Hip-hop duo Black Star (Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey) announced a last-minute show at Sony Hall on Nov. 15, coming off the heels of their SNL debut on Nov. 12.
Black Star is a rap group from NYC, that changed music forever in 1998 with their album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. yasiin bey and Talib Kweli first united to form what they penned “the best alliance in hip-hop,” and continue to make history with their highly-anticipated album No Fear of Time – their first in nearly 24 years.
Madlib produced all of the beats for the album’s nine songs and according to Pitchfork “the people need Black Star now more than ever,” saying the songs “So be it,” “Sweetheart. Sweethard. Sweetodd.,” and “Supreme alchemy” are the “best performances across the album.”
Earlier this year, they performed alongside Robert Glasper, Dave Chapelle, Thundercat, Flying, and Lotus, at the debut Blue Note Napa Festival.
The group will be going to Sony Hall, an NYC venue that opened its doors in 2018. It presents world-renowned performing artists across all music genres at capacities of 1,000 standing and 500 seated, with a full-service restaurant and bar. Sony Hall is equipped with Sony’s technologies which provide enhanced experiences for the audience.
Tickets to see their performance at Sony Hall on Nov. 15 are on sale here. Black Star will also be performing on SNL on Nov. 12, with host Dave Chapelle.
Saturday Night Live returned for Season 48 at Studio 8H of Rockefeller Center, bringing in four new SNL featured cast members, along with host Miles Teller and musical guest, Kendrick Lamar.
Opening with a deeply self-referential Manningcast sketch, featuring host Miles Teller as Peyton Manning and repertory player Andrew Dismukes as Eli Manning, the pair began to break down the upcoming changes to SNL this season, with a cameo from actor Jon Hamm as well. Referencing cast members who departed and facing criticism during a transition year head on, the breakdown of the cold open as the cold open was underway was a fresh idea for SNL and a bellwether for the season to come.
With a fresh SNL font and new cast intros segment, the start of Season 48 also marked the 20th season for Kenan Thompson, as well as the 20th season for the Grand Central Terminal set, each debuting during Season 29 in 2003. Teller, star of this summer’s Top Gun: Maverick, shared his excitement for making it to the SNL stage, having been a fan since he was a kid. Teller shared childhood videos of he and his sister as Spartan Cheerleaders – with Teller as Cheri Oteri and his sister as Will Ferrell. This is a trend seen among hosts recently as they celebrate making it the long transition from SNL fan to SNL host, such as Oscar Isaaclast season.
Miles Teller SNL monologue
For the first performance on the night, Kendrick Lamar performed two songs – “Rich Spirit” and “N95” – from his fourth album, Mr. Morale And The Big Steppers. Using a minimalist approach to the performance, Lamar performed alone in a blue-hued box room with a single pedestal fan facing him, while his shadow was prominently featured to his right. After a minute, the shadow began dancing as he shifted into the speedier “N95” with spotlight and strobes highlighting the solo artist confined to this white room, similar to his stage set up on his recently ended North American leg of his ‘Big Steppers” tour.
A stunning performance, text flashing on the white walls during “N95” included “Lil L got his passport,” “4 peez Kee riches,” “The homie Jason Keaton wrote two books in prison,” “The Edges Envy in the Eyes,” and “Yea we still playing industry politics.”
These referenced, respectively, Compton rapper and friend of Lamar, Lil L; 4 Peez who grew up on Piru Street, two streets down from the location of the Good kid Maad city house; rapper Kee Riches who was shot and killed last week; and Jason Keaton, who earned college degrees and wrote two books while incarcerated for 15 years, and who is also referenced in the 2009 K.Dot song “Jason Keaton and Uncle Bobby.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1ursSZ0NCw
For his second performance, Kendrick was once again in a white box, this time with a bed, lamp, table and chair, where British rapper Sampha was rocking. Lamar dove in with Sampha joining in on “Early mornin’ wake ups, practicin’ on day-offs. Tough love, bottled up, no chaser, neat, no chaser.” Throughout the performance, the walls closed in on Kendrick and Sampha, as they rapped and reflected upon an upbringing with limited emotional outlets amid home invasions and daddy issues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04qA4krEub8
Tonight also marked the fifth appearance on SNL for Kendrick Lamar, starting with his 2013 debut where he performed “Swimming Pools (Drank)” and “Poetic Justice,” then returned in 2014 to play “i” and “Pay For It” off To Pimp a Butterfly, alongside Jay Rock and Chantal Kreviazuk. Lamar has also joined other musicians on SNL, including Imagine Dragons on “Radioactive” in 2014 and Anderson .Paak in 2018 on “Tints”.
