Rolling Stone has listed the 25 Greatest Musical Performances on Saturday Night Live. Though such legendary acts as Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen and The Kinks have graced the stage at 30 Rock in New York City, the number-one choice is not a household name.
1. Fear - October 31st, 1981: "SNL frequently brought new underground sounds to a wider audience. But no one was prepared for the mayhem that erupted when John Belushi and writer Michael O'Donoghue invited L.A. hardcore punks Fear to perform... Fear blurred through a convulsive performance of songs like 'Beef Bologna' as dozens of authentic punks slam-danced, swarmed, stage-dove and screamed things like 'New York sucks!' and 'Negative Approach is gonna [screw] you up!'"
"The real audience at Saturday Night Live was scared to death," says singer Lee Ving. "They didn't know what was happening with all the mayhem. The camera people were trying to protect their cameras..." Fear has been permanently banned from the show.