Many River Rock & Rollers at the Top of Rolling Stone’s Best SNL Musical Performances
Rolling Stone has ranked its 50 greatest musical performances on Saturday Night Live.
Topping the list is David Bowie‘s 1979 performance of “The Man Who Sold the World,” during which he was carried to the mic because he was encased in a plastic tuxedo.
Number two on Rolling Stones‘ list is The Replacements‘ 1986 performance of “Bastards of Young,” during which singer Paul Westerberg shouted, “Come on f*****!” at guitarist Bob Stinson.
Number three is Elvis Costello‘s legendary 1977 appearance, where he stopped his agreed-upon song, “Less Than Zero,” and then kicked into the then-unreleased track “Radio Radio.”
Number 4 and 5 are Prince‘s 1981 performance of “Partyup” and Radiohead‘s 2000 take on “The National Anthem.”
Other River artists on the list: Smashing Pumpkins (1993), DEVO (1978), Duran Duran (1983), the Strokes (2002), the Talking Heads (1979), U2 (2004), the B-52s (1980), Nirvana (1993), Pearl Jam (1992), R.E.M. (1994), Jack White (2020), Rage Against the Machine (1996), and Radiohead (2000).
