Saturday Night Live - SNL 50 The Anniversary Special

On this day, February 16, 2025, the American comedy variety show Saturday Night Live celebrated its 50th season with a three-hour TV special, broadcast on NBC and Peacock. The star-studded episode concluded with Paul McCartney and his band performing a medley of “Golden Slumbers” / “Carry That Weight” / “The End” from The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” album.

Though originally scheduled for three hours, the special ran 28 minutes over time. Comedian Martin Short didn’t introduce Paul McCartney until 11:17 p.m.

Paul has a long history with Saturday Night Live, having performed as a musical guest on May 17, 1980, February 13, 1993, December 11, 2010, and December 15, 2012. He was also a special guest for the 40th Anniversary Special on February 15, 2015, and made cameo appearances on November 11, 2006, December 21, 2013, and December 19, 2015.

We had a fabulous week in New York with three small gigs leading to the 50th anniversary show of Saturday Night Live.

Paul McCartney – From Paul McCartney on Facebook, February 21, 2025

Sir Paul McCartney. Am I dreaming? Still hard to believe I had the humbling honor to photograph the spectacle that was the SNL50 weekend.

My dad is a huge Beatles fan. He was playing them constantly in the house when I was growing up. When McCartney played iHeartRadio Festival years back, it was a no-photo policy.

So I was really hoping that I’d have a crack at photographing him at SNL50.

There were three photographers in the studio for this special show. We were playing “zone defense” to try and cover everything. My assignment was home base, the center stage.

I had a pretty obtuse angle for my line of sight, and with a jib, steadicam and 3-4 other cameras on peds, I positioned as best I could. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t thrilled with my position for this performance, but this is a game of compromise.

For the last few days, I didn’t see any approved photos come through for McCartney. Fair enough. So imagine my delight to see this snap as one of the four total photos approved for Sir Paul.

This one’s for you, Dad.

Photographed for NBC / SNL.

Todd Owyoung – From Instagram, February 20, 2025

Later in the evening, Paul McCartney was seen at the Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary after-party.

NBC Studios

This was the 4th concert played at NBC Studios.

A total of 4 concerts have been played there • 2012 • Dec 13 • 2013 • Oct 7 • 2018 • Sep 6 • 2025 • Feb 16

Setlist for the concert

1. Golden Slumbers

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

2. Carry That Weight

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

3. The End

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

Doug R. • 1 month ago

The PaulMcCartney Project • 1 month ago

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