matthews<\/strong> stopped by New York\u2019s Ed Sullivan Theater<\/strong> to make what will presumably be his last appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/em> before the long-running late-night show comes to an end this spring.<\/p>\n

Matthews, who is gearing up to launch his summer tour in May<\/a>, sat down with host Stephen Colbert<\/strong> for a brief but wide-ranging chat before performing three songs for the live studio audience.<\/p>\n

After praising the devotion of Matthews\u2019 fans, Colbert opened the interview by asking which performances had most moved or influenced him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of great shows in my life,\u201d Matthews said before landing on an unsurprising answer: David Byrne<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Recounting his emotional reaction to Byrne\u2019s most recent tour<\/a>, Matthews admitted, \u201cI\u2019m so happy I was just crying the whole time.\u201d He went on to heap praise on Byrne\u2019s multidisciplinary artistry. \u201cHe\u2019s the truest of artists. He\u2019s [a] visual artist, and he\u2019s [a] lyrical artist, and he\u2019s subtle, and he\u2019s smart and he\u2019s funny, and he\u2019s\u2014anyway, he\u2019s all good things wrapped into one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colbert then turned to Matthews\u2019 friendship with the late Jane Goodall<\/strong>\u2014the beloved primatologist and anthropologist who passed away in October\u2014asking how the two first met. Matthews described a chance backstage encounter at Live Earth<\/strong>, the landmark 24-hour, seven-continent concert series held on July 7th, 2007, to raise awareness about the climate crisis. He recalled that Goodall was unsure how to address the massive crowd, then did a charming impression of chimp vocalizations to greet an audience of 60,000 people.<\/p>\n

Finally, Colbert asked about Matthews\u2019 childhood memory of seeing folk legend Pete Seeger<\/strong> in concert\u2014the first show he ever attended. Matthews called Seeger \u201ca perfect human.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was so eloquent. He had such a clear idea of what right and wrong was. He lived in a house with no electricity until his end,\u201d Matthews said. adding warmly, \u201cThe last concert he played was Farm Aid and we played together.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also shared an amusing anecdote about meeting Seeger at a swanky hotel. \u201cI was staying at Peninsula Hotel\u2014just like Pete Seeger wouldn\u2019t,\u201d he joked. He went on to recount how the already elderly Seeger had trouble going down stairs, but rather than taking the elevator, he slid down the banister.<\/p>\n

Matthews capped the appearance with a solo rendition of \u201cDon\u2019t Drink the Water\u201d, which he described as a song about genocide told from the perpetrator\u2019s perspective. \u201cI\u2019m the villain in the song,\u201d he explained. \u201cNowadays it feels like a lot of us are villains, or at least a part of a villainous world, so I thought I\u2019d play that song. I don\u2019t mean to be the villain, but that\u2019s what the song is about.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also offered Colbert a gracious sendoff: \u201cI love you, and I\u2019m so sorry your show is coming to an end.\u201d<\/p>\n

After \u201cDon\u2019t Drink the Water\u201d, Matthews stuck around for a web-exclusive bonus performance of \u201cPeace on Earth\u201d\u2014an unreleased song he debuted in May 2025\u2014and then granted the audience\u2019s request for \u201cone more song\u201d with another unreleased number, \u201cMaking It Great\u201d, which he debuted in Mexico earlier this year during his annual destination festival with guitarist Tim Reynolds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Watch Dave Matthews appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/em> below.<\/p>\n

From Pete Seeger To David Byrne: The Artists Dave Matthews Looks To For Inspiration<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n