Far from comin’ to ya on a dusty road, NBC’s SNL50: The Homecoming Concert streamed live to viewers via Peacock from New York City’s famed Radio City Music Hall on Friday (Feb. 14), with the celebration honoring the long-running sketch comedy show and its rich musical history the moment it kicked off. Host Jimmy Fallon – who joined Saturday Night Live in 1998 – launched the evening with an energetic tribute to former cast members John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s Blues Brothers by performing “Soul Man,” which the musical duo had delivered on the show in 1978.
From there, the three-plus-hour event brought back not only beloved comedians from the program’s storied history, but also many of the biggest names in music who have taken to the famed stage at 30 Rock’s Studio 8H over the last five decades and across various genres, from rock to hip-hop, country, pop and beyond. Among those marking SNL’s half-century on the air at the concert were Cher, Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Miley Cyrus, Robyn, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Jack White, Backstreet Boys, Jelly Roll, Bonnie Raitt and many more, with Questlove and The Roots backing up multiple acts.
This being SNL, there were naturally comedic moments, though not always from stars of the show both past and present (Cyrus tweaking her “Flowers” lyric to “I can love you better than ADAM SANDLER can!” had the audience roaring with laughter), as well as a few somber ones. Among the latter were Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder taking a moment to remember late cast members such as Belushi, Gilda Radner and Norm McDonald while performing Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ “The Waiting,” and when Mumford & Sons’ Marcus Mumford introduced Jerry Douglas and shared they would be performing Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer,” which Paul Simon also delivered on the first SNL broadcast back after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
But for the most part, The Homecoming Concert was a joyous, laugh-filled celebration that highlighted not just the comedic talent the show has introduced to audiences over the years, but also the vast array of musicians who have delivered historic performances. Here are some of the best moments of the SNL50 concert, as experienced from the seats of Radio City Music Hall.
Backstreet’s Back, All Right!
Image Credit: Todd Owyoung/Peacock
Nostalgia was in full force when the Backstreet Boys took the stage at Radio City to deliver their 1999 Hot 100 No. 6 hit “I Want It That Way.” As soon as the guys stepped onto the stage, deafening screams filled the theater, and audience members leapt to their feet to sing along. Among the famous faces who couldn’t help but belt out the vocals? Paul Rudd (who was spotted joyously singing along on multiple occasions), Adam Sandler, Maya Rudolph and Jon Hamm.
Toward the end of the song, Brian Littrell walked into the star-studded audience and stopped right in front of Jerry Seinfeld, and sang, “Tell me why!” to which the comedian responded with a shaky, “Ain’t nothing but a mistaaake!” into the boy bander’s mic.
Next up for BSB? A residency as Las Vegas’ The Sphere and the arrival of Millennium 2.0!
Ms. Lauryn Hill & Wyclef Jean Reunite
Image Credit: Todd Owyoung/Peacock
The Fugees fans may not have gotten their highly anticipated tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Billboard 200-topping The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill last year, but they got a mini reunion at the SNL50 concert. Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean performed a medley of hits that included “Lost Ones” and “911,” and closed with the classic “Killing Me Softly.”
The Culps Sing “Not Like Us”
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Sit down, because class is in session! Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer’s Marty Culp and Bobbi Mohan-Culp came out of retirement to offer a lesson in some “freaky tunes” — and tried to end the rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake while they were at it.
The Culps started by delivering a few spicy lines from Britney Spears’ “Work Bitch,” Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy,” Megan Thee Stallion’s “Body” and Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” before moving onto the big fight. Ferrell began with a breathy laugh, then whispered ominously yet hilariously, “I see dead people,” launching into Lamar’s Grammy-winning Drake diss track “Not Like Us,” complete with the line the rapper himself censored during his Super Bowl Halftime Show, as well as the “A minor” lyric, which had the whole theater singing along.
“Are Kenny Lamar and Drake Graham in the house? Maybe you can hug it out!” Ferrell’s Marty suggested afterward. “What? No chance in hell?”
Icons only! Former SNL cast members Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen reprised their impressions of Beyoncé and the late, great Prince to introduce the one and only Cher.
During her all-too-brief one song set, the Grammy winner delivered her 1989 Hot 100 No. 3 hit “If I Could Turn Back Time,” her vocals sounding just as strong and vibrant as if she really had turned the clock back. Meanwhile, in present day Radio City Music Hall, the audience basked in her literally sparkling performance (complete with a glittery ensemble, naturally), singing the lyrics back to the superstar as if it were karaoke night at the iconic venue.
Nirvana Reunites
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Hello, hello, hello … how is this happening?! The evening seemed to be moving along as expected when former cast member Adam Sandler came out to introduce the next performer. The comedian — who was part of the sketch comedy show from 1991 to 1995 — reflected on the act’s first appearance on SNL in 1992, which he called “an explosive moment for all of us.” That musical guest? The surviving members of Nirvana with Post Malone on vocals … or as Sandler called them, Post Nirvana.
Yes, it was a surprise reunion of Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear, with the “Circles” singer filling in for the late Kurt Cobain. Their song? A bombastic, roof-raising performance of the Seattle grunge icons’ Hot 100 No. 6 hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which led to heads banging, devil’s horns being thrown up and even some light moshing in the two small audience pits in front of the stage.
Image Credit: Virginia Sherwood/Peacock via Getty Images
The performance started innocently enough: Lady Gaga was behind the keys of a grand piano, while comedian Andy Samberg was perched on a stool, positioned just as the 14-time Grammy winner was at the 2019 Oscars with her A Star Is Born costar Bradley Cooper while they performed their award-winning song “Shallow.” Except this time, one of them can’t sing. “It’s very bad,” Gaga confirmed to the comedian of his vocals. (Fans of the lauded movie needn’t have worried about the brevity of the song, because Gaga later performed it in its entirety during a solo set.)
There was, however, another song he was open to trying his hand at, except darn it, his partner — one Justin Timberlake — wasn’t there. “Andy, don’t be a b—h!” the singer declared. “I’ll do it with you!” And with that, the two launched into the NSFW Lonely Island hit that went viral after its 2006 Christmas episode debut, kicking off a star-studded medley of some of the trio’s hits that included “Motherlover” and “I Just Had Sex.”
Highlights of the medley included Bad Bunny (who also performed solo earlier in the evening) singing opera style, Eddie Vedder sailing onto the stage on a ship as Captain Jack Sparrow, and the performance seamlessly segueing into nod of Kendrick Lamar’s “TV Off” complete with Chris Parnell yelling “MUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!”
While Gaga appeared to be offstage for a brief time, she returned toward the end of the medley, complete with … a box on her crotch. (And lifting the lid to take a peek inside afterward, of course.)
It was the perfect performance for the evening, encapsulating the music, the humor and the A-list talent the show has put on display over its 50 years on the air.
