‘SNL50’ concert blitzes New York with Cher, Lady Gaga, Nirvana in musical celebration
NEW YORK – If you’re going to throw a musical party to celebrate a half-century of existence, why not enlist Lady Gaga? And Cher. And Ms. Lauryn Hill. And Jack White. And Miley Cyrus. And Backstreet Boys. And so very many more stars.
Such was the wealth of talent that paraded into Radio City Music Hall Friday night for “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert,” a nearly 3½-hour extravaganza that played to, as host Jimmy Fallon cracked, “thousands here (in New York) and hundreds at home.” That would be on Peacock, which streamed the concert commemorating five decades of “Saturday Night Live,” well, live.
Outside the venerated venue, fans lined the surrounding blocks, screaming at every black SUV that stopped to deliver another star (Amy Schumer was greeted with cheers).
The packed theater of about 6,000 included “SNL” legends (Chevy Chase, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler) and a sleigh full of celebrities, some with ties to the show (Paul Rudd, Jon Hamm, Tom Hanks, Martin Short, Meryl Streep) and some there for the entertainment (Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano).
The musical marathon raced through genres from rock, reggaeton, hip-hop, country and pop thanks to Arcade Fire, Bad Bunny, Snoop Dogg, Jelly Roll and Robyn.
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Though occasionally imbued with a ramshackle spirit – as is the “SNL” way – the show also recalled some of its most enduring nonperformance musical entries in the pop culture encyclopedia.
Bill Murray returned as “Nick Valentine,” the ruffle-shirted lounge singer, accompanied by Paul Shaffer and a trio of the show’s most musically gifted cast members (Ana Gasteyer, Maya Rudolph and Cecily Strong) singing “You’re All I Need to Get By.” Plus, Rudolph teamed with Fred Armisen for their spot-on impersonations of Beyoncé and Prince.
But the most welcome homecomings were Andy Samberg and a needling Lady Gaga jousting on faux-boy-band masterpiece “D— in a Box” and Gasteyer and Will Ferrell resurrecting puritanical music teachers Bobbi and Marty Culp. The endearing couple shared their special renditions of Sam Smith’s “Unholy,” Cardi B’s “WAP,” and most brilliantly, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” stretching out the “A minor” line with exaggerated, innocent glee.
The blitz of performances rotated among three stages: a central one boasting the impressively chameleonic Roots, who backed the majority of performers; and two small stages crafted to mimic the arced train station entries as seen on the “SNL” set.
As for the performances, here are some highlights:
More:Iconic ‘SNL’ musical performances: Adele, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Nirvana
A few artists opted to pay tribute to deceased musicians who had performed on “SNL,” and Vedder was the first to conjure an homage. He credibly inhabited Tom Petty’s distinctive nasal tone on “The Waiting,” but it was his remembrance of show cast members who have died – Gilda Radner, Phil Hartman, Chris Farley and John Belushi among them – that resonated.
If the response to the fivesome stepping out of stage doors and onto the set is an indicator, expect to see their newly announced Sphere residency continue far beyond this summer. In their black outfits tailored to suit their personalities – a cowboy hat for AJ McLean, backward baseball cap for Brian Littrell, trench coat for Kevin Richardson, leather-ish jacket for Nick Carter and streamlined look for Howie Dorough – the guys barely had to nudge before a full singalong of “I Want it That Way” erupted.
Following a personalized (and, of course, hilarious) introduction from Kate McKinnon, Carlile and her band strummed the recognizable chords of “The Joke” amid sparkly aqua lighting. This is Carlile’s most potent song and her visceral vocals complemented by the background sounds of SistaStrings, brought pathos to the show. Her final note elicited a deserved roar from the crowd as Carlile humbly smiled.
Following a rollicking performance of “I Will Wait,” the band welcomed veteran lap steel guitarist Jerry Douglas to join them on a reverent rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer.” The very New York song has a history with the show: Simon & Garfunkel played the ballad on the third episode of “SNL” and Simon chose it to open the show’s return after 9/11 in 2001. Marcus Mumford and the band captured its smoky beauty with grace.
This unusual but inspired pair turned the lights down low for the song Raitt dedicated to “anyone with a hurting heart.” Over Martin’s delicate playing, her aching rasp resonated to the rafters, a melancholy shudder that still sounded comforting. As they exited the stage, Martin wrapped Raitt in a warm embrace.
Even though Nirvana reunited a couple of weeks ago at the FireAid benefit concert in Los Angeles with gutsy female rockers handling lead vocals, it was still smile-worthy to hear them introduced as Post Nirvana. Yes, that would be Post Malone, who convincingly simulated Kurt Cobain’s phlegmy yowls, rocking the mic as Dave Grohl, Pat Smear and Krist Novoselic thrashed and crashed around him.
