Top 20 Worst SNL Musical Performances

Maybe they should unplug the guitars once in a while... For this list, we’ll be looking at the poorest and strangest musical performances in the history of “Saturday Night Live.” Our countdown includes musical acts Eddie Money, Iggy Azalea, The Replacements and more! Did you enjoy any of these performances? Let us know in the comments below!
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#snl #music #bands #kanye #djkhaled #backstreetboys #live

[@WatchMojo]

Did you enjoy any of these performances? Let us know in the comments below! For more SNL content, click here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHuUnoaum95rd7c Don't forget to play our Live Trivia (www.watchmojo.com/play) games at 3pm and 8pm EST for a chance to win cash! The faster you answer, the more points you get!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Nope, love your work though🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤

[@kenterminateddq5311]

The Simpson Jig has to be in the Top 3, WatchMojo.

[@saraeastman40]

Great research! I’ll take Wilson, Money and Rolling Stone’s performances over any of the “music” of today. You didn’t mention Lady Gaga and R. Kelly’s “Do what you Want” (2013), which was an absolutely fantastic performance except it was with R. Kelly

[@carastone3473]

@@saraeastman40 - the fact that you put "music" in quotation marks just proves your an old curmudgeon. LOL

[@kenterminateddq5311]

@@saraeastman40 Music of today is fine but it depends on a generation of a fan.

[@jhopkins213]

Eddie Money sounded like Eddie Money. I don't know what the hell WatchMojo thinks they heard. That performance doesn't belong anywhere near this list.

[@RealityOfItIs]

Ms. Mojo is trying to get a check..many of these entry's shouldn't be here.

[@lindaclemons5735]

I know I was waiting to hear someone say it, Eddie sounds like Eddie always RIP

[@VanMichael21]

Can't really blame watchmojo for entries in this list because watchmojo by now really is scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to lists now because they've pretty much done all lists they can to this point

[@tammyrodgers9770]

Agreed

[@gregengel1616]

@@VanMichael21 whether they're scraping the bottom of the barrel or not, SNL has been on since 1975. Mojo had tons to pick from, but they picked Eddie Money... who sounded like Eddie Money.

[@ERYaeger]

We need a Top 10 times Mojo scraped the bottom of the barrel to create mediocre content list

[@CB-THE-OG]

Surprised they haven’t actually made a list about it at this point

[@ericturner4857]

Get over yourself

[@ivaroa]

A list of their own list

[@nikkicat254]

Totally agree, I actually stopped watching it, 13 minutes was enough! It's sickening!

[@jimmywest1526]

Yet here you are watching it

[@fross1203]

This video should be called “ Our Irrelevant Opinions of What We Think Sucks….”

[@HotIndieMedia]

EXACTLY!

[@keithkoenig5320]

But they are mostly right...

[@OversoulGaming]

Everyone's opinion is irrelevant. That's why they are opinions. Also, taste is completely subjective

[@ThatCologneGuy]

Exactly. Eddie Money rocked out!

[@thatguyineverycommentssection]

found the ashlee simpson fan

[@antipsychosoup6709]

This is the worst "Worst of" lists I've ever wasted time on.

[@babyirene3188]

Jaw droppingly horrible

[@MaxAbramson3]

Certainly one of the Ten Worst ten worst lists.

[@Kenny49ERS]

I realized this almost immediately

[@MikeM-uy6qp]

This channel sucks. I don't why I click on this garbage.

[@kmorri9]

"Host Christopher Lee..." Um, that's Richard Belzer. "Mick Jagger made flamboyant movements...." Jesus Christ, WatchMojo. This video is an absolute joke when you're making it appear crazy that MICK JAGGER is moving flamboyantly.

[@aaronstark5060]

Yeah, I was gobsmacked at that one. Seriously, how do you mistake Richard Belzer for Christopher Lee?

[@jbjacobs9514]

I nearly fell out of my chair. What trash this video is.

[@NuncNuncNuncNunc]

@@aaronstark5060 The dad joke by Lee was "I would like you to meet Loaf..." Don't know why mojo put Belzer clip in instead of playing the intro

[@JackiMareena]

As an indigenous person I can promise you guys no one literally no one was offended by Kesha's face paint.. on the contrary it's offensive when channels like this try to Force us to be offended by something that's not offensive

[@erikhernandez6636]

Thank you!

[@johnwhitworth1328]

Soo true, in the real world most Americans help you and are very generous This racism shit the media pushes creates racism, dont get me wrong i know there is racism but nothing like the media pushes and creates

[@jbjacobs9514]

If you were offended at something, I would feel bad and totally get it and hope that someone changed their behavior or learned from it, but did you ever notice that often the people that say things "objectively offensive" are not of that group or race or ethnicity?

[@growforfood2862]

OMGosh thank you for identifying white ppl trying so hard to be woke and missing it so hard.

[@carbine090909]

​@@jbjacobs9514but more often than not, they are.

[@Lionsheart31]

The worst perfomance is that Watch Mojo has become a parody of itself.

[@johnkasdorf]

Convinced that the people who put this video together have never heard any of the bands they lambasted here.

[@vulturevic]

Mojo getting absolutely roasted in these comments was worth watching that!

