We cover a lot of band performances from late night talk shows here on Prefix. So I thought we should take it to the next level and actually attend one of the shows and report back from there. I scored a couple of tickets for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last week, figuring they have the best range of musical guests of all the talk shows. Last night (June 22) I made the trip to 30 Rock, where Fallon’s guests included John Leguizamo, Nick Cannon and Sonic Youth. These were ‘Band Bench’ tickets, meaning I would be ushered onto the bleachers behind the stage when Sonic Youth played, with instructions to “go crazy” from one of Fallon’s producers.

First, a word about the Roots. This might be Fallon’s show, but the Grammy Award winning Philadelphians are the true stars. It’s worth the (free) price of admission just to see the Roots. They warm up the crowd with an extended medley of songs, with various band members running into the audience. The Roots still look they’re having the best time ever, despite enduring a relentless schedule that would kill off lesser artists. They play all the way through the commercial breaks, meaning studio audiences at Fallon get to hear a lot of Roots music before they leave. And Questlove is developing one of the best poker faces in the business.

Much has been made of Fallon’s rabbit-caught-in-the-headlights demeanor, and he hasn’t totally shrugged that off yet. But I found him to be an endearing host during this taping of Late Night. It was difficult not to warm to him, especially when he made charming conversation with the audience prior to the show, and was clearly digging the Roots when the cameras went off. A group of us are ushered toward the stage after Leguizamo and Cannon have done their thing, and I wonder what the preppy audience members make of the unwashed hordes who are about to populate the Band Bench.

I’m placed stage left as the band sets up. Lee Ranaldo grins at us and I notice that he seems to be using the same amp setup that he had in the late ‘80s. Mark Ibold might be the most smiley man in indie rock. Suddenly, Fallon is talking to camera again, he’s introducing Sonic Youth, and the band members whir into action. The band performs “No Way” from The Eternal, and I spend most of the performance watching Thurston, Lee and Kim shaking their middle-aged asses. My vantage point is closest to Steve Shelley, and that’s fine with me. The vocals are completely inaudible back there, and watching Shelley play at close quarters is a rare treat.

The performance is over just as quickly as it began. “No Way” sounded just fine, Fallon exchanges obligatory handshakes with the band, and we’re taken back to our seats as the Roots play out over the closing credits. It’s all ruthlessly efficient. Standing on the Band Bench was definitely an odd experience—being so close to Sonic Youth but only hearing one song was like having a sip of very expensive wine and not being allowed to finish the bottle. But it was fun, free and seeing the Roots and Sonic Youth up close made it all worthwhile.

Here's the clip from the show: