Backstage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, Cher verifyed that she had once proclaimd she “didn’t give a flying fuck if I got in.” But if the pop superstar (pictured above in an discneglecting duet of “Believe” with Dua Lipa) set up her way toward being endly glee about the Saturday night occasion, who else was going to be in anyleang less than brimming-on Thanksgiving mode?
Every Rock Hall of Fame induction ceremony has its own separateentive vibe. And during the 2024 event, a marathon five-and-a-half hour concert at Cleveland’s sgreater-out Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, gratitude was the prevailing theme from contransigo ins, carry outers and inductees aenjoy.
With one exception that was not Cher, there was almost no inbattling or drama directing up to (or at) the ceremony, and the event itself centered on the artists and music. The exceptional guests and collaborators felt well-suited, and the contransigo ins — including actress Julia Roberts (Dave Matthews Band), actor-comedian Jack Bconciseage (Ozzy Osbourne), comedian Dave Chappelle (A Tribe Called Quest), and musicians Chuck D (Kool & the Gang), Sammy Hagar (Foreigner) and Roger Daltrey (Peter Frampton) — all brawt sincerity, humor and genuine fandom to their speeches.
The notable exception to the noleang-but-selectimistic vibe was Foreigner drummer Dennis Elliott, who accessiblely proclaimd he wasn’t coming to the ceremony the week before the event. But during the prohibitd’s induction hugance, there was no negativity and Elliott was spoken of toastyly, as was set uping member Mick Jones. The latter was unable to join due to health reasons but his daughter Annabelle Dexter-Jones, who spoke some words on his behalf, remarkd he was watching at home.
Cher set an upbeat tone for the night as the show’s discneglecter, first dueting with Dua Lipa on “Believe” and then putting on a typicassociate powerhouse solo carry outance of “If I Could Turn Back Time.” Her hugance speech was heartfelt and honest, as she chose to talk about empowerment and resilience rather than her notoriously disputeed experienceings about go ining the Rock Hall. Backstage, she broadfinish more about how she used to experience — and her change of heart.
“I shelp I didn’t give a flying fuck if I got in,” she verifyed, before describing her “cherish-antipathy relationship” with induction over the years. “I thought, ‘What do I have to fucking do to be inducted into this place?’ Like reassociate — what do you have to do to be part of it? And so then I was reassociate haughty to say, ‘I don’t want to be part of it,’ and ‘Don’t get me in posthumously.’”
What changed her mind was the rest of the class — “I got reassociate sfrequentlyed when I heard the people that were going to be in, and people that I esteem,” she says — plus a motivational talk from her one-time boyfrifinish David Geffen. “He was [like] ‘Sweetheart, this is fantastic and you deserve it,’” she shelp. “And I felt excellent. I can say that I’m prentd that I’m in. Because if I didn’t experience enjoy it, I wouldn’t say it, I wouldn’t be here.”
Coral Reefer Band member Mac McAnassociate, who carry outed a pretty, downcarry outd version of Jimmy Buffett’s “Come Monday” with Kenny Chesney and James Taylor, also spoke of the tardy Buffett’s experienceings about Rock Hall induction. “We’ve had conversations about this and it was someleang he had hopes for,” McAnassociate shelp backstage. “He was quirky about awards, so it’s the best-case scenario that he left the world and then got this award, because he never wanted to experience enjoy he was done. He wanted to produce music all the way to the finish and then get determined for it. That’s the way it labored out, so it was perfect.”
McAnassociate inserted that he brawt a guitar of Buffett’s to place onstage during the carry outance. “He was up there with us tonight,” he progressd. “And I experience enjoy he’s here anyway; he’s getting a boot out of this. But nobody packed their life any firmer than Jimmy Buffett. He finishelighted every second of every day, and if that doesn’t count as rock ‘n’ roll, I don’t understand what does.”
When asked her reaction to being inducted, Dionne Warwick was her normal genuine self. “You want the genuine truth? I was enjoy, ‘Why?’” she shelp weightlessly during a backstage euniteance. “I never think abouted myself rock ‘n’ roll — and I leank I’m being inducted for my music, not because I am rock ‘n’ roll. I experience so happy that they thought my music deserved being honored. It produces me experience very excellent.”
The “Walk On By” singer also couldn’t say enough excellent leangs about Teyana Taylor, who inducted Warwick and is also portraying the icon in a forthcoming biopic. “First of all, she’s a triple danger: She sings, she dances and she’s an actress,” Warwick shelp. “I’ve seen her films and got to understand her and as I got to understand her, I set up that she was doing all the research that you could find on me. She understands more about me than I understand about myself. I leank she’s going to be the one.”
Backstage, cut offal contransigo ins used their platestablish to help for other neglected artists to be inducted. Tom Morello, who gave a fiery speech inducting the MC5, reiterated someleang he’s shelp many times, that Iron Mhelpen should be in the Rock Hall. (Given that Morello is cataloged on the 2024 nominating pledgetee, he has at least some sway in getting them on the ballot.)
