Did Red Hot Chili Peppers deliver the worst performance in SNL history?
The musical performances of Saturday Night Live have become as popular an aspect of the show as the comedy sketches. Over the years, multiple controversial and iconic moments have occurred during the show’s musical performances, from Sinead O’Connor ripping up a photo of the Pope to the hardcore chaos of Fear. For the most part, though, the actual performances have been pretty great. However, the same can not be said for an appearance by the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1992.
Due to the live nature of SNL, the show is subject to some unexpected surprises, particularly during the music sections. When Red Hot Chili Peppers were invited onto the show in 1992, the thought of an unexpected interruption was not entirely absent. The rock band formed in the early 1980s had gained a reputation for their unpredictable live shows and punk rock attitude. However, nobody could have predicted the nature of the interruption, which led the band’s appearance to go down as one of the worst performances in the history of the show.
The early 1990s were a strange time for the Chili Peppers. What had started as an underground punk-influenced rock group had started to achieve widespread and mainstream popularity. Their 1991 record Blood Sugar Sex Magik rocketed the band into the upper echelons of the album charts, establishing RHCP as one of the most popular rock groups of the decade.
Not all of the group were overjoyed with their newfound success, however. Guitarist John Frusciante struggled to grapple with the ethics of mainstream success, leading to a live television protest. During their appearance on SNL, Frusciante took it upon himself to derail the performance of their hit track ‘Under the Bridge’.
The fairly mellow track, detailing the struggle of Anthony Kiedis and his battle with drug addiction, starts with Frusciante’s iconic riff. However, when the guitarist kicks in on SNL, it is immediately clear that something is wrong.
Not only is Frusciante playing in the wrong key, but he also seems to be improvising new riffs and interludes during the performance. Kiedis can be seen looking confused but gainfully pushing on through the nearly five-minute performance. As the track progresses, the guitarist occasionally chimes in with dissonant screaming and more unhinged guitar improvisations. The frontman later wrote that he “had no idea what song he was playing or what key he was in.”
Frusciante left the Chili Peppers later that same year, unable to adjust to their mainstream success. Although he rejoined the group some years later, his stunt on Saturday Night Live still causes tensions within the group and goes down as one of the all-time worst performances on the show.