[@Memopestanyas]

they should do a top 20 Mojo fcked up their listing

[@9897431]

i saw some stuff in the time signatures and .... I decided the comments would be more entertainment. Lets just blame Ai and do a jig-skidaddle outta here.

[@boxychubbo6922]

I don't know anything about Mojo, but this video is ridiculous.

[@HotIndieMedia]

EXACTLY!

[@wcman69]

List was probably put together by someone who only knows autotuned sterilized music and isn't familiar with actual live performances.

[@hotfudgecake]

Exactly

[@stevelowry794]

100%, I would rather hear a REAL and rough vocal over a pre recorded lip sync or auto tuned disaster. There was little wrong with any of the more vintage performances here.

[@randomalbum9879]

True, they only know backing tracks and lip synching lol either way, performing on SNL doesn't seem something to be that proud of to begin with, isn't that show notoriously bad?

[@user-cq3oh8eq3n]

There ya go. The reviewer, Watchmojo, has no business reviewing music. They don't understand it.

[@michaelparousis3328]

yeah none of these are bad

[@t.brooks5082]

As a singer I can tell you that there are many times we have to perform when we’re sick. It’s impossible to always sound perfect. Sometimes you just have to do the best you can and that means powering through with a sore, raspy throat.

[@wyattchristopherson7623]

"Top 20 Worst WatchMojo Videos" Someone make that please and put this in there.

[@asdf072xxp]

It would help to have someone who understands music to do these lists.

[@user-tk3jd2ik1l]

And who could shut up and let us hear for ourselves?

[@xxmrrickxx]

Yes, it's like a 13 year old came up with the list.

[@COMPFUNK2]

@@user-tk3jd2ik1l Are you familiar with the term “copyright“?

[@nanyabyzness3234]

Thank you! I just commented something simalar

[@nanyabyzness3234]

And someone who has actually attended live music performances and concerts. This narrator espects Video performances and Recording quality sound

[@sister_bertrille911]

I hate the Backstreet Boys, and even a hater like me thinks their performance wasn't that terrible.

[@mercster]

Yeah, this video is clearly marketed at 6 year olds. I don't like the Backstreet Boys either, but criticizing it for being... the Backstreet Boys and "the cringy 90s" is beyond the pale. This is the dumbest video I've seen in a long time, and we're all stupider for having watched it.

[@delilah2839]

I hated them in high school. I was never into boy bands, however their vocals were just fine. The choreography was a bit cheesy but not enough to make this list (in my opinion)

[@fmatson]

@@delilah2839 Listing 'soulful harmonzing' as corny & the worst of the late 90's is certainly..... a take.

[@James-nv1wf]

I hated them too at time, but my younger GF made me realize they really weren't that bad.

[@leob4403]

​​​@@fmatsonthis was a perfectly fine backstreet boys live performance, I don't have the slightest clue what this woman is on about. And Greta van Fleet was too much 70s and they look stoned?? And go go dolls, again she says they look stoned? Seriously, that's her complain?? Facepalm

[@keithbeck2300]

The Replacements were awesome on SNL, they don't belong on a worst of list.

[@slimofpgh]

The Replacements are my all-time favorite band and I'll have to agree that their performance on SNL was terrible. They were the ultimate self-saboteurs. They could be brilliant one night -- the best rock band in the world -- and embarrasingly bad the next. Often they were deliberately terrible if the stakes were high. I saw them in NYC in 1985 at Irving Plaza and it was a great show; they were on fire. That show is often cited as a high-water mark. But the story goes that a couple days before that they played a show at which industry reps were present and they tanked it on purpose.

[@handsoman99]

Speaking of unmitigated disasters....hello WatchMojo.

[@dustyturntable]

On a list of the worst top 20 worst lists, this list would easily be number one on the list.

[@JustNess78]

Yes... THIS!

[@aldobenincasa1761]

agree, there's a few performance considered even iconic, as Replecements. Stones, Pogues, really? Maybe K.West sounds awfull cause he can't sing, or Lana del Rey

[@119Agent]

Agreed. This list is ….. odd.

[@jfkesq]

thank you my friend

[@cosmicamericanjukebox1008]

No kidding- maybe a couple of subpar performances- but mostly these artists and bands doing exactly what one expects from them. Except Ashlee Simpson- that was a disaster.

[@daverice2426]

"...MacGowan wearing sunglasses, smoking a cigarette and slurring his words..." So, pretty much what people love about the guy

[@erinmalone2669]

Isn’t that giving original SNL?

[@kewrock]

Shane being Shane. Backstreet Boys were fine if that's what you're into. Whoever wrote this list has no idea about half the music they're commenting on. DJ Kahlid put on a great appearance, being a DJ. Eddie Money sounded fine. He has a naturally raspy voice. The GoGos were great. Greta Van Fleet were awesome. I'd never heard of them before the SNL appearance. FEAR was probably the most memorable act ever on SNL. WatchMojo are usually wrong on everything they list.

[@martharunstheworld]

Pretty much every performance he ever did. LOL

[@quincypeabody8469]

Exactly ! Thats MacGowan. He was great. R.I.P.

[@joannakuyt1512]

Exactly 😂😂😂😂

[@lowe-quay-shush]

FYI- Eddie Money was a NYC Police Officer for 2 years. He put his job on hold to take a shot at music!

