Sure! But slow and ragged is a tough sell, and nothing here comes alive until the very end. 13. Machine Gun Kelly, "my ex's best friend" and "lonely" Machine Gun Kelly. Will Heath/NBC hide caption Machine Gun Kelly. Those who lament the apparent decline of rock and roll often miss the part where many, many rock bands' careers are booming — just without the benefit of major credibility-bestowing awards or the warm embrace of the critical establishment. You won't read many thinkpieces about Imagine Dragons, Twenty One Pilots or All Time Low, but they're not exactly languishing in obscurity. Take Machine Gun Kelly, whose career took a sharp left turn when his fruitful career as a rapper — which included a stint as one-half of a gross beef with Eminem — gave way to life as a spiky-haired pop-punk frontman. Watching him stand at the center of a blaringly airtight band while clad in unsnapped hot-pink overalls, it was hard not get drawn into the sheer volume of the assembled spectacle. His vocals got a little ragged here and there, but he kept meeting at the midpoint of agreeability and aggression — a combination that worked for him. SNL lit the band far more sparingly for "lonely," a song for lost loved ones that kept picking up steam and intensity as MGK poured on the emotion. By the end, he'd won over more than a few skeptics — this one included. 12. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, "Ghosts" and "I'll See You in My Dreams" Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. Will Heath/NBC hide caption Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. Let's get one thing out of the way upfront: This is not a ranking of the artists' overall quality or historical worth, so please at least consider setting aside your "He said Justin Bieber is better than Bruce Springsteen!" hot takes. There are other important factors to consider, from use of space to sound quality to visual effects. Did the performance surprise in any way? Transcend the studio recordings? Capture the artists at the height of their powers? Start a conversation? Compel a fence-sitter at home to run to the TV from another room? It was nice to hear Springsteen reconvene The E Street Band to perform two songs from their newest album, Letter to You, even if two members (violinist Soozie Tyrell and bassist Garry Tallent) had to skip the set due to COVID restrictions.