The Replacements banned from SNL

The Replacements banned from SNL, ursing out Tom Petty, being drunk as a skunk on stage, ending shows halfway through, twenty minute renditions of “Louie, Louie” – The Replacements were a wild live act for sure. Last year, they and reunited and recorded an EP of covers called Songs for Slim, which they sold to try and offset costs for their guitarist Slim Dunlap who had suffered a stroke. Now, they’re upping the ante and announced today that they’re playing their first post-reunion show at Riot Fest Toronto in August. Here’s 8 pieces of proof as to why they ruled the live stage.

1. They were banned from Saturday Night Live for being too boozed up to play and for cursing at the audience:

The Replacements’ only appearance on the January 18, 1986 episode of SNL was a sight to behold. After performing “Bastards of Young” on the show’s first half, they came back out for their second song, having swapped each others clothes and helping themselves to the free alcohol back stage. From the performance, it’s clear that they had been hitting the bottle pretty hard. As they clomped through “Kiss Me on the bus” they stumble, trip over each other, burp, and hurl their instruments on the ground. Oh yeah, earlier in the evening, Paul Westerberg yelled “C’mon fucker!” into the microphone for some reason. That’s punk.

2. They do stripteases on stage.

The Replacements’ 1989 tour, in which they opened for Tom Petty, was particularly riotous. On one show, they took the stage in drag and then cursed out Petty. At another, Westerberg came out clothed in like nine layers, only to pull off each layer while the band played a sultry blues jam in the background.

3. They keep playing even when the cops kick down the door.

Early Replacements shows, which were shared along with hardcore and punk bands, were often broken up by the police. The intro to “Kids Don’t Follow” is reportedly an actual taping of the police breaking up one of the band’s shows.

4. Without warning, they might play entire sets of cover songs.

During their original run, sometimes the Replacements would just decide to do an entire set of cover tunes. On top of that, they would cover bands that were totally not cool in the slick and/or grungy ’80s, like Zeppelin and Dusty Springfield. Oh, also, they covered the Stones A LOT. Check out this fierce version of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”

5. They once billed themselves as “Gary & the Boners”:

In 1984, The Replacements wanted to warm up before a headlining spot at Irving Plaza, a show that was going to have a lot of major label attendees. In order to get into gear on the sly, the band set up a Sunday night show at CBGB’s, but to make sure that no major label got wise, they billed themselves under the legendary name, Gary & the Boners.

6. They do warped versions of their songs live.

Like Bob Dylan and Frank Zappa before them, the Replacements were known for altering their songs live so that they barely resembled the studio counterparts. Slow songs were sped up, fast songs were slowed down. Check out the original and then this twisted, slow, savage take on “Take Me Down to the Hospital.”

7. They get mad air.

A good deal of Replacements songs are introspective and thoughtful. But on the other side, some tunes just straight up kick ass and blow the house down. When paying live, sometimes the band would get as nuts as the angriest hardcore band. Check out the hang time on this live shot.

8. Besides all the fighting, slapping and drinking, they really did rock.

When talking about the Replacements, people always mention how they fought on stage, slapped the audience, and were generally just drunk all the time. But you know what, they were perfectly raw and honest live. They rock, man.