Saturday Night Live celebrated its 50th anniversary with an unforgettable SNL50 concert at Radio City Music Hall. The event featured iconic sketches, legendary cast members, and surprise performances. For almost three and a half hours, Audiences and fans were treated to comedy, music, and nostalgic tributes honoring the show’s rich history.
Hosted by Jimmy Fallon, the SNL50 concert packed a star-studded lineup of comedians, singers, and actors. The concert, which was one of several elements of SNL’s 50th anniversary celebration, was a perfect mix of humor, music, and emotional moments. Many of the night’s highlights came from unexpected reunions and hilarious live performances. These are TVOvermind’s most memorable moments from the SNL50 concert night.
Cher’s Electrifying “If I Could Turn Back Time” Performance
Cher had everyone in the audience, and probably at home, on their feet for most of her performance. Her “If I Could Turn Back Time” rendition was a perfect choice for a show that has successfully run for half a century. The 78-year-old Grammy, Emmy, and Oscar winner walked on stage in a semi-see-through fishnet outfit and a black jacket.
While mostly unknown to today’s musical generation, Cher’s presence at the SNL50 concert was a great honor to the show and everyone who knew the diva in her glory days. It had been years since many had seen Cher in a live performance, so seeing her performance effortlessly, without lip-syncing, was one of the night’s memorable moments.
Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” Performance
Every audience who lived through the 1990s will admit the Backstreet Boys performance was one of the night’s highlights. What was more iconic about the performance was seeing Brian Littrell perform despite his voice issues caused by vocal tension dysphonia and dystonia. Through the 90s love and heartbreaks, “I Want It That Way” will remain an evergreen song, with the Backstreet Boys being one of music’s most iconic bands. If anything, it was a joyous moment seeing Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and Kevin Richardson, on stage again with Brian Littrell.
Lady Gaga, Her Duet with Andy Samberg, and Her “Mystery Gift in a Box” Performance
The SNL50 concert night’s most memorable moment would not be complete without Lady Gaga’s performance. She’s one of many stars who honored the NBC late-night sketch show’s 50th anniversary with her presence. Lady Gaga’s entire performance, including her talon-shaped hat, was a hit. It began innocently with the multi-Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter behind the keys of a grand piano. Sitting across from her was Andy Samberg, whose positioning mirrored Bradley Cooper’s character in the Oscar-nominated 2018 musical romantic drama A Star Is Born.
Adding humor to the brief performance, Samberg struggled with his rendition before a seemingly disappointed Lady Gaga humorously requested he sing a song he could perform. While taking a jab at Justin Timberlake for his absence, Lady Gaga offered to perform Cooper’s part in the NSFW “Lonely Island” hit. The performance spiraled into a star-studded medley comprising Bad Bunny, Chris Parnell, T-Pain, Eddie Vedder, and Andy Samberg. After a brief absence, Lady Gaga later joined the medley wearing a box in front of her crouch. The performance, including Lady Gaga opening the box for a sneak peek, was an unexpected, delightful moment for the audience.
Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer’s Reunion as The Culps
Amongst all the SNL alum performances, Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer’s performance stands out. The actor-comedians reprised their roles as Marty Culp and Bobbi Mohan-Culp. It wasn’t just seeing them together again but their performance of trying to keep up with modern times. The duo performed several modern songs as best as they could, from Megan Thee Stallion’s “Body,” Britney Spears’s “Work Bitch,” Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy,” and Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!”
However, nothing prepared the audience for the Culps’ performance of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” song. Moving past their hilarious rendition of the song, Marty Culp and Bobbi Mohan-Culp tried unsuccessfully to reunite Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Will Ferrell’s Marty exclaimed, “Are Kenny Lamar and Drake Graham in the house? Maybe you can hug it out!” He followed his question with a defeated response, stating, “What? No chance in hell?”
The Post-Nirvana Performance
While the SNL50 concert had a few flat moments, the Nirvana reunion is unarguably one of the night’s biggest highlights. When actor-comedian Adam Sandler came on stage to introduce the next performer, audiences had no clue they were about to witness one of the night’s iconic reunions. Besides watching Nirvana’s surviving members—Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and Pat Smear—perform on stage again, the artist who sang vocals made the performance more emotional.
Nirvana’s lead singer, Kurt Cobain, died on April 5, 1994, leading to the band’s disbandment. To honor him, multi-Grammy Award-nominated rapper singer-songwriter Post Malone joined the band, performing as its vocalist and singing several of Nirvana’s hit songs. The unexpected collaboration forced Adam Sandler to introduce Nirvana as Post-Nirvana jokingly. While the SNL50 concert brought back old cast members, these are SNL season 50’s new and exiting cast members.
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