From the age of the 8-track to the time of TikTok, the “Saturday Night Live” stage has adapted to (and subsequently outlived) every musical trend in the last half-century. From its early days as an extension of a young creative team’s edgy tastes (Sun Ra, Tom Waits, Ornette Coleman) to its current station as a state-of-the-pop-union address, “S.N.L.” can break a musical guest or destroy them, providing no shortage of in-studio tensions, national controversies and unforgettable magic. Here are 38 landmark moments.

Oct. 11, 1975

Billy Preston

On the show still known as “Saturday Night,” the inaugural musical guest was the keyboard authority Billy Preston, who played a supremely funky version of his No. 1 hit “Nothing From Nothing.”

Oct. 18, 1975

Simon and Garfunkel

The tumultuous relationship of Simon and Garfunkel was briefly mended for their first performance in three years: intimate and austere versions of “The Boxer,” “Scarborough Fair” and “My Little Town.”