Paul McCartney Closes Out ‘SNL50’ With ‘Abbey Street’ Medley

Paul McCartney made a grand go back to Saturday Evening Reside for its SNL50: The Anniversary Particular, turning in a stirring efficiency of the Abbey Street medley, “Golden Slumbers” / “Lift That Weight” / “The Finish.”

The previous Beatle, who used to be a musical visitor at the display in 1980, 1993, 2010 and 2012 and made cameos in 2006, 2013 and 2015, additionally up to now seemed on SNL’s fortieth anniversary particular. The mythical rocker once more took the degree at Studio 8H on Sunday night time (Feb. 16), final out the three-hour tournament with a ancient nod to one of the celebrated albums in rock historical past.

McCartney’s look adopted a star-studded night time of musical performances, together with Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard’s quilt of “Not anything Compares 2 U,” and a wonder duet from Paul Simon and Sabrina Wood worker.

Lil Wayne carried out with The Roots and DJ T. Lewis for his efficiency, which opened with the 2018 unmarried “Uproar,” and noticed Weezy run via different tunes from his Tha Carter sequence of albums, together with his lone Billboard Scorching 100 chart-topper as a solo artist “Lollipop”, adopted by means of “6 Foot 7 Foot” and “Mrs. Officer”. The night time additionally featured an sudden SNL second when Nirvana joined Put up Malone for a efficiency of “Smells Like Teenager Spirit”.

The fiftieth anniversary of SNL additionally brings about certainly one of rock’s maximum mythical what-ifs: the time McCartney and John Lennon just about reunited at the display.

In 1976, SNL author Lorne Michaels famously introduced The Beatles $3,000 to reunite all the way through the display’s first season. Lennon later recalled in a Playboy interview that he and McCartney have been observing the display in combination that night time at Lennon’s condominium in The Dakota and in brief thought to be creating a wonder look. “We just about were given right into a cab, however we have been in reality too drained,” Lennon admitted. “We went, ‘Ha-ha, wouldn’t or not it’s humorous if we went down?’ However we didn’t.”

Despite the fact that that reunion by no means came about, McCartney’s SNL historical past stays wealthy. Past his musical performances, he’s been a common comedic visitor, showing in sketches through the years—together with a memorable bit with Chris Farley wherein the past due comic nervously interviewed him on The Chris Farley Display.

McCartney’s newest look at SNL 50 comes as he continues to have a good time The Beatles’ lasting legacy. In 2023, The Beatles scored their first No. 1 debut at the Billboard Scorching 100 with “Now and Then,” a long-lost monitor that includes Lennon’s vocals. The track additionally crowned Billboard’s Rock & Choice Airplay chart and become the band’s thirty fifth Scorching 100 best 10 hit.

SNL50: The Anniversary Particular aired on Sunday, Feb. 16 on NBC and might be to be had to flow on Peacock.