One of the Most Infamous ‘SNL’ Performances Ever Happened on This Date in 1986

One of the most infamous Saturday Night Live performances happened 40 years ago today.

On Jan. 18, 1986, The Replacements made their SNL debut.

The rock band, consisting of guitarist and vocalist Paul Westerbeg, guitarist Bob Stinson, bass guitarist Tommy Stinson, and drummer Chris Mars, performed on the seventh episode of the already-chaotic Season 11, which was hosted by actor Harry Dean Stanton. At the time, The Replacements had become integral in alternative rock, so it only made sense for the group to nab a slot on SNL. However, fans watching got a firsthand look at their chaotic reputation.

According to Far Out Magazine, The Replacements’ slot on SNL came as a last-minute, well, replacement, after the Pointer Sisters had to cancel just days before. When it came time to perform, the band performed their single “Kiss Me on the Bus,” from their fourth studio album Tim, completely drunk. They later played “Bastards of Young” – also from Tim – entirely out of town. The performance also earned a swear word from Westerberg when he yelled, “Come on f—er.”

SNL’s musical director at the time, G.E. Smith, who made the call to have The Replacements on, revealed in a 2015 interview recorded for the Archive of American Television that the band performed well for the dress rehearsal earlier in the night. However, one of their crew members smuggled alcohol into their dressing room, and they spent the next few hours drinking with Stanton while taking drugs.

Smith admitted that the band was so intoxicated on their way to the stage, Bob Stinson “tripped in the corridor, fell over onto his guitar, and broke it.” This led to Smith having to loan him one of the SNL house band’s spare instruments. According to Ultimate Classic Rock, The Replacements were ultimately banned from SNL and NBC for 30 years, eventually returning to 30 Rock in 2014 to perform on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Additionally, Westerberg appeared solo on SNL in the Dec. 4, 1993 episode hosted by actor Charlton Heston as the musical guest.

Due to music rights, The Replacements’ performance on SNL is not available on Peacock, but there are some stray clips in low quality on YouTube that can be watched so fans can see for themselves just how chaotic it truly was. Of course, they are definitely not the only ones that have had an interesting performance on SNL, but they certainly made it memorable.