Saturday Night Live is a legendary gig for musicians and bands.
From Lee Ving’s Fear encouraging kids to slam dance to Beef Bologna to Nirvana playing Rape Me alongside Charles Barkley and RuPaul and Sinéad O’Connor ripping up a photography of the Pope during a cover of Bob Marley’s War, the show has seen its fair share of incredible performances.
These are to be explored in a documentary for NBC that will premiere on January 27, ahead of its 50th extravaganza.
Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson and Oz Rodriguez, who was a segment director on SNL, will direct Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music.
The special is produced by Questlove’s Two One Five Entertainment, RadicalMedia and Broadway Video.
It will feature untold stories behind the musical performances, sketches and cameos of the past 50 years. The three-hour special will also feature interviews with musical artists, cast, writers, and producers.
These include Bad Bunny, DJ Breakout, Elvis Costello, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish & Finneas, Dave Grohl, Debbie Harry & Chris Stein, Mick Jagger, Dua Lipa, Darryl DMC McDaniels, Tom Morello, Kacey Musgraves, Olivia Rodrigo, MC Sha-Rack, Paul Simon, Chris Stapleton, Justin Timberlake, Lee Ving and Jack White
Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music is executive produced by Lorne Michaels, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Zarah Zohlman, Erin David, Dave Sirulnick, Jon Kamen, Meredith Bennett, Alexander H. Browne, Shawn Gee & Tariq Trotter. Oz Rodriguez serves as producer.
“Everyone knows the most famous SNL appearances, whether it’s Elvis Costello, Prince or the Beastie Boys, but they’re the tip of a huge iceberg,” Thompson said. “The process of going back through the incredible archival footage was like being in a time machine, DeLorean or other. I’m so happy I went on the trip and now get to share it with everyone.”