Closing out the night, Teller wore an NYU shirt, celebrating his roots at the NYU Tisch School of Arts where he received a BFA in Drama in 2009.
Not seen this evening was longtime cast member Cecily Strong, who is in Los Angeles performing in The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life. Expect Strong to return to SNL in November.
Next week, SNL will be hosted by Irish actor Brendan Gleeson, star of The Banshees of Inisherin, with musical guest is Willow, daughter of Will Smith.
The penultimate episode in Season 47 of Saturday Night Live featured two SNL first timers – Selena Gomez as host, and Syracuse native Post Malone as musical guest.
Gomez did serve as musical guest on January 23, 2016, and used her monologue to discuss her TV show past, including her time on Barney & Friends, and discussed her current show, Only Murders in the Building, featuring SNL-vetaran Steve Martin and SNL-alum Martin Short.
Steve Martin would appear in a pre-taped “Unventor Documentary” sketch as Archie Gizmo, the inventor of the whoopie cushion. He tells the origin story of the gag gift, with Dina Beans (Aidy Bryant) as the muse he fell in love with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOKAWhFdYNM
For Post Malone’s first song, the dark stage was backlit by white spotlights, the singer on stage alone dressed head to toe in leather to perform “Cooped Up.” Partway through he was joined by Roddy Ricch, who featured on the remix of “Wow” in 2019. The new song dropped this past week, with lyrics that note how Malone gave Ricch a big opportunity: “And Posty took me on my first damn tour date/ He had me rockin’ every night, sold out arenas/ I’m project n—a, I never thought I would see s–t/ I tried to tell you, you prolly wouldn’t believe us.” “Cooped Up” appears on Twelve CaratToothache, set to be released on June 3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSdHZale2cA
Post Malone would show up twice in sketches – first as the conscience/shoulder-angel of Chris Redd in showed up in the sketch “Intuition,” and later in the final sketch of the night “Baby Monitor” as a baby in a crib.
Post Malone’s second song, “A Love Hate Letter To Alcohol,” also appears on the upcoming album. Fleet Foxes along with LA-based singer-songwriter Adam Melchor served as backup to Malone, all clad in black. Malone was revealed on one knee and wearing a calf-length dress along with white button down and black suspenders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNzvsXsQaMU
Saturday Night Live returns for the Season 47 finale on Saturday, May 21 with host Natasha Lyonne and musical guest Japanese Breakfast.
Arcade Fire returned to Saturday Night Live for the fifth time, and first since 2018, alongside host and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star Benedict Cumberbatch.
With their fifth performance, Arcade Fire joins a Five-Timers Club of their own, alongside Miley Cyrus, James Taylor, Kanye West, Rihanna, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. (Arcade Fire had also served as backing band for Mick Jagger’s performance on SNL in 2012)
Following their memorable 2013 appearance, Arcade Fire aired a 30-minute concert special directed by Roman Coppola, and featuring cameos from Bono, Ben Stiller, James Franco, Michael Cera, Zach Galifianakis, and more. During the special, the band performed new songs “Here Comes the Night Time,” “Normal Person” and “We Exist.” Watch the unique performance below.
The band released their latest album WE on Friday, May 6, as well as announcing a world tour that finds them back in the Big Apple in November.
