On Monday night (January 27), NBC aired Questlove’s new documentary, Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music. The 3-hour program started with a brilliantly edited montage of hosts and musical guests throughout Saturday Night Live’s iconic 50-year history. The doc featured clips of memorable live performances from throughout the show’s 5-decade run, including the very first musical guest, Billy Preston, back in October 11, 1975, along with snippets from legendary SNL performances by Beyoncé, Prince, Taylor Swift, Nirvana, Olivia Rodrigo, Paul Simon, Kendrick Lamar, the White Stripes, OutKast, Dua Lipa, and many more.
The doc recounted the time when a mostly unknown Adele performed on SNL in 2008, and by the time her plane landed back in London, her album was No. 1 in the U.S. The documentary also touched on the hilarious musical performances by cast members like John Belushi, Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, Andy Samberg, and Fred Armisen, and the comical sketches featuring music superstars like Mick Jagger, Madonna, and Justin Timberlake. The film also highlighted the controversial music moments over the years, from Fear, Sinéad O’Connor, Rage Against The Machine, Ashlee Simpson, Kanye West, and Morgan Wallen.
“SNL is always the biggest thing,” said Billie Eilish, about hosting and performing on the show. “Every part of it was so cool. I felt like a part of a big family.” Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music is streaming now on Peacock.