[@JeddorianJalapeno]

As he himself clarified many times in interviews he was never a police officer. He was basically a stenographer at a desk with a typewriter

[@JeddorianJalapeno]

When idiots like this are allowed to make videos like this it opens the door for artificial intelligence potentially ruining the chances and opportunities for people with actual talent that should be making videos.. what is her great body of musical work that are entitled her to stand back and say Mick Jagger had a terrible voice voice? It's a good thing this girl doesn't publish her name here because she would be blacklisted or on a hate list for music lovers everywhere

[@JeddorianJalapeno]

I wish we could block certain people like whoever produced this crappy negative review in KZbin

[@Red05150]

Eddie was a Rock Star, such a talented singer songwriter.

[@adriz1987]

This should be titled “I have no clue what I’m talking about when it comes to music!” These are all legendary performances! I also LOVE GVF!!

[@danbollinger9372]

What the hell was wrong with The Go-Go’s performance? They looked and sounded like that all the time.

[@sister_bertrille911]

Yeah, they sounded fine for a live performance. I guess "looking stoned" was too much for WatchMojo.

[@johnstucker683]

Sounded good to me

[@jamesfetherston1190]

I remember seeing that show live. It was the first time I had ever heard of them. They were not riding a wave of fame until after the SNL appearance. I thought they sounded fine.

[@snowdenwyatt6276]

They were in the middle of the process of changing from a punk band to a pop band. Being a bit rough around the edges is to be expected.

[@aquamarine99911]

Yeah, and it's not like Belinda can't sing. She's a great live singer to this day.

[@Darthscruffy27]

That was Richard Belzer not Christopher Lee. Don't ever disrespect Lee like that

[@juliustfirefly8893]

Yup…I had to replay real quick to see if Christopher Lee was hiding behind Richard Belzer….

[@Mama-eu1ss]

Or Richard Belzer. Both are notable for their talent

[@melisaprietoaboitiz7184]

Exactly

[@denisegann6072]

Yeah, I’m not sure had you could confuse those two 😂Both huge talents, ❤but very different 😩

[@suzannesimpson5302]

That was what we said. Makes me want to totally disregard the whole video

[@Jenn-ie5vf]

What's with this new "substance use disorder' as opposed to just saying drug use? as someone that has been there, this is just stupid. Say it how it is

[@r-l1214]

I think it’s a KZbin demonetization thing…

[@haileelaroue2550]

Substance use disorder is the clinical DSM diagnosis.

[@bt60613]

Correct. It if the official terminology. Or alcohol use disorder

[@catmaxwell6691]

Law and Order SVU throws the word r*pe around, all no-prob-Bob, & those clips are endless here,but true crime channels are forced to say S.A’d now, or they may get demonetized. KZbin blows.

[@84jbones]

The Pogues ? Really? That was just Shane being Shane

[@LiamSavageVersion2]

Christopher Lee didn't introduce Meatloaf, that was Richard Belzer. Mc Hammer didn't perform "U Can't Touch This" because he was on a different album. You guys aren't very smart, are you?

[@azzonie]

Actually Christopher Lee did introduce Meat Loaf, Watch Mojo ran the wrong clip.

[@LiamSavageVersion2]

@@azzonie not sure how I could've possibly known that...

[@Tinkerellastreasuretrunk]

I was just coming here to say Richard Belzer. Thank you. 🙏🏻

[@richardbell9716]

I was just coming here to say Munch...we miss you!

[@ChucksCherubs3]

@@azzonie Oh, so Christopher Lee is the one who made a "groan worthy joke" then?

[@pipercraven-zd9ui]

Oh brother. That's Eddie's signature gravel. He's famously loved for it! Who put this list together?!

[@pb12661]

a bunch of clueless gen Zers...more than likely.

[@edwardhenry3158]

I agree. This list is a bunch of garbage and at the beginning when she said we will not be including Sinead O’Connor I knew it was gonna be bogus from right then and there will say the Rolling Stones. I remember watching that show when it actually aired and Mick was fucked up, and his voice was shot.

[@7027flowers]

My exact thoughts, this list is ridiculous. I heard nothing wrong, especially with Eddie Money

[@cristinehalde999]

Me neither.

[@dianasimms1810]

This sucks!!!

[@steadyphil4367]

I refuse to allow any Go-Go's slander. They are always awesome. Take them off this list.

[@johndean4727]

i agree the Go Gos wrote some of the best songs ever.and don’t forget it.

[@steadyphil4367]

@@johndean4727 Co-sign!!!

[@steadyphil4367]

@@johndean4727 TRUTH

[@bookemdano7567]

Totally!!

[@yesthatjake5601]

For what it's worth, catching that Brian Wilson episode on reruns in the late 90s made me a lifelong fan

[@mattbarnett4210]

"We will not be including intentionally controversial moments like Sinéad O'Connor ripping up a photo of the Pope" while intentionally showing the controversial moment of Sinéad O'Connor ripping up a photo of the Pope.

[@armysniperman80]

what about it. It wasnt on the list, like they said.

[@Vinterbukser]

Didn't think that comment through, did you : /

[@mattbarnett4210]

@@Vinterbukser Please re-read: "We will not be including intentionally controversial moments like Sinéad O'Connor ripping up a photo of the Pope" while intentionally showing the controversial moment of Sinéad O'Connor ripping up a photo of the Pope.

