BTS on Wednesday night made an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, where the South Korean superstars channeled The Beatles while performing their latest hit, “Boy With Luv.”
Widely considered today’s biggest international boy band, BTS is often compared to the legendary British band who incited similar pandemonium among their legions of fans when they touched down in America in the 1960s.
More than 55 years after The Beatles made their U.S. television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, BTS paid homage to their predecessors from the very same venue, the Ed Sullivan Theater, where Colbert’s show is currently filmed. In a cold open filmed in black and white, Colbert hit the stage dressed as Sullivan, and, in the late TV icon’s distinct voice, he introduced BTS as “a new batch of mop-top heartthrobs.”
The septet — suited up like Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and George Harrison — then launched into an energetic rendition of “Boy With Luv,” which features vocals from American powerhouse Halsey. The track is the first single off BTS’ record-breaking album, Map of the Soul: Persona. The album, released April 12, marked their third consecutive No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 chart in just 11 months, making BTS the only group to achieve that feat since The Beatles in 1995 to 1996.
BTS appeared on The Late Show just days before they’re set to perform back-to-back, sold-out shows at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Saturday and Sunday — the next stop on their Love Yourself: Speak Yourself stadium tour. The tour kicked off with sold-out dates at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles on May 4 and 5.
Watch BTS and Colbert’s tribute to The Beatles on The Late Show below.
