Best Rock Band Cameos on 'The Simpsons'

Moment That Rocked: Years after Smell the Glove ruined their early-‘80s comeback bid, the members of Tap continue to be as hapless as ever, mispronouncing Springfield’s name during a concert and watching their enormous Satan balloon deflate. Trying to pass it off, they chant “We salute you, our half-inflated Dark Lord!” (Fun fact: Tap bassist Derek Smalls is played by Harry Shearer, who does a ton of voices on The Simpsons, including Mr. Burns, Principal Skinner, Smithers and Ned Flanders.)

Moment That Rocked: In reference to their occasional nude antics, the band is shown in their underwear throughout the episode. And when Krusty tells them to change the lyric in “Give It Away” from “What I’ve got/You gotta get it/Put it in ya” to “What I’d like is I’d like to hug and kiss ya,” a shocked Flea admits, “Wow. That’s much better.”

Moment That Rocked: At the show’s opening, the Ramones play a birthday party for Mr. Burns, performing a punk rock version of “Happy Birthday to You.” Annoyed by the band’s abrasive style – but confused by what band they are – he immediately orders his right-hand man Smithers to have the Rolling Stones killed.

Moment That Rocked: Billy Corgan might be known as a sourpuss in his music, but he showed a deft comic touch in the episode. Homer tells the Pumpkins, “Thanks to your gloomy music, [my kids have] finally stopped dreaming of a future I can’t possibly provide.” Corgan responds happily, “Well, we try to make a difference.”

Moment That Rocked: Spoofing his self-serious, socially-conscious persona, Bono demands that the band’s fans listen to Homer’s crackpot message because trash “affects the whole damn planet.” The Edge, looking annoyed, murmurs, “Oh, here we go …”

Moment That Rocked: Pete Townshend (who was actually voiced by his brother Paul) levels the wall between old and new Springfield by blasting the epic guitar riff from “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” And when the band members need to make a decision, they form what they call the “Who Huddle.”

Moment That Rocked: In another great example of a band tweaking its image, Michael Stipe gets angry and breaks a bottle in half, preparing to use it as a weapon. The other band members restrain him, as guitarist Peter Buck says, “That’s not the R.E.M. way.” Embarrassed, Stipe replies, “You’re right. Let’s recycle those shards and get out of here.”

Moment That Rocked: Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, Lenny Kravitz and Brian Setzer are all really funny in this episode, but Jagger and Richards get big laughs playing the aging-songwriting version of an adorable old married couple.

Moment That Rocked: Metallica’s appearance had nothing to do with the actual plot: Otto drives by the band as they stand by their broken-down tour bus. When he offers them a lift, James Hetfield responds warily, “We don’t take rides from strangers.” Also, we learn that if you have ever waved a lighter during a Metallica concert, the band members will instantly recognize you and remember your exact seat number. Who said they don’t love their fans?

Moment That Rocked: The rock showdown between Bart and the White Stripes mimics the group’s stop-motion video for “The Hardest Button to Button.” Also, who knew that if you cross sweet Meg White, she could get so bloodthirsty?

Moment That Rocked: Sure, *NSYNC are by no means a rock band, but their sly spoofing of their squeaky-clean, manufactured image was brilliant. Guaranteed laugh every time: Justin Timberlake punctuating his dialogue with a well-placed “Word!”