[@mattbarnett4210]

@@Vinterbukser I did, yes.

[@USCTrojan2013]

Point is… they DID mention Sinead’s moment.. to tell us they wouldn’t… is hilarious.. if you can’t catch that ?!

[@erispasman2910]

Seriously? Backstreet Boys? There is nothing wrong with their performance. So what if it is in the 90's?

[@b.b.s7545]

Right, they did them dirty lol

[@Shane3125]

Exactly, and dancing with the chairs is something they did in that songs music video. So it made sense.

[@Vobatho]

I am so glad I wasn’t the only person thinking this. I was about to chalk my feelings up to millennial bias. 😅

[@cuandobajalamarea]

@@Shane3125 it was cool actually, i liked it

[@FokkeWulfe]

Exactly. I got to see this episode when it aired too. Lol.

[@alexleonee]

Leave Brian Wilson alone!!!!!!!!

[@AlexiHolford]

That was so wrong!

[@enock79]

Eddie Money was money what the hell are these folks talking about.. This video is bogus.

[@jamesfetherston1190]

The Go Gos performance wasn’t bad at all, and their appearance was most of the country’s introduction to them. Their fame came after, not before being on SNL.

[@TheMrCC21]

Neither was Eddie Money, Greta Van Fleet, Chris Gaines, Backstreet Boys, or Ke$ha. They're scraping the bottom of the barrel because they need a reason to continue creating content.

[@GaelinW]

Right. They seemed to be pretty much the Go-Gos I remember. Each band member always did their own thing.

[@alangray9117]

​@@TheMrCC21Chris Gaines always sucked SNL or not.

[@scotthpowell]

And that was without auto-tune. No idea what the commentator was talking about.

[@musicinthewildwood]

Odd. I knew who they were (I could show you the photo single I still have to this day of those two songs) and all I had at the time was the radio. 😕

[@kendallevans4079]

That's Jagger being Jagger...No one ever considered him a great vocalist. He's a showman, a performer

[@stephaniemartin-ward4578]

Apparently the creators of this video aren't familiar with Mick.

[@leob4403]

​@@stephaniemartin-ward4578they are WatchMojo what do you expect

[@johnspooner1403]

Actually, he is a great vocalist, with lots of nuance. I saw that show when it aired, and saw the band twice that summer. The concerts were great and SNL performance sucked big time - we all agreed. Later found out they had been up all night before, partying. I suspect the same thing happened to a few of these acts.

[@kendallevans4079]

@@johnspooner1403 Naw....38 up votes agree with ME....

[@dustbinfilms]

no one considered the vocalist for the Rolling Stones a vocalist?

[@SabFANationalAcrobat]

What did you mean? Mick Jagger always sounded like that.

[@fatboy5926]

Belinda Carlisle can do no wrong in my book

[@ryanbeanstalk]

The reason MC Hammer performed songs from The Addams Family is because that’s what he was promoting at the time. That’s generally how late night TV shows work.

[@mwater_moon2865]

And it was no where near as bad as Ice Ice Baby. **shudder**

[@stephanieyvonne9436]

I know that song well. There was also a music video featuring the Addams Family. I remember buying the single for my best friend on her 12th birthday. We loved it. lol

[@barrybmusic7742]

Not having U can’t touch this in the set probably had more to do with having to pay Rick James

[@eddierascalhaskell4954]

SNL is also partnered with Paramount which also released the Addams Family movies. It was all promotional.

[@kiddfiddich4902]

Furthermore, it would have been downright weird of him to perform U Can’t Touch This several years after it was popular

[@Sunprism]

Personally, I'd say that Sinead O'Connor is totally vindicated by now

[@Mama-eu1ss]

👍

[@joselezagon9983]

She disrespected a religion... It Is not vindicated... If someone does that to muslims liders today would be cancelled

[@markmoore618]

​@@joselezagon9983but it wasn't Muslims, it was the pope and then everyone found out how tons of people in that religion touched little boys.

[@mlthmp]

​@@joselezagon9983or killed

[@mlthmp]

She was obviously right. At least more people realize that now.

[@BestAuntieEver]

We will not include Sinead O'Conner... And you did 😂😂

[@chriswilcox2115]

Just to set the record straight; the Replacements were by far the greatest SNL performance ever. EVER

[@Etrigan2112]

This video is an absolute mess. There's a glowing error that mistakes Richard Belzer for Christopher Lee, odd changes in narration, and several picks but have nothing to do with the quality of the performance. It seems like whoever is writing this list just picked a few performances that they didn't like the style of. Eddie Money's voice for example, wasn't far off from the recording, and certainly didn't deserve to be on this list with others. It's just a pretty bad list from top to bottom for a variety of reasons.

[@IraJavier]

Like, AI bad? I didn't think many of these were bad, certainly not the worst.

[@Etrigan2112]

@@IraJavier exactly they weren't the worst at all. We shouldn't be living in a world where just because something isn't exceptional, that we pick on it and throw it in with the worst. There was nothing really wrong with that Greta Van Fleet performance, or Eddie Money's, or even The Pogues really when you compare it to how they sound in general. They're almost always indecipherable. But overall, we live in a world where we're too negative in general. So why are we picking on things that aren't even that bad? Is it just to make content? If that's the case it's a pretty shitty thing to do.

