Why is SNL booking so many older rock acts?

Variety

So far this season, Saturday Night Live has booked older rock acts Jack White (as a last-minute replacement for country singer Morgan Wallen), The Strokes and, this weekend, The Foo Fighters. Why couldn't SNL book younger acts like Ariana Grande or Sam Smith? Sources tell Variety that rock acts are easier to prep for and that they may be more appealing during these hectic times. “Jack White, the Strokes and the Foo Fighters turn up, plug in and play — there’s maybe an hour or two of prep," said one source. "For Ariana or even a Sam Smith, there’s going to be hair and makeup and maybe some big concept to execute — that’s hours of prep and a lot more people involved, and those big productions are much harder to pull off in a pandemic.”