SNL 12/11/10

[old_tony]

I was kind of eager to hear Paul McCartney's performances.

Then he comes out with Jet from about 40 years ago and totally butchers it. Apparently he's gone tone deaf and lost his voice. Never felt so embarrassed for an icon in all my life.

 

[Quakes]

Jet didn't sound very good to me, either, but I'm not a huge fan of that song anyway, so I thought that might have had something to do with it. However, if you didn't catch the rest of the show, I thought he did a very nice Band On The Run, and, in his third performance, an excellent A Day In The Life/Give Peace A Chance medley. And he was ripping through a pretty rocking Get Back as the credits were rolling; I wish they'd stayed on the air through the end of that one.

 

[old_tony]

I missed the three-quarters of Band On The Run thanks to my local station doing a winter storm weather bulletin. I get it, it's snowing. Thanks, ****ers.

But what I did see, he can't hit the notes. I mean, he's about 70 now, so I suppose I can cut him some slack, but I just find it sad.

And even on A Day In the Life, he wasn't really coming close on those high notes. And, to be honest, I didn't think he got any help whatsoever from his bandmates with the other voices in the harmonies.

I will give him credit for this much: They obviously weren't lip-synched performances.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

Funny when Rudd said something to the effect of "This will never be topped."

Why? because a dude who wrote some really great songs 40 years ago, performed those old songs?

Um, yay?

 

[DanOregon]

Saw the open, saw it was Armisen, saw that it took a good 30 seconds for the first laugh (I remember when Hammond or Hartman just appearing on screen set off 30 seconds of applause) and turned it off.

 

[BYH]

Funny when Rudd said something to the effect of "This will never be topped."

Why? because a dude who wrote some really great songs 40 years ago, performed those old songs?

Um, yay?

He topped it with Hey Jude 15 or so years ago, when the performance left audience and CAST members alike in tears.

And U2 absolutely tore it up a few years ago. I remember Amy Poehler just about passing out with joy.

 

[CRR13]

Saw the open, saw it was Armisen, saw that it took a good 30 seconds for the first laugh (I remember when Hammond or Hartman just appearing on screen set off 30 seconds of applause) and turned it off.

That's basically SNL these days.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

SNL has clearly reached the level where they'll never cancel it because idiots like me watch every week in hopes of seeing the rare moment that is actually worth watching.

 

[holy bull]

SNL has clearly reached the level where they'll never cancel it because idiots like me watch every week in hopes of seeing the rare moment that is actually worth watching.

Amen to that. It's the epitome of brand loyalty. They got their hooks in me decades ago, and like a jilted addict, I keep tuning in, sputtering the whole time about how bad it sucks, and there I am again the following week.

BYH, moments like that U2 closer with Amy Poehler dripping on the stage are why I keep coming back, I guess. If they throw you one lousy bone, you're satisfied.

 

[mediaguy]

New cast members haven't showed me much this year, but neither has the returning cast. How bad can the sketches be that don't make it into the show? There still is a selection process of some kind involved, right?

 

[holy bull]

New cast members haven't showed me much this year, but neither has the returning cast. How bad can the sketches be that don't make it into the show? There still is a selection process of some kind involved, right?

That's true. Now you're responsible for any nightmares I have tonight.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I'm always afraid of missing a Baldwin walk-on or something equivalent to the perfect game that Timberlake pitched two years ago.

I usually watch the whole show in 30 minutes and fastforward through everything else.

 

[TwoGloves]

McCartney may not have sounded great but the shoutout to Lennon was pretty cool. And I thought he sounded much better during the middle segment of A Day In The Life, my favorite Beatles tune. That was the first time I've watched an entire SNL in at least 15-20 years and I didn't think it was that bad. A few of the sketches made me laugh.

 

[lone star scribe]

McCartney may not have sounded great but the shoutout to Lennon was pretty cool. And I thought he sounded much better during the middle segment of A Day In The Life, my favorite Beatles tune. That was the first time I've watched an entire SNL in at least 15-20 years and I didn't think it was that bad. A few of the sketches made me laugh.

I agree. The selection of Jet puzzled me -- I said out loud that Band on the Run makes more sense, then he got to it later. Day in the Life/Give Peace a Chance was great, with the tip to Lennon so soon after the anniversary. And you're right -- Get Back was rockin'.

But his bandmates? Major fail. Sounded like he rounded them up backstage. "Hey, want to play some tunes?"

 

[Huggy]

Only saw him do "Band On The Run" and "A Day In the Life" and the former was terrible, just kind of trudged along, no energy at all. "A Day In The Life' was not bad.

Is that the band he normally tours with? People I know who have seen him rave about those guys.

 

[steveu]

BYH, I Will Follow happens to be my favorite U2 song and you're right... that was an electric version of it on SNL. Bono and the bandmates just nailed it.

I almost wonder if McCartney should have been host and musical guest. Rudd almost seemed lost in the "Omigod, it's Paul McCartney!" hubbub... as for Jet, that is a hard song to sing and his musicians were off.

 

[terrier]

If you made it past the lame cold open, it was a pretty good show. Rudd is an effective host, Pharoah busted out as the high school principal, and comic use of the musical guest is always good (although it's tough to top McCartney's guest spot on The Chris Farley Show). He sounded better as the show went on, for some reason.
Coldplay got to perform over the closing credits, as did Phoenix (?) in recent years. I wonder if McCartney played anything after signoff, as happens occasionally with musical guests who are big faves of the cast and crew. In both their appearances ('07 and last month), Arcade Fire played another three songs for the live audience and cast after signoff.

 

[steveu]

See, I didn't think it was a bad show either. Ya, the Obama cold-opens are getting old and Seth's Update material is consistently lame (the Clinton joke should have been first, Seth), but Jay did a great job playing the principal. I thought Hader made a great Julian Assange, and the What's My Name sketch was good.

There were a couple sketches that were funny but apparently the audience sat on their hands.

Wouldn't surprise me if Paul maybe played a few more songs. That's usually stuff that ends up on NBC.com or something. Didn't he do a few more songs last summer on Letterman's marquee than what we saw?

 

[old_tony]

If they run that god-awful sketch with the gross kissing family one more time I will consider never watching that show again.

 

[EagleMorph]

SNL has clearly reached the level where they'll never cancel it because idiots like me watch every week in hopes of seeing the rare moment that is actually worth watching.

Which usually involves Jay Pharoah, Bill Hader, or a good digital short and that's about it.