[@joefunsmith]

It wouldn't surprise me if Eddie Money had a bad SNL performance, but this really wasn't bad. He's been known to perform much worse in concert.

[@danalarose846]

I came straight to the comments to see if I was the only one that felt the same.

[@Etrigan2112]

@@danalarose846 you're not alone. This list was awful.

[@VampyrRaye]

Many of these aren't even bad. It's just the difference between live and recorded control.

[@stingrey1571]

i thought i was missing something. i was expecting truly horrible performances.

[@RichM3000]

Exactly. Singers being a little hoarse because they came on SNL while on tour? Yeah, back then we expected that this was something that could happen in live music. Mick Jagger was a little hoarse but not so bad he needed to cancel, and Eddie Money was actually just fine. Nothing wrong with the Go-Go's either. I guess Watch MoJO is accustomed to lip-synching.

[@scottzarnke8314]

They didn't say they were bad in any absolute sense. Worst is relative, so it simply means most others were much better.

[@vidis7544]

exactly 😒

[@MikeSchmidt969]

@@scottzarnke8314 Worst isn't "relative". Worst means worst, like nothing worse. These are fine performances. Most of the complaints were stupid - bad stage presence and possible substance use. Oh my! Call my pastor!

[@scott7521]

"The SNL stage sees MacGowan wearing sunglasses smoking a cigarette and slurring his words to the point of complete incomprehension." So pretty much EVERY show Shane MacGowan ever performed.

[@squirrel_82]

"We won't include potentially controversial moments like Sinead Oconnor ripping up a picture of the pope" except we did.....lol.

[@buccos2004]

Theres a lot of bad on this list, but Eddie Money's performance sounds better than anything I've heard on SNL in the past many years.

[@eriklarson9137]

Right? imagine how clueless the creators of this video had to be? They say his voice was so terrible, but he sounds 100% fine in the clips they play. My source, playing live music for more than 30 years.

[@shaneschirmer5238]

100% agree. Same thing with the Go-Go's performance. I didn't see anything off about how they looked.

[@timschlie1505]

truth

[@josephfalcone1078]

Exactly !

[@stevenjeandetroit]

NO shit...... eddie money slayed on his performance.

[@matthewtempleton8328]

Eddie Money was not bad…the SNL stage and sound was not good for live music then. It still leaves a little to be desired. Meatloaf was not bad either.

[@sister_bertrille911]

They criticized Eddie Money for having a raspy voice. That was his thing! He sounded fine to me.

[@robburgess4556]

Eddie sounds like Eddie, there's nothing wrong with that.

[@scottlarson1548]

@@sister_bertrille911 And for his voice being "a little bit more raspy than usual". That's it?

[@sister_bertrille911]

@@scottlarson1548 I'm still shaking my head about half of these. Backstreet Boys? Eddie Money? The Go-Gos? Even Kesha wasn't that bad. I can think of at least ten worse performances right off the top of my head.

[@scottlarson1548]

@@sister_bertrille911 I can tell you that at the time, at lot of us were very disappointed by the performance of the Go-Gos. Some of us wondered if someone else had sung on their records and Belinda Carlisle was just some eye candy they found for the videos.

[@nancyspungenxx]

That is NOT Christopher Lee introducing MeatLoaf. It's Richard Belzer.

[@joeneil5485]

THE BELZ...! R.I.P., FUNNY JEW...!

[@jedidiahmoss6836]

The thing about SNL is that a lot of performances sound bad, because their sound is always off.

[@ssmithstudios]

As a musician, but also an audio engineer/producer, you are SO spot on.

[@sheerri]

This should’ve been a top ten because about half the entries do not belong on a “worst of” list. Meh doesn’t equal worst.

[@SWLinPHX]

Would you prefer if they used the word "disappointing" instead of "worst"?

[@SWLinPHX]

...or mediocre? ...or less than stellar?

[@DanielRodriguez-zj5il]

If something is at the 20 bottom of a long list, those are technically the 20 worst of the bunch. Regardless of whether they were good or not.

[@sheerri]

@@SWLinPHX Any of those words would be more accurate than worst of. Some of the reasons for the entries being on this list is ridiculous. How is it the worst of simply because of the decade it was performed in? Most of the clips shown were fine singing-wise, dancing-wise, presence-wise. It’d help if we knew what metrics for “worst” they were using.

[@sheerri]

@@DanielRodriguez-zj5il If there are 10 fine or at least highly debatable performances on a worst of list and 10 bad performances on it, would it not make more sense to just make a top ten worst of list and leave the meh performances off completely?

[@Xdpokx]

"DJ Khaled was using his clout to mask his lack of activity. Indeed DJ Khaled himself didn't real do anything but bounce around and interject with the odd statement." Wait I thought this was him 24/7

[@MsDaniMarie02]

😂 exactly

[@onionbubs386]

That's literally his entire career

[@jackofhearts1056]

Exactly. No talent.

[@troyjones2358]

Famous for being famous.

[@kathleencreamer6648]

When he isn't being a blow hard cry baby on Hot Ones 🍗

[@Lindsay.trains]

"substance abuse disorder" ...are you kidding me?

