Foo Fighters play David Letterman’s favorite song, ‘Everlong,’ for farewell

Would that we all got our favorite band to play our favorite song as we say goodbye to our greatest career achievement.

David Letterman’s final “Late Show” was generally low-key and self-deprecating (Julia Louis-Dreyfus got the best line, thanking Dave for “being a part of another hugely disappointing series finale,” as Jerry Seinfeld stewed and glared at her).

But the one genuinely tearjerking moment came when the Foo Fighters took the stage and started playing Letterman’s favorite song in the world.

As we know, that tune is the Foos’ “Everlong.” It got Dave out of the woods post-bypass surgery and scored a video of his beloved son skiing. Wednesday night though, it soundtracked a montage of decades’ worth of Letterman’s best moments.

From the Velcro wall to the Andy Kaufman slap to the Warren Zevon tribute, many of Letterman’s most memorable nights seemed to fit right into the song’s lament of passing time and longing for old feelings. No, we’re not crying, you’re crying. There’s just something in our eye.

The band kept playing well after the 12:35 a.m. hard curfew, and the montage probably could have kept going well into the night. Letterman was known for his dry absurdity but also for his moments of earnestness. The Foos’ closing set might have been his -- and his fans’ -- most sincere expression of gratitude.

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