On Saturday night (November 8), the 40th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, honoring legendary artists including Bad Company, OutKast, Cyndi Lauper, The White Stripes, Soundgarden, Salt-N-Pepa, and Chubby Checker, with posthumous honors for Warren Zevon and Joe Cocker. The event was broadcast live on Disney+, and started with a rousing tribute to 1993 Rock Hall inductee Sly Stone, who died in June, which featured a medley of his hits performed by an an all-star band led by Stevie Wonder, Flea, Beck, and Questlove, with guest vocalists Maxwell and Jennifer Hudson. Elton John later honored the late Brian Wilson by performing the Beach Boys’ classic, “God Only Knows.”
Salt-N-Pepa gave an exhilarating performance of their ‘80s and ‘90s hits, “Let’s Talk About Sex,” “Whatta Man” (joined by En Vogue), and “Push It,” while OutKast’s Big Boi and Andre 3000 shared the stage for their acceptance speech – after being inducted by Donald Glover – but only Big Boi took part in a performance of a medley of their hits with special guests Doja Cat, Tyler, the Creator, and Janelle Monae. Cyndi Lauper was inducted by Chappell Roan, with her emotional performance of “True Colors” paying tribute to the LGBTQ community, before she was joined by Raye on “Time After Time” and Avril Lavigne on “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
Iggy Pop inducted fellow Detroit garage rock band The White Stripes, with only Jack White attending the ceremony, delivering a message of thanks from drummer Meg White in his emotional speech. Olivia Rodrigo and Feist performed a tender version of the band’s 2001 track, “I Think We’re Gonna Be Friends”, while Twenty One Pilots delivered a raucous take on the iconic hit, “Seven Nation Army.” The late Chris Cornell’s absence cast a dark shadow over Soundgarden’s induction, with Jim Carey delivering a heartfelt speech praising the grunge legends, where he was joined by Cornell’s daughter, Lily. The Pretty Reckless’s Taylor Momsen then joined the band for a fiery take on “Rusty Cage,” while Brandi Carlile took lead vocals on their smash hit, “Black Hole Sun,” alongside guest appearances by Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell, and Soundgarden’s original bassist, Hiro Yamamoto. Heart’s Nancy Wilson then accompanied Cornell’s 21-year-old daughter Toni on a stirring acoustic take on “Fell on Black Days.”
Despite some notable absences – like Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers, Carol Kaye, and the 84-year-old Checker, who fittingly had a gig that night – the ceremony was still filled with star-studded moments, culminating in a rousing finale of Cocker’s classic Beatles’ cover, “With a Little Help from My Friends,” that included Lauper joined by the Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson, Bryan Adams, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Teddy Swims. (Billboard)