[@jajsound]

Nothing wrong with the Eddie Money performance....

[@johnscrip5322]

FEAR?!? Possibly the greatest musical moments in SNL history.

[@bobbyjackson4452]

The actor/comedian that introduced Meatloaf on SNL was NOT Christopher Lee. He was Richard Belzer, who was on Homocide: Life on the Streets & Law & Order: SVU. I'm kind of surprised because you usually do better research than that. As to Meatloaf's and Eddie Money's performances, both were their debuts and they were both on tour at the time. That's why their respective vocals were a bit off or raspy. However, as someone who was in high school when both aired, I can say that they were what made their respective albums become massive hits. The 1970s didn't have the tech we do today. There wasn't any MTV or music channels and SNL was the only place you could watch your favorite artists perform live for free at the time.

[@2ToyBoys]

Yeah. That's a really obvious mistake. I'm glad you caught it.

[@nightrain5150]

Yeah, this is a really shitty clickbait video.

[@taand4725]

Richard Belzer also played the comedian in the night club in Scarface

[@Harmadi11o]

While Richard Belzer did appear on that episode, it was guest host Christopher Lee who introduced Meatloaf with a pun.

[@MikeSchmidt969]

@@Harmadi11o Terrible editing then. Might have made sense to show us Chris Lee and not Richard Belzer.

[@americanbeauty4015]

Sinead ripping up the pope photo was one of the greatest moments in TV history. It was only later people were like "oh yeah, I guess the church does have a pedo problem" but by then forgot who had the guts to tell them about it first.

[@Redandranger]

Yep - people who won't get up and go to church one day per week lose their mids when someone disses on the pope or their religion. See John Lennon's comment about the Beatles and Jesus. Yikes people.

[@JohnMillerFilm]

Showing the difference of being in the studio, where you can wait for the take that will sound best, and being on stage and it being hit or miss.

[@felipeaguena5289]

So basically the Backstreet Boys' mistake was being the Backstreet Boys? Sounds fair

[@babu357]

It's like she's trying to prove how cool she is. lol

[@damwaterthomas1980]

No, she suffers from gasolitis and smells terrible after farting in a public place. People my God, what the hell is that smell in the aire? She said Oops, did I do that?" 🤪👍

[@peterwinters8587]

yes

[@freddiegrace3770]

They sounded good! Why pick on them, when at least they could sing, and their songs were the best of the boy band craze. Maybe they are not cool, but that doesn't mean they are bad.

[@carlsaganlives5112]

Not an Eminem or rap fan by any means, but he once remarked 'Backsteet Boys?' Really? So they would feel right at home in any random alley in Detroit?

[@J0hnGalt73]

How in the hell did you confuse Richard Belzer with Christopher Lee?

[@MainEventPoint]

HAHAHAHA that is so comical! Christopher Lee would NEVER put his stamp on a show like SNL

[@NuncNuncNuncNunc]

@@MainEventPoint Yout might want to check reality. Chris Lee did introduce Meat Loaf with a groan worthy dad joke.

[@MainEventPoint]

@@NuncNuncNuncNunc What's "reality"? Or are you busting my chops.

[@Tarantulisimo]

I wouldn't necessarily call any of these bad or worst -- all these bands/groups/performers are doing exactly what they were known for: Raspy voices, sloppy playing, alcohol-infused antics, dated dance moves...Just like the good skits & the bad skits & the ugly skits, I embrace it all as part of the history & beauty & magic of SNL

[@tobysbreathisverybad]

The Replacements was one of the best SNL moments ever. Ever.

[@amberreed7704]

Hold up! Team NSYNC for life, but Backstreet Boys did not deserve to be on this list. They did a performance in 1998 and you’re knocking them for performing like it’s 1998? Were they supposed to have some kind of Time Machine that took them to the future so they could figure how to make it look like they were in 2023?

[@user-nv8nt6gm2d]

You said it!

[@Versa6032]

❤

[@FokkeWulfe]

I actually saw the Backstreet Boys episode. I watched it, specifically for their set. Yes we look back on it and go "it's so..... 90s." But it was the 90s then. That was good to us. Lol.

[@babyirene3188]

This list is so badly put together it’s jaw dropping. Jaw dropping. But thank you ! Now I know : Mojo officially SUCKS.

[@Dizzy1980]

9:54 NO, you don't have to have MC Hammer perform "U Can't Touch This". Hammer was HUGE in 1991, and those songs were more than appropriate for a 3 song TV setlist.

[@charliepetricone8974]

If what they showed about Eddie Money's performance was the worst part...sounded absolutely perfect to me. His well known raspy voice. This list is pretty much a joke.

[@Fuff63]

I recall and liked Eddie Money’s performance that night, personally.

[@robertglancy4474]

Yeah....there was nothing wrong with it, way over critical and nit-picky in order to come up with a top 20 list.

[@evanward4303]

Eddie being Eddie

[@wallyman292]

I saw Eddie Money live one year either in the late 80's or early 90's. He performed at Illinois State University. The auditorium was maybe 1/3 full (a few hundred people tops), which he claimed was because it was rush week at the school. Mid-concert, he was supposed to play a harmonica, but couldn't find it. He's flipping towels around and shit while looking off stage at the roadies trying to blame them for it not being there. Meanwhile, the band is just repeating the intro riff while he gets visibly pissed. Finally, a stage hand walks out and lifts up one of the towels he was using to mop up his sweat, and there it was. I remember watching all this thinking what a washed up stooge he was.