For tonight’s Saturday Night Live, the show stayed in step with the week’s news as the cold open mocked the root centuries-old argument Justice Alito references in his leaked Dobbs v. Jackson draft. This is SNL at its best, mocking the establishment and bringing to light the modern morality of social issues.
Cumberbatch celebrated mothers in his monologue, including his mom as well as his wife, but no overt Dr. Strange references were found tonight. Although, Cumberbatch was joined later in the show with a surprise appearance by Multiverse of Madness co-star Elizabeth Olson in “The Understudy.“
Noting two of his favorite words are “Arcade Fire”, Cumberbatch introduced the musical guest, who dove into “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” off WE. With wacky waving inflatable tube men in front of the stage, Win Butler and Régine Chassagne led the band through the enchanting number, ending with Butler saying “I Love you Mom.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ownPVvCY5Us
On Weekend Update, Kate McKinnon made an appearance as Justice Amy Coney Barrett to discuss the apparent intention to overturn Roe v. Wade (against public opinion) citing laws from the 1600s.
Arcade Fire’s second songs, “The Lightning I,” and its album counterpart “The Lightning II,” were accommpanied by a purple backdrop projecting shadows of the 9-piece band. The uptempo “The Lightning II” raised the vibe on a dime, building a froth while pouring everything into “A day a week a month a year, every second brings me here,” cresting with repitition, and closing with “Waiting on the lightning, waiting on the light, what will the light bring?”
In keeping with the Mother’s Day episode theme, Butler had “Call Your Mom” written onto his guitar during these songs, saying at the end ““A woman’s right to choose forever and ever and ever. Amen.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEHTTp20gz0
To close the show, Cumberbatch and a half dozen cast members wore shirts bearing 1973, a nod to the year of Roe v. Wade. Arcade Fire then took the SNL stage for a third and final song, “End of the Empire I-IV,” as the credits rolled.
Saturday Night Live returns on May 14 with host Selena Gomez and musical guest Post Malone.
Saturday Night Live returned on April 2 to address the Oscars slap and more, with host Jerrod Carmichael and musical guest, Gunna.
Weekend Update focused on ‘the slap’, noting it as a defining moment of television for the current generation, a mark in pop-culture time.
Pete Davidson returned for the first time in three episodes with the music video “Short Ass Movie,” where he cited the need for movies with a runtime under 1 hour, 40 minutes. Joined by fellow cast member Chris Redd, Dirt Nasty (Simon Rex) and musical guest Gunna, the group explored the myraid of movies considered a quick watch.
Gunna rapped “I’m not pushin P unless it’s under two hours/ Like Lion King or Bad Moms or all three Austin Powers.” Davidson took on A Beautiful Mind-style observation on the run times of Jurassic Park (2 hours, 7 minutes) and Sex and the City 2 (2 hours, 26 minutes), and even referencing a recent Instagram post from Davidson where friend Scott Diseck fell asleep during boys night.
Gunna’s first song, “Banking on Me,” was released as a single on Valentine’s Day, originally planned to be on the deluxe edition of his third studio album, DS4Ever, his second consecutive number one album, released in January and featuring guest appearances from 21 Savage, Drake, Kodak Black and more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW_miq1-SXQ
For his second performance, Gunna was joined by Future for “pushin P,” a phrase meaning to ‘push positivity.’ On DSM4Ever, the pair are joined by Young Thug for the brief (2:12) yet hypnotic track.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex3LGdbDqe0
Next week Saturday Night Live welcomes host Jake Gyllenhaal with Musical Guest Camila Cabello.
Charli XCX made her long awaited return to Saturday Night Live, alongside host Oscar Isaac of the upcoming MCU series Moon Knight.
Originally, Charli XCX was slated to be the musical guest for the Christmas episode of SNL in December 2021, but due to the omicron wave of COVID-19, the show was filmed with a limited cast and host Paul Rudd, and she was rescheduled for the March 5th episode.
Tonight marked Charli’s second time playing SNL, having first performed on the show in 2014 when her sophomore album Sucker was released. Now in 2022, she’s promoting her forthcoming album, Crash, due out March 18.
