Iconic 'SNL' musical performances: Adele, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Nirvana

There have been countless amazing musical moments on "Saturday Night Live." So many that most of us can rattle off a favorite performance quicker than recalling a witty sketch or random celebrity host.

Week after week, year after year, that simple yet standard intro ‒ "Ladies and gentlemen ..." ‒ has moved us to sit back for a few minutes and absorb those spotlight moments. Sometimes they're anticipatory (of course Prince will amaze with his funky guitar), other times filled with curiosity (who is this St. Vincent singing "Digital Witness"?).

For a show closing in on 1,000 episodes, that's a lot of listening and discovering.

As "SNL" prepares to celebrate its five decades with "SNL50: The Homecoming Concert" with Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, David Byrne, Chris Martin, Backstreet Boys and more at Radio City Music Hall Feb. 14 (airing live at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST on Peacock), we take a look at 10 iconic performances.

Elvis Costello & The Attractions 'Radio, Radio,' Dec. 17, 1977

If you're going to use the "SNL" spotlight, might as well make it memorable. At least that's what Costello figured when, a few bars into his label-requested "Less Than Zero," he abruptly stopped the Attractions. "I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but there's no reason to do this song here," he announced before counting the band in for a keyboard-stabbing "Radio Radio." The stunt got him banned from the show until 1989, but as Costello told Zane Lowe in 2021, "I just wanted them to remember us."

David Bowie 'The Man Who Sold the World,' Dec. 15, 1979

It was likely the most avant-garde performance to grace the "SNL" stage at that point in the show. While Bowie's Ziggy Stardust had captured imaginations years earlier, it was still an anomaly to see a live TV performance showcase such alien appeal. With performance artists Klaus Nomi and Joey Arias carrying him to and from the microphone in a sculpted costume that encased his legs, Bowie used his hands to gesture and his eyeliner-rimmed eyes to pierce the camera through a mesmerizing rendition of the song.

Sinéad O'Connor 'War,' Oct. 3, 1992

The performance is recalled for her decision to rip up a photo of Pope John Paul II at song's end, meaning O'Connor's stunning vocal work is often overshadowed by the memory of her action. As shared in the recent "Ladies & Gentlemen ... 50 Years of SNL Music" documentary, producers were unaware of O'Connor's plans to commit religious blasphemy. But shelving that controversy for a moment, O'Connor's a capella vocals and unwavering gaze are reminders of the potent effect she had as a singer-songwriter.

Nirvana 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' Jan. 11, 1992

Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic had barely poked their heads above the underground grunge scene to sniff out the mainstream world when Nirvana made its first of two appearances on "SNL." His hair maroon and jeans organically shredded, Cobain unleashed the guttural pain and catharsis that signified the band's very existence. As a hair-flying Grohl anchored with a steady beat, Cobain perhaps inadvertently threw down the gauntlet to symbolize the arrival of one of rock's most visceral genres.

Beyoncé 'Crazy in Love,' May 18, 2003

For her first solo performance (she and Destiny's Child hit the small stage in 2001), Bey immediately demonstrated what made her not just a star, but a supernova. Between her fierce vocals, confident strutting and gliding dance moves, this was a performance that prompted you to sit up and take notice. That future husband Jay-Z joined her was beside the point. This was Beyoncé's stage and she wasn't about to relinquish it – then or now.

U2 'I Will Follow,' Nov. 20, 2004

The standard on "SNL" is two performances at two points in the show. On the second of their four appearances (so far), U2 treated the audience to a third song during the closing credits, a searing "I Will Follow." Larry Mullen Jr.'s caffeinated snare drum beats are matched adeptly by Bono, in full peacock mode as he struts through the audience and seduces the camera with rock star aplomb. Yes, kids, this is how it's done.

Adele 'Chasing Pavements,' Oct. 18, 2008

Not even Adele could have known how integral her "SNL" debut would be for her career in the U.S. In a twist of fortuitousness, her appearance coincided with a cameo from then-Vice-Presidential-candidate Sarah Palin, which meant some of the highest ratings ever for the show (15 million). But good luck with timing was only part of it. Adele simply stunned with her string-soaked rendition of her breakthrough single, her voice a marriage of satin and soul.

Miley Cyrus with Mark Ronson and Sean Ono Lennon 'Happy Xmas (War is Over),' Dec. 18, 2018

On the dimly lit set decorated for Christmas, Cyrus, backed by haunting organ, begins the pensive John Lennon rumination with typically bold vocals. As stray guitar notes and sleigh bells creep in behind her and Ronson, the lights reveal Sean Lennon, who steps up to sing the iconic "war is over" refrain. The combination of his beautiful vocals, which sound eerily like his father's, the serene setting and Cyrus' fist-clenched commitment to the song gets us every time.

Taylor Swift 'All Too Well,' Nov. 13, 2021

Few performers would be granted a 10-minute performance block and even fewer would utilize it to perfection. But not Swift. A day after "Taylor's Version" of the "Red" opus arrived, Swift, with her band and footage from the song's video behind her, played her acoustic guitar as she unfurled the poetic story of "All Too Well." Her deliberate eye contact with the camera and purposeful vocals captivated, but watching her emotions escalate with the lyrics resonated with Swiftian depth.

Chappell Roan 'Pink Pony Club,' Nov. 2, 2024

For as often as "SNL" has provided a springboard for upstarts, the show isn't immune to booking artists with obvious fleeting fame in order to capitalize on momentum. Roan would defy that trend. The newly minted best new artist Grammy winner demonstrated her riveting performance style sporting a Bride of Frankenstein streak in her crimson hair and cavorting on a stage filled with billowing dry ice and pink hearts. But it was her crystalline voice that should be remembered from this star-solidifying performance.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SNL: The 10 best music performances in its 50 years