[@seanodonnell9862]

Veteran actor Christopher Lee? That’s Richard Beltzer with the groan worthy joke, introducing Meat Loaf. Good due diligence Mojo.

[@jasonmonster]

If someone did a "Worst Top 20 Vids of all Time," this would be at the top of the list. This channel has no clue what they're listening to, let alone what a good live performance consists of.

[@erinmalone2669]

I guess fundamentally we have to question ourselves, needing a channel to pump out content on the daily. This is what we get when we put too much demand on something that doesn’t need that much scrutiny.

[@69barcelon]

totally agreed .i still can't believe i watched this stupid video !!

[@Skycladatdusk78]

That 1981 Fear performance was the greatest musical appearance on SNL.

[@kewrock]

Their performance was great. Ving was a perfectionist, who could really sing. Inviting rival punk cities was an act of punk brilliance. That appearance needs to be officially released.

[@mikenichols3965]

Abso flogging lutely!

[@jeffbaer5851]

Ummm. No. It stunk on ice. Heroin-infused dipshittery. It was worse than Andy Kaufman lip-synching the "Mighty Mouse" theme. (I mean, as comedy, it was genius. As MUSIC, it was idiotic. But not as bad as Fear's puke-fest.)

[@dinaheath]

I don't think Watchmojo has ever listened to Meatloaf or Eddie Money. This is how they always sounded. The only ones that should be on this list are the ones who screwed up. If you think this was a bad look for the Replacements, try being at the taste of Chicago watching them. Literally, in the middle of a song, they stopped and walked off...The audience was singing, thinking it was one of those dealies...Nope. They broke up in the middle of a song right in front of us.

[@colettid]

I’m fairly certain the person who put this list together has never listened to live music before.

[@henryhayth3303]

Man, FEAR was one of the BEST music acts on SNL. I can tell that you guys don't know that trashing a venue was a common thing of the time.

[@MrManfly]

I didn't see much wrong with most of these performances!!

[@ffedurch]

If anyone's seen FEAR they'd realize that was a pretty tame set. Seeing them in a club/venue was like walking into a warzone.

[@jimbeaux4988]

Amazing that they even got on the show. Wish I had been in that audience.

[@ffedurch]

@@jimbeaux4988 - Belushi and Lee were friends. FEAR being on the show was one of his conditions of making his cameos on the show that week. If you look close in the video, that's John just before they pulled the plug running over from the left of the stage about to throw a pumpkin.

[@IRgEEK]

As a 70s punk who grew up during the SNL golden years, I actually prefer performances like these. Where they actually did it on the spot and off the cuff. Good or bad. You saw real performances. For the last couple of decades it has been pre-recorded and/or digitally tuned 'perfect' sounding performances 'just like on the record'. The performances in this post highlight more the best of what the musical guests used to do on SNL vs what none of them do now. Actually give it a go and play. Thanks for sharing. PS Oh and thanks for turning me on to Po Lazarus. That's some good music right there!

[@HotIndieMedia]

EXACTLY!

[@Alexi7666]

Uh, you forgot the endless list of rappers that never belonged on the SNL stage.

[@user-kanbooy3104]

this list clearly proves that while the pre-2000 performers' problem is basically their being themselves, the post-2000 performers' problem is just lack of talent. they were purely awful generic products of post-production. Lana Del Ray defines what's like being called as an artist with absolutely no talent, but just looks and styles.

[@Partypaddo]

The Backstreet boys performance doesn't deserve to be in this list

[@jameslim8672]

The Replacements performance was NOT one of the worst at all. It was memorable and made them more famous for.

[@stillsixstudios]

Have they ever SEEN the Replacements live?! Apparently not. You never knew what you were going to get. That's what made them so cool.

[@andersonsmith979]

Not a fan of all of these acts but the vibe I get isn't so much that the performances were bad but that whoever compiled this list has never been anywhere near a live performance of any kind. Sometimes things don't work out exactly the way the artist intended but a lot of times, it's exactly what the audience wanted or was expecting. Get out more, Mojo, don't just hide in your algorithm, watching perfect performances on KZbin! :D

[@jefferyschmitz3009]

Um do they not realize Sinead O'Conner was right all along???

[@KaseyRelford]

LOL @ "the Pogues were in the midst of a turbulent period....with frontman Shane MacGowan often causing problems with his heavy drinking." That "turbulent" period is more commonly known as "Their entire career".

[@finch45lear]

Eddie Money kicked ass!

[@GhostfaceGriller-hd7jw]

This show should be at the top of the list.

[@derper3987]

Actually loved that RHCP rendition of Under the Bridge. It was an act of rebellion from John and a pure and painful improvised expression of his mental state. Its ART! His playing is beautifully tragic there.

[@jennifersauer6306]

I was already screaming at how far you had to reach to justify some if these perfectly fine performances then you called Richard Belzer Christopher Lee. Thats when I realized that not an ounce of research or real thought was put into any of this list. Mick Jagger being flamboyant and dramatic on stage makes the performance one of the worst? One must wonder how they have stayed immensely popular all these years since Mick Jagger has ALWAYS PERFORMED THAT WAY!

