Jimmy Fallon had the honor to kick things off at the SNL50: The Homecoming Concert in celebration of NBC’s late-night sketch show.
Fallon took the Radio City Music Hall stage alongside The Roots to pay tribute to The Blues Brothers, the sketch starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd that inspired a 1980 film and a sequel in 1998 titled Blues Brothers 2000.
Following the performance, Fallon revealed he was “out of breath” and thanked the “collection of talent” who attended the homage.
“I thought this was sweet. Where you’re seated is based on how much Lorne [Michaels] loves you,” Fallon joked.
Fallon continued, “I was so honored when the assistant to Lorne’s assistant, asked me to host tonight.”
The Tonight Show host then took a jab at himself, answering why he was hosting the special, saying, “Well, it’s award season, which means I got nothing going on right now.”
Fallon noted that he has two things in common with SNL in that they both turn 50 this year, adding, “And if we’re being honest, we both peaked around 25.”
SNL50: The Homecoming Concert celebrates the music of SNL with performances from artists like Arcade Fire, Backstreet Boys, Bad Bunny, Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard, Chris Martin, David Byrne, DEVO, Eddie Vedder, Jack White, Jelly Roll, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Mumford & Sons, Post Malone, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Robyn, and The B-52s.
Celebrating 50 years on TV, the festivities continue on Sunday, February 16, with SNL50: The Anniversary Special at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT on NBC and streaming on Peacock.
