Explaining the Infamous ‘Riot’ from Saturday Night Live in 1981

Saturday Night Live has experienced its fair share of outrageous musical acts over the last 50 years, yet one punk band’s performance from 1981 stands out as particularly unforgettable.

The chaotic performance by Los Angeles hardcore band Fear has taken on near-legendary status among SNL enthusiasts over the past three decades. However, the new documentary by NBC and Peacock, Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music, aims to clarify the realities behind a supposed riot in the studio.

In the documentary directed by Questlove and Oz Rodriguez, which debuted on Monday, January 27, Fear frontman Lee Ving along with SNL crew members shared insights about one of the most contentious moments of the 1980s, orchestrated by legendary cast member John Belushi.

Although Belushi departed from SNL in 1979, executive producer Dick Ebersol sought to have him make a cameo to connect the original cast with the new lineup. Belushi consented to a silent appearance alongside then-cast member Eddie Murphy, but only if Ebersol would book his favorite punk band in return.

“John Belushi discovered us. He was a fan of our music,” Lee Ving, 74, shared in the documentary. “Here we are, this ragtag crew… without [a record] distribution [deal].”

Murphy, 63, reminisced how the SNL cast and crew were left astonished by Ebersol’s decision to feature hardcore punk music solely for securing Belushi’s cameo.

“It was absurd that John Belushi was insisting on having Fear on TV,” Murphy recounted.

Scheduled for Halloween night, this notorious 1981 episode was packed with dark themes and taboo humor — perfectly fitting for its host, Halloween star Donald Pleasence. Audiences were treated to scenes of blood pouring from a Jack O’ Lantern and sketches featuring cast member Christine Ebersole singing about a murderous housewife.

Not even the eerie sketches could brace viewers for the night’s loud and chaotic set from Fear. The band came equipped with their own slam-dancers, which included future punk icons such as Ian MacKaye from Minor Threat, and they smashed through a fast-paced set of four songs.

“John believed that for [Fear] to genuinely look like themselves, there had to be a group of slam-dancers present,” Ving explained.

As Fear played songs with cheeky titles like “New York’s Alright If You Like Saxophones” and “Let’s Have a War,” viewers across the nation witnessed slam-dancing for the first time.

“The average American audience, typically accustomed to Saturday Night Live, was taken aback by the punk rockers, questioning what they were witnessing,” Lee Ving recalled. “Tourists in the audience were looking at us like, ‘My God! What is happening? We’re going to die!’”

In a bid to regain control of the studio, NBC ultimately cut away from Fear’s performance. Producer Dick Ebersol later confessed in 50 Years of SNL Music that he hadn’t fully understood what slam-dancing entailed before bringing the punk band into Studio 8H.

While stories of a riot and studio damage have circulated over the years, nothing of the sort ever transpired.

“There wasn’t a riot,” Hal Willner, former SNL musical coordinator, clarifies in the documentary. “They didn’t destroy any equipment. It was a good story, but [Fear] were completely professional and very nice people.”