Best live musical moments on "Saturday Night Live"

[HamerHokie]

Hot Tub!!!!!

That, and Buh Weet Sings.

I remember seeing the Talking Heads doing Once in a Lifetime, Puff Daddy rapping over Kashmir with Jimmy Page, and, of course, Britney Spears.

[MrGuitarguy]

There was a really great Clapton performance a while back where he played through a Soldano. He played his signature strat on one tune and a 335 on another. He sounded really great. It's a shame he never sounded that good on most of his live DVD's.

The Notting Hillbillies were awesome when they were on.

[El Kabong]

...but nice people swallow.

My favorite moment was Brian Ferry out of his skull on coke taunting the camera with flared, inflamed, burning nostrils crooning, "Slave to Love".

Too hot in the hot tub..Will it make me wet?...

I just stole Smokey Robinson's drum kit....

[Disturber]

+1 on Paul Simon's multiple appearances, including dueting w/ George Harrison, and singing "The Boxer" to open the first SNL after 9/11.

Stones doing "Shattered" is a vintage SNL rock classic. A modern one would be Prince doing "Fury", ripping out those Hendrixesque notes on a baby blue Strat with a Floyd Rose. And hot chicks shaking the booty behind him.

I love that Belushi Pepsi and cheeseburger sketch with Charlie Watts and Ron Wood. Classic.

[RobB]

Petty/Heartbreakers during "...Torpedoes" era, "The Waiting." Petty w/Rick 12ver spotlighted and playing solo. The band slammed in after the middle eight ("don't let 'em get ta yewww-ewww...") with Campbell's solo and it was powerful and VERY rock. Can't find a vid of it anywhere, but it kick(s)ed ass.

Yeesh, his original band had some major balls. Florida is like the Texas of the southeast: .38 Special, Outlaws, Petty, Skynyrd, Blackfoot (okay, Jersey, too), Rossington-Collins, Molly Hatchet et al...Seems like a lot of talent came out of that part of the U.S. for a while.

[dermglass]

I was usually playing out on the weekends and never got to see most of the classic SNL's but I do remember The Stones giving an energetic,sloppy performance of "Shattered". Didn't Mick do something like kiss or hit Ron Wood?

[guitarzandstuff]

Terence Trent D'Arby was very good.

+1

[MCChris]

I´m surprised none of the resident heavy music fans have mentioned Skid Row doing "Monkey Business."

So I will.

[jwhitcomb3]

Talking Heads doing "Take Me to the River"

Elvis doing "Radio Radio"

-Jonathan

[BONEDADYO]

Billy Idol w/ Steve Stevens doing Rebel Yell

Eddie Van Halen w/ G.E. Smith

The Power Station (one of the few live performances they did with Robert Palmer)

[JohnnyThunders]

Best was the October 31, 1981 show with FEAR! I have this show on Beta, too bad I don't have a Beta player. They had all these wild dancers and punks running around and they just destroyed the whole set resulting in the banning of all punk acts for a decade according to wikipedi. Thery played all their hits "I don't care about you, fuck you" "Beef Baloney", New Yorks alright if you like Saxaphones or if your a homosexual". I didn't know it but looks like John Belushi was behind their appearance, great TV, wish I could finf a cheap beta machine.

[Dumo]

Best was the October 31, 1981 show with FEAR! I have this show on Beta, too bad I don't have a Beta player. They had all these wild dancers and punks running around and they just destroyed the whole set resulting in the banning of all punk acts for a decade according to wikipedi. Thery played all their hits "I don't care about you, fuck you" "Beef Baloney", New Yorks alright if you like Saxaphones or if your a homosexual". I didn't know it but looks like John Belushi was behind their appearance, great TV, wish I could finf a cheap beta machine.

I was going to say that one too. Fear was actually the second choice for Belushi. Black Flag was suppossed to play but was considered too dangerous. They had a lot of police action at their shows back then (mostly started by LAPD). I think Fear heard this and went out of their way to make an impression. Looks like mission accomplished.

[Dasein]

Edie Brickell and New Bohemians..... a breakthrough performance that launched her career and heralded the new wave of female vocalists and Lilith Fair type singers. There would have been no Sarah or arguably even Love without Edie.

[peedenmark7]

devo and tin machine

for actors playing artists, cant beat keiffer and sebastian doing the ABC's kiddie rock skit

[Brooks]

lotsa good ones mentioned so far.

i remember soundgarden and smashing pumpkins sounding very crappy.

beleive it or not, hanson sounded really good! i swear!

[alantigold]

Kate Bush doing "Them Heavy People" and "Man With The Child In His Eyes".

Zappa.

Cheap Trick.

Queen.

But possibly my fondest SNL musical performance memory - Roy Orbison. That version of "Crying" is awesome.

Alan

[kindofblue79]

I remember Van Morrison (in a good mood!) doing "Wavelength." Cool guitar solo in that one.

The posts above are excellent and bring back a lot of good memories. Delbert McClinton, Patti Smith, Keith Richard & the Expensive Winos, Elvis Costello, Steve Martin doing "King Tut" . . .

[Guest Mike Lee]

I grew up watching SNL in the 80's along with the reruns of the 70's. I didn't watch it much in the early 90's due to college but started again in the mid though late 90's. I don't think I've watched it at all in this decade.

Anyway, I agree with most of the classics posted, but there are a couple more recent (well, 90's anyway) ones not mentioned yet:

Beck (not Jeff) - "Where's it's At" & "Devil's Haircut"

Metallica - "Stone Cold Crazy" and "Fuel"

[DDC]

I could care less abt rap but Kelis doing milkshake, that was the bomb

usually it sounds so bad over the tele the new acts are not even listenable

[hamerboy_]

I remember seeing AC/DC on SNL with there entire backline of Marshall's facing backwards.

Korn was on within the last year. Two words; train wreck.

-Bobby

[Jack C]

I just went looking for the Korn trainwreck. Is this it? While I don't particularly care for the song, they seemed to do a pretty good job with it.

[Guest JackButler]

Skid Row doig "Monkey Business".. in their prime and NONE more rock! Absolutely BRUTAL.

[bassplayer6489]

The Red Hot Chili Peppers, with John and Anthony out of their mind on Heroin playing "Under The Bridge". John goes to the bridge one verse early, and is doing some of the worst improvisation I have ever heard. Somehow, though, I still liked the performance.

I used to watch SNL early in this decade, and it's only gotten worse since then. I can't imagine how good it used to be in the early days of the show.

[Beergoblin]

I´m surprised none of the resident heavy music fans have mentioned Skid Row doing "Monkey Business."

So I will.

I was about to say the same thing. That performance kicked all sorts of ass

[ford]

I always thought Living Colour doing Cult of Personality was pretty cool....