10 Most Infamous SNL Musical Guests
5. FEAR
The high profiles of the musical guests on SNL were not as prevalent when the show was first gaining traction. Aside from Paul Simon coming on from time to time and the infamous moment when Lorne Michaels offered the Beatles to come down, a lot of the musical slots were reserved for promising new talent coming from the underground. Though anything could happen with unknown acts, not many people expected a near riot on air.
Being one of the first acts to come from the American hardcore scene, FEAR had just started to gain traction after being prominently featured in the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization. With John Belushi being an avid fan of the group, these punks showed up to the show prepared to raise hell from the word go. Not changing a single thing about their usual setup, the entire studio floor turned into a ratty punk show, with fans storming the stage and Lee Ving reveling in every second of the mayhem.
By the time they went to commercial, the riot in front of the stage had to be settled before eventually returning to the regularly scheduled segments going on afterwards. Whereas most bands live to excite you, this was one musical guest that would have left you with a few broken bones if you weren't careful.