[@Suiteness73]

He doesn't have a song named after him for nothing. I guess they never heard of "Moves Like Jagger". They just put whatever without any shred of thought.

[@robgronotte1]

Watch it again, they didn't call him the wrong person, they just said Christopher Lee introduced Meat Loaf, which was true. They also showed a short clip of Belzer from the same show. And I only heard them say Jagger's singing was bad, which was true.

[@karabowman811]

It’s just an opinion video.

[@fizgig2016]

Jagger was very out of voice that night, perhaps he was getting a cold.

[@blachubear]

@@fizgig2016 Nope. What happened was this was the first episode of the 4th season and Lorne Michaels scored to have The Stones to opened the season after coming from the successful comeback of their greatest album "Some Girls" & to top it off Belushi was on roll with the success of "Animal House" plus SNL was the hottest show at that time back in 1978. So while the week of preparing for the show, the cast & The Stones did some hard core partying especially Belushi & three members of The Stones(Jagger, Richards & Wood). Cut to Saturday night, all that partying caught up with them especially Jagger which ruined his voice for the night. Moral of the story, save the hardcore partying when the credits roll at the end of the show.

[@kimhargis6616]

Maybe I need to watch the full performances but a lot of these don’t seem all that bad…

[@just2comment2]

Kesha doesn't seem good lol

[@Stang2023]

Substance abuse disorder. Is that the new way to say junkie?

[@hereticsin]

I think this is the last time I'm ever watching this channel... I've been trying to stop watching for a long time, this was the nail in the coffin, thanks

[@joermnyc]

I think Lana Del Rey just let her nerves get to her, first time on a massive TV show.

[@Jim_L]

YET ... I still think she did a great job! 👍

[@fizgig2016]

@@Jim_L I don't, she was very off key - and her presence was entirely flat and lacked any energy at all. And I'm a LDR fan!

[@Jim_L]

@@fizgig2016 Fair enough. I can see where you're coming from. For me, though, her lack of energy for this performance seemed to work for this particular song. It helped bring the mood down, which got us to relax to this mellow, somber piece. But point taken about her being off key.

[@timothypaulat9764]

Fear, The Replacements, and The Poges always sounded like that live. The Backstreet Boys ended up on here for being The Backstreet Boys? And most everyone else was stoned.

[@symptomoftheuniverse3862]

Trixie Mattel does an incredible cover of 'Video Game'

[@alexwinterclap2]

“We will not include Sinead O’Connor intentionally ripping up a picture of the pope.” Mojo - Proceeds to show Sinead O’Connor intentionally ripping up a picture of the Pope.

[@1sttvbn]

I remember Eddie Money’s performance. He was on that night, and his band was tight as hell. As for the rappers…They’re not designed for live performances so that’s no surprise. The Ashley Simpson catastrophe was unfathomable. I was shocked that SNL allowed lip syncing on the show. Then she totally trashed her band.

[@manzchello4752]

Or just say it was her still and keep going. Music doesn’t need permission to continue if they still have passion for great recordings and make another comeback. Milli Vanilli made a mistake giving up as well.

[@scotthpowell]

Yeah, I heard nothing wrong with his performance. Would have paid money for the ticket.

[@michaelmcshane6395]

While I agree with many of the options for bad performances, snl has a history of putting on bad bands that obviously were promoting a movie, an album or whatever. the same criteria holds true for hosts. Oftentimes these days I play wordle during the music performances and perk up during weekend update. (Usually the best writing on snl imho was for WU.) Lastly, I am begging snl to not do the Barry Gibb talk show anymore.

[@sergioromanomunoz8155]

More than half of the performances aren't that bad. The Fear and Replacements performances were actually amazing and you're only including Kanye out of spite. Kesha wasn't that bad either, you just wanted to bash her for her painting. Backstreet Boys? Nothing bad, just not that good. Now I remember why I kept myself away from Watchmojo lists.

[@1981menso]

Fear performance was groundbreaking, Mojo are hacks.

[@BENANDKEITH]

You don’t know why Mick Jaggers voice was shot? It’s been well documented that the band and John Belushi were out partying all week long.

[@_vmprr]

That comment on Eddie Money was very uncalled for. He sounded the same on his albums too, which was GREAT

[@HearturMind]

Pogues were exactly like this every time I saw them and brought down the house.

[@Karenann0313]

Right? I saw them in 2008..they were amazing

[@RixMorales]

WTF does photoluminescent body paint on Kesha's body have to do with being "insensitive" to the indigenous peoples? And Troye Sivan's performance was great!

[@friedmandesigns]

Vetted fossil-record fact : The only hominins "indigenous" to any part of Earth are folks living in or near Africa. Every single bio-geographic ancestry, every single phenotype, on every single inch of land outside of Africa colonized and immigrated there sometime in the past 300,000 years. Humans are only indigenous to Africa.

[@TheGreatAwesome]

The best I can connect the paint to insensitivity is an ancient Taco Bell commercial from 1990 promoting the launch of Fire sauce that had aborigines, IIRC, painted in a similar fashion with similar lighting.

[@jrock2264]

I think that's Richard Belzer introducing Meatloaf, not Christopher Lee. Maybe the people doing these should be over 30?