Yep! I remember when the Stones played "Saturday Night Live" (I think it was the "Some Girls" album"). Couldn't believe the Stones would "stoop" to playing on TV. Of course the were attempting to jumpstart their careers against such acts as Blondie & The Talking Heads -- Punk/New Wave bands that had no such self-limiting rules.
I remember when DEVO first played on SNL. The guys in my band and I were taking a break from practicing and watching TV, and we were sure that it was a "joke" band, not the real thing... I remember thinking, "Why did that bass player chop up that Gibson bass?"
It was only a few weeks later when I saw the album in a music store that I found out that DEVO was "serious!"
Mark
I remember as well. Of course, SNL is still a great program to see some really good "live" rock and roll. Often the musical acts are the highlight of the show. Some of those old shows from the 70s-90s are great just to see some of the bands at the start of their careers. And SNL has always had a rule that bands must play live. This is why it was such an abomination when Ashlee Simpson was caught lip syncing on the show.