Foo Fighters close the circle on The Late Show, from their debut in 1995 to a farewell in 2015

From debut to farewell

Foo Fighters have one of the tidier full-circle stories in late-night TV history. According to Rolling Stone, the band played their first-ever late-night television performance on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1995, performing "This Is a Call." Twenty years later, they came back to close the chapter, serving as Letterman's last-ever musical guest in 2015 with "Everlong," a song the host considered a personal favorite.

Why it matters

The symmetry is hard to ignore. Two appearances, two decades apart, bookending one of the longest runs in late-night history. "This Is a Call" was the opening statement of a band just finding its footing. "Everlong" was the send-off, and the choice of song was not incidental. Letterman had spoken openly about his affection for the track on more than one occasion.

It is the kind of moment that does not need much editorializing. The dates and the songs do the work on their own.