Charli XCX has been performing and writing music for other artists in her decade long career, including “I Love It” by Icona Pop and “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea, in addition to her hit “Boom Clap.” Toeing the line between mainstream pop and being an indie darling, Charli has built up a core fanbase and dabbles in the burgeoning subgenre of hyperpop. On the upcoming Crash, Charli collaborates with Christine and the Queens, Caroline Polachek and Rina Sawayama.
Before arriving on the Studio 8H stage, Charli showed up as a singing meatball in a disturbing pre-taped sketch, which doubled as veteran cast member Kenan Thompson’s 1500th sketch, an all time best for SNL.
Her first song, “Beg For You,” featured Charli dressed in a white gown and lengthy bedazzled nails amid a bright stage with flowing scrims, the song sampling the 2007 song “Cry for You” by September.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZKUEmT3J-k
Her second song of the night, “Baby,” was just released on Friday, March 4, and featured Charli in a black dress with two dancers flanking her and a full band backing her up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeO_f-Gbzzo
SNL returns March 12 with host and The Batman star Zoë Kravitz and musical guest Rosalia.
Katy Perry has returned to Studio 8H. Joined by host Willem Dafoe, this is her fourth time as a musical guest on SNL and her first since 2017.
Katy Perry performing “When I’m Gone” on Saturday Night Live.
A lot has happened since Perry’s last SNL appearance five years ago: motherhood, a new album, a judging spot on American Idol, and most recently, a residency in Las Vegas. Titled Play, the show began at the tail end of 2021 and will run through the end of summer 2022. While Perry hasn’t seen as much chart success lately, she seems more confident and self-assured in a post-Witness world.
The episode began with a cold open, featuring James Austin Johnson as President Biden dealing with the Russia-Ukraine situation. Pete Davidson appeared as Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who refuses to get vaccinated for COVID.
Rodgers wasn’t the only NFL player to appear tonight. Peyton Manning made a surprise appearance during Weekend Update, where he gushed about Emily in Paris whenever Colin Jost asked him about football news.
Katy Perry’s first song of the night was “When I’m Gone,” her new collaboration with Swedish DJ Alesso. With set pieces ripped straight from Super Mario’s Mushroom Kingdom, it’s clear that she hasn’t lost her signature camp. The song’s lyrics are about a previous romance, but they could easily be about Perry’s relationship with fame and stardom. Around the time of her last SNL appearance, everything from her music to her blonde pixie cut was criticized after a seemingly unstoppable run throughout the 2010s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCUzL7iHV7E
Perry closed out the night with an acoustic rendition of “Never Really Over,” her 2019 comeback single. Originally an upbeat dance-pop song, the new version has more in common with her ballads like “Thinking of You.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksMzWT40U24
SNL takes a break during the Winter Olympics, then returns on February 26 with host John Mulaney and musical guest LCD Soundsystem.
Saturday Night Live stirred up one of their own mighty veterans as Will Forte, complemented with music guest and recent rockstar Måneskin for the January 22 episode. Forte used the monologue to announce the upcoming second season of MacGruber after its official beginnings on SNL back when he was still a cast member.
Reminiscing on his olden days, Will Forte opened up about his misfortunes waiting for his special moment to host after watching his colleagues Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Fred Armisten, and Jason Sudeikis already do so. Finally, after 12 years, we get to see Will’s face, of course that was too soon joined by an appearance from Kristen Wiig and upcoming host Willem DeFoe, who Will was mistaken for after Lorne Michael’s phone had autocorrected “Willem.”
The show started with a cold open Fox News update from Kate McKinnon interviewing Aidy Bryant’s Senator Ted Cruz and Pete Davidson as Novak Djokovic, an unvaccinated tennis player. Senator Ted Cruz urged us to book our Cancún vacations today, escaping this horrid New York winter.
MacGruber came back tonight alongside his longtime friend Kristen Wiig. Except this sketch had been modified to our current climate and Will Forte sported a cut open mask to then detonate his iconic bomb.
