In January of 2000, David Letterman had quintuple bypass surgery. When he returned to the Late Show six weeks later, he specially requested the Foo Fighters as musical guest, introducing them as "my favorite band playing my favorite song."

It's tough not to see that evening as the start of Letterman's rejuvenation over the past decade, especially after hearing him discuss just how much the band has meant to him over the years before bringing them out for an encore performance of "Everlong," the "favorite song" they played for him in 2000. The footage didn't make the final telecast, which is a shame, because we've never seen him this happy. Enjoy.

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Ray Gustini