Saturday Night Live broke from tradition last night to pay tribute to the tragic mass school shootings that occurred in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday. Instead of the usual cold open, the show started with members of the New York City Children’s Chorus singing "Silent Night." The kids also got to shout "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" You can watch it below.
It was the evening's only reference to the tragedy. The chorus returned later in the star-studded evening to join musical guest Paul McCartney in a rendition of his “Wonderful Christmas Time.”
This was one of the rare instances when the show dropped the comedic cold opening. Most notably, after the September 11, 2011 attacks, the September 29, 2001 show began with Mayor Rudy Giuliani, flanked by members of the NYPD and FDNy, saying, "Our hearts are broken, but they are beating, and they are beating stronger than ever," and then Paul Simon sang, "The Boxer".
We'll have the full SNL recap with all the other night's sketches soon.
