Mandy Moore Sings Fittingly Titled ‘When I Wasn’t Watching’ to an Empty Audience

Mandy Moore is in the midst of staging her comeback into the music world, parlaying her occasional musical dabblings on This Is Us into a revival of her IRL music career. Last year, she debuted her first new song in years, “When I Wasn’t Watching,” and on Thursday she performed it on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Which is funny. Because the audience wasn’t watching. Because there was no audience. Because late night shows, including Fallon’s, are taping without in-studio audiences due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. That didn’t stop Mandy from having her moment on stage; she’s super-expressive and is really feeling it and your heart will break a little when the song ends and she’s out of breath and no one claps but Jimmy and the camera guys. Also, her backing band is like if they made collectible action figures of White Guy in a Band types: there’s Guitar Dad, Acid Wash Drummer, Moog Nerd on the Keys, Generically Scruffy Nashville Love Interest, and of course, Gangly Brooklyn Bass Boi. Gotta catch ‘em all. Mandy Moore’s new album Silver Landings is out now.