BTS channelled Beatlemania for their performance on The Late Show.
On Wednesday night, Stephen Colbert rolled out his best impersonation of TV host Ed Sullivan, while the seven-piece South Korean band all wore black suits, white shirts, and black ties. The entire segment was shot in black-and-white.
It was all to pay tribute to one of the most legendary television performances: The Beatles‘s debut on US TV, when they performed on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. The Late Show is even shot in the same studio as the popular 1960s variety show.
“You may have heard there’s a new musical craze sweeping the globe, these fellas are really something,” Colbert said in his introduction. ”They’re called BTS and people are so excited you can only call it BTS Mania.”
Last month, BTS made their Saturday Night Live debut, performing two tracks: “Boy with Luv”, from their latest album Map of the Soul: Persona, and “Mic Drop” from the record Love Yourself: Her.
BTS are arguably the world’s most successful K-pop group, having accumulated millions of followers across social media since forming in 2012.
Last year they became the first South Korean artists to top the Billboard 200 chart with Love Yourself: Tear, with the album also earning a Grammy nomination for Best Recording Package.
