Talk shows have functioned differently during the pandemic than they usually do. Hosts have moved their productions from their studios to their homes and put on simplified versions of their shows. All the while, musical guests have been taking similar measures, performing from their living rooms or home studios.
Slowly, though, things are inching back towards normal. Jimmy Fallon recently brought The Tonight Show back to its usual recording space, and musical guests are finding their way out of their bedrooms and into more traditional performance spaces. Perfume Genius was the musical guest on last night’s Tonight Show episode, and Mike Hadreas and his band performed from an empty concert venue.
Instead of being in the studio with Fallon and The Roots, Hadreas and company took the stage at an empty The Lodge Room in Los Angeles to perform “On The Floor.” There usually isn’t a ton of audience noise during late-night TV performances, so from a viewer’s perspective, this rendition of the song doesn’t feel too out of the ordinary. For Hadreas, though, he was performing to an empty room, although that didn’t appear to have a negative impact on his idiosyncratic stage presence.
They also played “Jason” as a web-exclusive video, so watch both performances above.