Mark Zazz (Will Forte) hosted Kid Klash, a show where Aidy Bryant had to find the flag at the bottom of the whipped cream pie, cross the slippery monkey bars above nacho cheese sauce to her shrimp parents.
On hiatus from their international nomination for Best Song of the Year for the 2022 Brit Awards, Måneskin rocked “Beggin” in a patterned white head-to-toe suit. Full faced, featuring a signature silver smokey eye, Damiano David showed us how he won our hearts winning Eurovision and later at the American Music Awards last year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8CKvsKbrK0
‘Cinema Classics’ was welcomed by Keenan Thompson and gaslit by Will Forte. Kate Mckinnon played his wife who was gaslighted around gaslights.
Måneskin came back for more with “I Wanna Be Your Slave.” A new flowered covered dazzling suit brought him to his knees whining beneath his guitarist Thomas Raggi just before luring the audience back in. Prancing about the stage with bassist Victoria De Angelis, he had us dancing until the end of the night. His performance on MTV UK sported a similar look this past November.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59MJbfNTUXs
Earlier in the night Pete Davidson had stole some hearts on weekend update gloating with Weekend Update’s Colin Jost after purchasing a Staten Island Ferry soon to remodel as a nightclub.
SNL returns with William DeFoe, alongside Katy Perry next Friday, January 29th.
For the first episode of 2022, SNL welcomed Ariana Debose to host, along with Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers as musical guest. Debose won a Golden Globe earlier this week for her performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” and gained additional honors as the 200th woman since 1975 to host the NBC variety show.
During her monologue, Debose was joined by veteran cast member Kate McKinnon for a medley of “West Side Story” numbers, including “Tonight,” “Something’s Coming” and “America;” during “I Feel Pretty” the pair fist bumped following the famous line “I feel pretty and witty and gay!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLOEKEwjGKk
The show began with “Message from the President” and featured new cast member James Austin Johnson as President Joe Biden blaming the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 on too many people seeing “Spiderman: No Way Home.” Biden at one point wondered if there were other President Biden’s in the multiverse, leading Pete Davidson to arrive as a Biden variant from another universe.
Local business commercials in the New York Metro area were spoofed by Davidson and Chloe Fineman, who advertised their shop for prom and formal wear in “Formal Emporium,” with featured player Andrew Dismukes as their nerdy son.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QoH_oYaN6M
Chris Redd made his debut as new New York City Mayor Eric Adams, in a NY1 press conference sketch where Adams made his arrival to the podium with Mase’s “Feel So Good”as walk on music. Adams bragged about the swag he brings to the office and gave stark comparison to the predecessor, who was never parodied on SNL in his eight prior years in office.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7igRfDC1YQ
Jack Antonoff’s NYC-based indie-pop group Bleachers performed an energetic “How Dare You Want More,” off 2021’s Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night, and was performed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last year.Mark ‘Rat’ Ratner Antonoff was joined by singer-songwriter Blu DeTiger on bass, Claud on keys and Rick Antonoff, Jack’s dad, on guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gnn-pBhmUX4
The Sound of Music has been a regular musical sketch number on SNL, appearing in sketches twice in the last four years. Debose’s Broadway chops were on display in “Governess” where a widower, Kenan Thompson, hired DeBose to teach his children, who sang a take on “Do-Re-Mi.”
For Bleachers’ second song, Antonoff’s 2020 collaboration with Bruce Springsteen, “Chinatown,” was featured, with Claud shifting to guitar. Antonoff recently confirmed that he will release a new Bleachers album, the group’s fourth, by the end of the year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3hEhMMfUJo
Rapper Roddy Ricch was originally scheduled as musical guest this evening but had to withdraw due to members of his team being exposed to COVID-19. SNL returns on January 22 with host Will Forte and musical guest Måneskin.
One sketch that was cut for time, “All On Me,” features a rapper (Chris Redd) performs a song with his entourage (Ariana DeBose, rapper Freddie Gibbs, Kenan Thompson) after signing a major deal.