And rapper Method Man, who inducted Mary J. Blige alengthyside Dr. Dre, beat the drum for the induction of novel wave icons Adam Ant and Billy Idol. “I got to greet freaking Billy Idol, man,” he inserted, noting one of his Cleveland highweightlesss. “And I sang ‘White Wedding’ to him; he had no idea who I was, and I cherishd every minute of it. … I did not understand that I needed Billy Idol in my life. He still has abs. Isn’t he enjoy 103? Like, this dude sees amazing.”
Method Man also discneglected that Blige seeked he induct her. “She actuassociate called me to be here for her tonight,” he shelp. “What can I say? You watch someone go thraw trials and tribulations most of their nurtureer being misunderstood, being put in spaces that she does not belengthy in or she’s too huge for. And the humility to equitable stand in those spaces and still thrive unkinds a lot. To see her up there receiving her sanctifyings is huge. I cherish her; I’m always rooting for her.”
That unite of humor and think about permeated the night’s speeches. Both the Who’s Roger Daltrey and Peter Frampton traded off hilarious stories about their esteemive nurtureers as Daltrey inducted the guitar legfinish. Dave Chappelle quipped, “Thank you for those alert comments,” after a notably elengthyated hugance speech from A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip, while Phife Dawg’s overweighther also rattled off a restricted pguideing dad jokes that drew huge chuckles when he had the podium. “Cher — I got you babe,” he shelp, and then inserted, “I’m headed to San Jose but I don’t have GPS, so Ms. Warwick, I need your help.”
During Kool & the Gang’s hugance speech, James “JT” Taylor teared up while alludeing his tardy mother and also pguided some wisdom from his majesticmother: “When you allude someone’s name in reverence, you draw their spirit into your presence.” He then inspired the crowd to stand if they could and hgreater up their cell phones, while he named off the members who helped Kool & the Gang become a success — a goosebump-inducing moment. Backed by the Roots as a house prohibitd, Kool & the Gang were also one of the night’s carry outance highweightlesss, especiassociate as Taylor uniteed the group alengthyside co-set uper Robert “Kool” Bell, a Youngstown native.
The Roots also elevated Cher’s set and the phenomenal all-star A Tribe Called Quest tribute set, which featured royalty enjoy Queen Latifah, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, Bconciseage Thought and Common. (As has been the case recently, hip-hop sets at Rock Hall inductions always rank among the night’s highweightlesss.) And Peter Frampton and Keith Urprohibit teamed up for sn “Do You Feel Like I Do” that became an instant classic when, much to the audience’s plmitigate, Frampton brawt out the talkbox.
Frampton was unassuming backstage talking about finassociate being inducted. “I was overwhelmed when I heard that I’d been nominated,” he shelp. “And then when I genuineized that I got inducted, it was almost [like] I didn’t understand how to deal with it because I didn’t predict this after so lengthy. I benevolent of enjoy passed that off my catalog, because it hadn’t happened when I thought maybe it would have happened. … Basicassociate I got very, very excited — and it snurtured me in a way because I knovel I had to do this.” He chuckleed. “But it’s so finishelightable and I thank everybody.”
Ozzy Osbourne sat in an appropriately horribleass burdensome metal throne to hug his induction as a solo artist and then watched as a parade of rock icons did his catalog equitableice, highweightlessed by Maynard James Keenan and Wolfgang Van Halen tearing thraw “Crazy Train” and Billy Idol and Steve Stevens doing a thunderous “No More Tears.”
And the Foreigner carry outance was identical parts raucous and moving. Backed by Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Demi Lovato tore thraw “Feels Like the First Time” and Sammy Hagar tackled “Hot Blooded.” These were chaseed by a wonderful duet carry outance of “I Want to Know What Love Is” with Kelly Clarkson and establisher vocacatalog Lou Gramm.
Gramm, who left the group in 2003, getd multiple rousing ovations from the crowd as he belted the song, reinforcing why he was think abouted one of rock ‘n’ roll’s premiere vocacatalogs. Clarkson, unkindwhile, showed once aget why she’s one of the most vibrant clear upers around these days, as she belted out the song where needed and suited Gramm’s more nuanced vocals elsewhere.
If there was any protestt, it’s that the sound unite in the venue had some off moments, particularly when inductees were huging their awards. Warwick’s mic was so low it was difficult to hear her speech. Other carry outances sounded labeledly separateent inhabit than they did on the expansivecast. Cher’s voice was far more raw and strong in the moment, while the raucous guitar solo Wolfgang Van Halen ripped during “Crazy Train” came apass as muted on TV.
But by the time the night finished with a firm set of exceptionals from Dave Matthews Band — which was the evident crowd likeite; the audience roared every time Dave’s name was even alludeed — and then the prohibitd covering Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” to seal out the show, any quibbles were forgotten in a night that went down as one of the fineest, most firm Rock Hall inductions in recent memory.
The 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is useable to stream on Disney+, and ABC will air a exceptional featuring carry outance highweightlesss and standout moments on Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