We would really like to see any other 78-year-old don mesh tights and a high-cut leotard, stutter step across a stage and belt an anthem with the same cheeky confidence as when it was recorded more than 35 years ago. Go ahead, we’re waiting. That’s what we thought. There is only one Cher. End of discussion.
As soon as this sleek award-winning ballad begins, audience members start craning their necks to see which male singer or actor might stroll out for Bradley Cooper’s part. Lady Gaga demonstrated, yet again, she is perfectly capable of a heavy lift all by herself. In her black gown and headdress, Gaga played her black baby grand piano, her stunning voice ringing pure. As she exited the stage, she quickly touched hands with nearly every audience member situated in the pits flanking the main stage, a star until the end.
Eddie Vedder, ‘The Waiting’
Backstreet Boys, ‘I Want it That Way’
Brandi Carlile, ‘The Joke’
Mumford & Sons, ‘The Boxer’
Bonnie Raitt and Chris Martin, ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’
Nirvana and Post Malone, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’
Cher, ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’
Lady Gaga, ‘Shallow’
Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard Honor Sinèad O’Connor on SNL 50th Special with ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ Cover
O’Connor was a musical guest on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 1992
NBC
Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard teamed up once again for Saturday Night Live.
On Sunday, Feb. 16 during SNL50: The Anniversary Special, the singers performed an emotional duet of the late Sinèad O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Cyrus and Howard previously sang “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen during the homecoming concert on Friday, Feb. 14.
The soulful 1985 song was originally written by Prince and was part of O’Connor’s 1990 album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. O’Connor, who died in 2023, is part of the sketch show’s history, appearing on Saturday Night Live in 1992 as the musical guest.
Instead of singing one of her own songs, O’Connor opted for an a cappella version of Bob Marley’s “War” and asked the camera operators to slowly zoom in on her face while she sang.
At the end of the song, she looked into the camera and said, “Fight the real enemy.” She then held up a picture of Pope John Paul II and tore it apart on live television as a response to the Catholic Church’s alleged cover-up of sexual abuse of children.
Her performance became infamous in SNL’s history and the part of her performance where she ripped up the pope’s pictures wasn’t shown in the episode’s reruns.
Speaking to PEOPLE in 2021, O’Connor said that she was “well aware there would be” backlash. “I understood it because we joke in Ireland or in Europe that Americans, they don’t think anything happened until it happened to them. So I totally understood. I didn’t blame anyone.”
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She wrote in her 2021 memoir Rememberings that she didn’t regret her actions on the sketch show.
“A lot of people say or think that tearing up the pope’s photo derailed my career. That’s not how I feel about it,” she wrote. “I feel that having a number-one record derailed my career and my tearing the photo put me back on the right track.”
YVONNE HEMSEY/GETTY
In the 2025 documentary Ladies and Gentleman…50 Years of SNL Music, Lorne Michaels spoke about O’Connor’s actions. “There was a part of me that admired the bravery of what she’d done and also the absolute sincerity of it,” he said.
SNL50: The Anniversary Special is airing live on NBC and streaming onPeacock.
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How to watch the ‘Saturday Night Live’ 50th anniversary special
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“Saturday Night Live” is celebrating 50 years since the sketch comedy show first aired in October 1975.
To mark the milestone, current and past “SNL” cast members, fellow comedians, esteemed actors, musical guests and more are expected to grace Studio 8H on Sunday, Feb. 16, to commemorate half a century of laughs with a three-hour special.
Though “SNL” has historically aired live on Saturday nights, the anniversary show is set to take place on a Sunday night. (On Saturday, Feb. 15, NBC aired a special re-broadcast of the show’s very first episode.)
Click here for live updates from “SNL50.”
Sunday’s live show will include guests like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Eddie Murphy, John Mulaney, Kate McKinnon, Maya Rudolph, Will Ferrell and more.
Here’s how to watch “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” on Sunday.
“SNL50” is a three-hour primetime special airing Sunday, Feb. 16, from 8 to 11 p.m. on NBC.
Red carpet coverage will begin at 7 p.m. ET on NBC. Sunday TODAY host Willie Geist, as well as “SNL” alum Leslie Jones and comedian Matt Rogers, will interview guests as they arrive at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.
The “SNL” anniversary special will air live Sunday evening on NBC and Peacock. (Peacock and TODAY.com share a parent company, NBCUniversal.)
A livestream of the red carpet will be available on all “SNL” social media, hosted by Amelia Dimoldenberg, the creator of the viral “Chicken Shop Date” interview series.
Becca Wood is a news and trending reporter for TODAY Digital based in New York City. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
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