Stevie Nicks Will Play ‘Saturday Night Live’ for the First Time in Over 40 Years
On Saturday, Oct. 12, Stevie Nicks will take the stage on Saturday Night Live for the first time in 41 years — and the second time ever. The Fleetwood Mac songstress, who went on to decades of solo success, appeared on the show on December 10, 1983, to promote her second solo album, The Wild Heart. She performed the songs “Stand Back” and “Nightbird” from that album.
Why is Nicks playing SNL now? And how many of her former bandmates have also taken the stage at Studio 8H? Stand back, and read on to find out everything there is to know about Stevie and Fleetwood Mac’s history with Saturday Night Live.
Why Is Stevie Nicks Appearing on Saturday Night Live Now?
Nicks recently released “The Lighthouse,” her first new song in four years, and is on tour, but she does not have a current album to promote — though she has teased a new album in the near future. Her last studio album was released in 2014.
This is atypical, as the musical guest slot is usually reserved for an artist releasing new music. But Nicks’ appearance is part of the show’s 50th season, which will include a year-long celebration of the show’s past. This season has already brought back former cast members Dana Carvey, Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg, so Nicks’ appearance makes sense as part of a look back at the show’s history.
And though Nicks hasn’t publicly collaborated with host Ariana Grande, she does have a recent track record of mentoring and playing with younger artists, including Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. This, along with her own robust touring schedule and revived public interest in Fleetwood Mac, has brought her back into the zeitgeist.
Did Fleetwood Mac Ever Perform on Saturday Night Live?
RM Lewis Jr./NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Though SNL debuted in 1975 and Fleetwood Mac released their hit album Rumours in 1977, the band never played the show.
In a 2017 interview, Fleetwood Mac singer-guitarist Lindsey Buckingham had this to say about why the band had never played the show:
“I wonder about that. No, [nothing happened] that I can remember. But, you know, it’s very possible that scheduling didn’t work out. Or it’s possible that… you know, one of the things about Fleetwood Mac you gotta say is that it’s not very often that you get everyone to want the same thing at the same time…And you know, Saturday Night Live came on in, I think in 1975, which is the same year Stevie and I joined. So we, this incarnation of Fleetwood Mac is basically, you know, the same age as SNL. So I don’t know how we avoided that, but somehow we did.”
Which Fleetwood Mac Members Appeared on Saturday Night Live?
@lindseybuckingham SNL in the 80s #SNL #80s #saturdaynightlive #liveperformace ♬ original sound – Lindsey Buckingham
Though the Mac never appeared on SNL, three different members have appeared as part of solo projects. In addition to Nicks’ 1983 performance, Buckingham performed on Feb. 6, 1982, and on Nov. 12, 1983, Mick Fleetwood’s Zoo appeared.
In addition to his time as a musical guest, Buckingham also appeared on SNL repeatedly as a character played by Bill Hader. In the recurring skit “What’s Up With That?,” Hader played Lindsey Buckingham as the third guest on a late night talk show who was always skipped over by the host and never got to speak.
After two years of the skit, Buckingham himself appeared in a May 14, 2011, production of the skit, appearing alongside Hader, the real Paul Simon and Chris Colfer, an actor from the TV show Glee. He played guitar, and spoke up on behalf of Hader’s character.
In a 2017 interview, Buckingham revealed that he was a fan of the skit and enjoyed being on the SNL set … although he wasn’t quite sure why he had become a character.
“I was afraid to ask that question,” he told the Tennessean. “I had to assume somebody in that group was a fan. And to some degree, the premise of the sketch resonated with me. Because look, I’m this guy, who has done a lot of things on their own terms, and solo work that’s been very well-thought of, but heard by a fraction of the people that would ever hear Fleetwood Mac … I guess you could say there was a resonance with (Hader playing) a guy who is never allowed to speak.”
Nicks has also been an SNL character. In the infamous Oct.17, 1998 skit “Stevie Nicks’ Fajita Round-Up,” actress Lucy Lawless played Nicks as a restauranteur appearing in a commercial for her Mexican restaurant, and sang Fleetwood Mac songs with new lyrics about burritos and enchiladas.
@kristoferprophet Lucy Lawless does Stevie Nicks on SNL in 1998. Stevie Nicks’ Fajita Roundup 🌯✨🔮😂 #stevienicks #fleetwoodmac #saturdaynightlive #snl #sketch #skit #fyp #viral #trending #lucylawless ♬ Dreams (2004 Remaster) – Fleetwood Mac
In a 2011 interview, Nicks described the skit as “Only one of my all-time favorite things. Ever! …Lucy looked amazing, and she was amazing as me. So I could not have been happier.” She added that she was actually an enormous fan of Mexican food, “so the fact that they actually pulled that out of the air was so great. Because if I was ever going to have a restaurant, that’s what it would be.”
What Will Stevie Nicks Play?
Nicks will likely play her new song, “The Lighthouse.” But her second song slot could be filled by anything, from new work to a duet with Grande to one of her ’80s solo hits — perhaps even one of the songs she played in her 1983 appearance.
My fingers are also personally crossed for a “Stevie Nicks’ Fajita Round-Up” reboot.
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