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Rolling Stones On Video: Saturday Night Live rehearsals
Shot at Bill Wyman’s studio, Westchester, NY, Oct. 6 1978
Rock ’n’ Roll Takeover: The Rolling Stones’ SNL Debut
In the autumn of 1978, the Rolling Stones rolled into the studios of a fledgling sketch-comedy show called Saturday Night Live, marking their first TV appearance in ten years—and inadvertently transforming the series into a cultural juggernaut. Word of their arrival sent security teams into a frenzy, bracing for hordes of die-hard fans that never lacked for enthusiasm. Inside the building, censors clenched their jaws, wary of the Stones’ legendary reputation for late-night debauchery.
So what did the Stones play?
Additional musicians: Stu (piano), Ian McLagan (piano, organ)
Rehearsals included: I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (Otis Redding/Jerry Butler) -probably with John Belushi on backing vocals Spoonful (Willie Dixon) Beautiful Delilah (Chuck Berry) Back In The USA (Chuck Berry) What Am I Living For? (Fred Jacobson/Art Harris) Reelin’ And Rockin’ (Chuck Berry) Jah Wonderful (Delroy Washington) Plus an unidentified reggae song *Info taken from The Complete Works Website (Ref. Rolling Stones SNL Rehearsals)
Rock ’n’ Roll Mayhem Stones-style
Believe it or not, the buzz around the Stones’ SNL debut was epidemic: fake tickets flew off street corners, nerves frayed backstage, and studio suits braced for riotous mayhem. Inside, rehearsals resembled a frat party—open bar, pills on the table, John Belushi crashing the blues jams—while Mick Jagger and Keith Richards toyed with memory lapses (goodbye, Richards’ cameo!). Efforts to tame Jagger’s wardrobe? Utterly doomed.
Yet, when the band finally hit “air,” the chaos translated into pure electricity. Jagger’s slightly slurred vocals dripped authenticity, Richards and Ronnie Woodr traded scorch-the-studio guitar lines, and Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman locked into a groove so tight it could choke a rhino. Sure, a missed lyric here, a wavering note there—but those rough edges only fanned the fire. By show’s end, the Stones hadn’t merely met the hype—they’d detonated it, vaulting Saturday Night Live from scrappy newcomer to cultural monolith and proving that rock royalty still reigns, even under fluorescent lights. (Ref. Rolling Stones SNL Rehearsals)
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