What was the greatest musical performance in history of SNL?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Scott S., May 27, 2018.

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  1. Spazaru

    Spazaru Angry Samoan

  2. sjaca

    sjaca Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto ON, Canada
    Thanks for posting this, I was just about to do the same.

    Remember watching this & had never heard of them nor seen anything quite like it.

    Outrageously good!
     
  3. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Thanks. According to the Open Culture story, it seems as if viewers wouldn't have had any idea of anything untoward (other than--he stopped the song and started another...which seemed like all the band members knew was going to happen (at least to me. Nobody batted an eye, just played.).
     
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  4. Pennywise

    Pennywise Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Sewers
    And Boys Keep Swinging. :)
     
  5. milankey

    milankey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, Ohio, USA
    Neil Young
     
  6. leeroy jenkins

    leeroy jenkins Forum Resident

    Location:
    The United States
    Paul Simon and George Harrison 1976. Can't think of anything else that comes close.
     
  7. ianuaditis

    ianuaditis Matthew 21:17

    Location:
    Long River Place
    "At that point he and the band launched into "Radio Radio," a song that takes a jab at corporate-controlled broadcasting."

    What's kind of odd about this is that they had no problem with Zappa playing 'I'm the Slime' which is a much harsher take on broadcast media (and even participated in it actively with Don Pardo,)but they supposedly banned Costello for a decade because of the same kind of content?

    I guess maybe Micheals was just upset with Costello for going off the script?
     
  8. Remy

    Remy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn NY
    I’m sure there are lots but the first one that came to mind is

    Queen “Crazy little thing called love”

    Especially when Brian May solos
     
  9. vince

    vince Stan Ricker's son-in-law

    Didn't Neil Innes perform "Cheese & Onions" live on SNL?...
    I choose THAT!
     
  10. xilef regnu

    xilef regnu Senior Member

    Location:
    PNW
    This one made a big impression on me at the time. Risque, resonant tune and superbly well performed.

     
    Last edited: May 27, 2018
  11. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    Yes, that's the real crime commited by both Elvis Costello and the Replacements.

    Costello threw off the clock with his stunt, similar to Bo Diddley playing two songs instead of one on the Ed Sullivan Show.

    The Replacements turned their amps way up after soundcheck, got drunk backstage with the host, used the f-bomb on live TV, and generally acted like you'd think a bunch of rock stars would but actually don't, at least on SNL at that time.

    In Lorne Michael's defense, SNL was on very thin ice when the Replacements shambled in, with poor ratings and still smarting from a previous f-bomb.
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2018
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  12. The Elephant Man

    The Elephant Man Forum Resident

    Hands down, Ashley Simpson!
    Now THAT was rock & roll!
     
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  13. sami

    sami Mono still rules

    Location:
    Down The Shore
    Absolutely! I got nothing but strange looks when I played the debut record in college until that performance, which I dragged half of our hall in to see. Not everyone loved it or them, but the reaction was amazing - like you said, no one had ever heard or seen anything like them.
     
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  14. zeram1

    zeram1 Forum Resident

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  15. czeskleba

    czeskleba Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    It's a myth that Michaels objected to the lyrical content of Radio Radio. SNL regularly had sketches mocking the ineptitude of NBC's corporate management, so they could have cared less about the message of Elvis's song. Michaels was mad because they had rehearsed Less Than Zero and the director had planned all the camera shots based on that song. Because Elvis switched to another song, they had to direct on the fly and it looked sloppy and amateurish... It made his director (and show) look bad.

    Elvis has said that it was Columbia who for some reason wanted him to do Less Than Zero, which made no sense as it was a year-old song and not a current single. Rather than standing up to Columbia, Elvis pretended to go along with it and then changed at the last minute, screwing over Michaels.
     
  16. stanlove

    stanlove Forum Resident


    mick jagger arcade 5 - Bing video
     
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  17. applebonkerz

    applebonkerz Senior Member

    That is my choice as well. There are others that come close, but that was a particularly special occasion and performance that goes above what a band would normally do, or sound like on any other given day or location.

    Cocker and Belushi is up there for the same reason.
    Sinead O'Connor

    Those are my top 3 from SNL, but there have been many other great performances through the years.
     
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  18. stanlove

    stanlove Forum Resident

  19. stanlove

    stanlove Forum Resident

    This is my favorite by far. It didn't even matter that they did not sound that good. It was before MTV and cable and all the over exposure of everyone and everything. I had been a Stones fan for a while and this was the first time I ever actually saw them. Stuff after the start of MTV was boring. All artists were overexposed after that.


    stones snl - Bing video
     
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  20. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    Certainly one of the Top Ten moments! One of the all time meltdowns . . .
     
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  21. Jack Lord

    Jack Lord Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    I always liked the Stones after the Some Girls tour. Mick's voice was shot but he still sang Beast with passion.

    And who could forget his ... "salutation" to Ron Wood during Shattered. A bit of a surprise to this then-nerdy 8th grader.
     
  22. citizensmurf

    citizensmurf Ambient postpunk will never die

    Location:
    Calgary
    The Sun Ra Arkestra May 20 1978

    I couldn't find a video clip, but here's a screenshot. They played Space is the Place>The Sound Mirror>Watusi in the span of 5 minutes.

    [​IMG]
     
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  23. Diamond Dog

    Diamond Dog Cautionary Example

    Rage Against The Machine not only got banned fom SNL, they got escorted from the building immediately after performing Bulls On Parade. No second performance later in the show, no group hug at the end as the credits rolled - bum rushed off the property. Something about unfurling upside down US flags IIRC. Costello got off easy.

    D.D.
     
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  24. Efus

    Efus Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Neil Young's RITFW, came with an interesting (or not) story..

    Originally it was suppose to be Chad Cromwell and Rick "the Bass Player" Rojas as the rhythm section.
    With Cromwell on tour, I believe Nico Bolas, suggested getting a whole new rhythm section.
    Which is where Steve Jordan and Charlie Drayton came in. This band worked a few days at The Hit Factory.
    Bolas called it weird, because it was almost too good, with one of the new tunes being Fu×kin' Up.

    Well at some point at SNL rehearsal, Neil and the boys launch into Fu×kin' Up, after which cast member Ana Gastmeyer, pressed Neil to play that one.
    Which of course he didn't. Oddly enough, after that performance, Neil, Poncho, Jordan and Drayton never played together again.
     
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  25. Thing is, I don't think anyone other than Lorne actually heard it - it was barely on mic, and I'd seen the clip dozens of times and I never noticed it until it was specifically pointed out in some article. I mean, watch the clip I linked to on the previous page and try and find it.
     
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