Imagine you could bring together on one stage, for one night, all the musical guests that have graced “Saturday Night Live" in five decades.
Friday's “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert” isn't quite doing that — but the three-hour show boasts a truly epic lineup of performers.
Just one of the ways “SNL” is marking its 50th birthday, the show will be hosted by Jimmy Fallon at Radio City Music Hall, a stone's throw from Studio 8H, and streamed live on Peacock, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern and 5 p.m. Pacific.
Cher, Dave Grohl, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Snoop Dogg, St. Vincent and Wyclef Jean are just the most recent performers to sign up.
They join a group that includes Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Bad Bunny, The Roots, Arcade Fire, Backstreet Boys, Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Chris Martin, David Byrne and many more. There will surely be notable surprises, too.
And it won't just be musicians appearing on the Radio City stage: Also expected are “SNL” luminaries and alums like Ana Gasteyer, Andy Samberg, Maya Rudolph, Paul Shaffer, Tracy Morgan and Will Ferrell.
The show is produced, not surprisingly, by “SNL” creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels, along with Mark Ronson.
The concert is only one element of what has become an enormous celebration of the show's 50 years in existence. Sunday's “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” will air live from Studio 8H on NBC and simulcast on Peacock. The special will celebrate the occasion with yet more musical performances as well as comedy sketches.
And the musical legacy of “SNL” is explored in the documentary “Ladies and Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music,” from Oscar-winner Questlove. Also streaming on Peacock, it features a stunning opening mashup of some of the greatest acts to appear on the show.
“Watching ‘SNL’ those first seasons gave me a musical vocabulary that I don’t think would have happened on its own,” Questlove told The Associated Press last month before the special aired.
