Pick a Day

Music History Events: Saturday Night Live

December 12, 2015 Chance the Rapper becomes the first unsigned artist to perform as musical guest on Saturday Night Live.

December 13, 1997 Hanson play "MMMbop" on Saturday Night Live and take part in a sketch where they are held hostage and forced to listen to the song until they snap.

April 16, 1994 Pearl Jam pay tribute to Kurt Cobain, who was found dead a week earlier, on Saturday Night Live with a performance of "Daughter" that ends with lead singer Eddie Vedder opening up his jacket to reveal a "K" on his T-shirt.

March 20, 1990 Eric Clapton plays three songs on Saturday Night Live: "Pretending," "No Alibis" and "Wonderful Tonight."

September 30, 1989 Neil Young performs "Rockin' In The Free World" on Saturday Night Live.

October 8, 1988 Keith Richards plays his first solo single, "Take It So Hard," on Saturday Night Live.

May 7, 1983 Stevie Wonder makes his only appearance on Saturday Night Live, where he's the host and musical guest. He plays a Stevie Wonder impersonator in a skit with Eddie Murphy and stars in a camera commercial spoof with the tagline, "so simple, even Stevie Wonder can use it."

May 17, 1980 Weeks after being detained in Tokyo on drug charges, Paul and Linda McCartney appear as musical guests on Saturday Night Live.

February 3, 1979 The Blues Brothers' album Briefcase Full of Blues hits #1 in the US - not bad for two comedians (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) who formed the duo for Saturday Night Live.

November 4, 1978 Van Morrison is the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, where he plays "Wavelength" and "Kingdom Hall."

October 7, 1978 The Rolling Stones play their new single "Beast Of Burden" on Saturday Night Live.

May 13, 1978 Just days after breaking his leg in a softball game, Jimmy Buffett appears on Saturday Night Live for the first and only time, singing "Son Of A Son Of A Sailor" with his injured limb propped up on an old boat.

October 2, 1976 Joe Cocker is the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, where he performs "Feelin' Alright" with his nemesis impersonator, John Belushi.

May 8, 1976 Carly Simon becomes the first Saturday Night Live musical guest who doesn't play live when a bout of stage fright keeps her from going on. Instead, NBC runs prerecorded renditions of "You're So Vain" and a new song called "Half A Chance."

October 7, 2020 After social media videos show him kissing girls and having an intimate, maskless good time with fans in Alabama, country singer Morgan Wallen is scratched as musical guest from Saturday Night Live for breaking coronavirus protocols. He is welcomed back to the show on December 5, when he performs two songs and does a send-up of the Tuscaloosa evening that got him in trouble.

October 13, 2018 Paul Simon, having completed his farewell tour, appears as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live for the ninth time on his 77th birthday.

October 7, 2017 Jason Aldean pays tribute to Tom Petty and the victims of the Las Vegas shooting a week earlier with a performance of "I Won't Back Down" on Saturday Night Live.More

December 5, 2015 Soul singer Leon Bridges is the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, singing "Smooth Sailin'" and "River" from his debut album Coming Home.

November 7, 2015 Presidential candidate Donald Trump hosts Saturday Night Live, with musical guest Sia. He asks for a photo with the reclusive Australian songstress, but she declines, explaining that she doesn't want her gay and Mexican fans to think she supports him.

January 31, 2015 Neo soul singer D'Angelo makes his debut appearance on SNL, performing "Really Love" and "The Charade" from his latest album, Black Messiah. His band, the Vanguard, wore t-shirts with the slogans "Black Lives Matter" and "I Can't Breathe" in reference to the controversial deaths of unarmed black men Michael Brown and Eric Garner at the hands of white policemen in 2014. The singer also donned a hooded sweatshirt as a nod to Trayvon Martin, who suffered a similar fate in 2012.

January 14, 2012 Little-known Lana Del Rey takes heaps of social media abuse for her lethargic performance on Saturday Night Live. She gets retribution when her Born To Die album, released two weeks later, earns her a global fanbase.

May 20, 2006 Saturday Night Live spoofs Neil Young's latest album, the very political Living With War, reimagining it as I Do Not Agree With Many Of This Administration's Policies.More

May 7, 2005 System Of A Down perform their raging Iraq War protest song "B.Y.O.B." on Saturday Night Live with the network using a 5-second delay to mute their vocals every time they say "f--k."

April 10, 2004 Two months after her "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl, Janet Jackson hosts Saturday Night Live and is also the musical guest.

October 12, 2002 Faith Hill is the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, hosted by Sarah Michelle Gellar, and performs "Cry" and "Free."

January 19, 2002 The Strokes make their first appearance on Saturday Night Live, where they sing "Last Nite" and "Hard To Explain" from their debut album, Is This It.

January 12, 2002 Saturday Night Live skewers the uproar over the rumor that 'N Sync will be appearing in the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise, Attack of the Clones. The skit features an over-the-top cameo by the boy band, including Jimmy Fallon as Justin Timberlake, singing their hit "Bye Bye Bye" and a Star Wars-themed ballad about being a "Jedi knight in these Jedi days."

May 13, 2000 Britney Spears is the musical guest and host on Saturday Night Live, where she performs two songs and appears in four sketches. In her opening monologue, she addresses rumors that she's had implants. "I'm 18 and still growing," she says, as her breasts move around in her shirt.

November 13, 1999 Garth Brooks hosts Saturday Night Live and performs "Way Of The Girl" as his Australian rock star alter-ego, Chris Gaines.

November 7, 1998 Eagle-Eye Cherry performs his debut single, "Save Tonight," on Saturday Night Live.