Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Highlights
“The stars descended upon Cleveland” isn’t a phrase you hear very often. But that’s where the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is . . . and that’s where the class of 2024 was inducted on Saturday. So in this case, it was true.
Here are the highlights:
1. Dua Lipa sang “Believe” with Cher . . . who was inducted by Zendaya. Cher told the crowd her two divorces were easier than getting into the Hall. (Here’s Cher doing “If I Could Turn Back Time“.)
2. Kool & the Gang were inducted by Chuck D from Public Enemy. James J.T. Taylor and Robert ‘Kool’ Bell performed “Get Down on It”, “Jungle Boogie”, “Hollywood Swinging”, “Ladies’ Night”, and “Celebration“.
3. Dionne Warwick was inducted by Teyana Taylor, who’s playing her in an upcoming biopic. Dionne sang “Walk on By”, and was joined by Jennifer Hudson for “I’ll Never Love This Way Again“.
4. An all-star cast performed for Foreigner, including Demi Lovato, Chad Smith, Slash, and Sammy Hagar. Kelly Clarkson joined original singer Lou Gramm for “I Want to Know What Love Is“.
5. Roger Daltrey inducted Peter Frampton . . . then Frampton jammed out to “Do You Feel Like We Do“, with a little help from Keith Urban.
6. In his tribute to A Tribe Called Quest, Dave Chappelle praised them for being cool, but NOT gangster. Busta Rhymes, The Roots, Queen Latifah, De La Soul, and Common performed some of their classics, including “Can I Kick It?“
7. Dr. Dre and Method Man inducted Mary J. Blige, who sang “Love No Limit”, “Be Happy”, and “Family Affair” with Lucky Daye and Ella Mai.
8. Jack Black inducted Ozzy Osbourne, who sat on a bat-throne and watched an all-star performance of his solo hits featuring Chad Smith, Billy Idol, Steve Stevens, Maynard James Keenan, Robert Trujillo, Wolfgang Van Halen, Zakk Wylde . . .
And Jelly Roll, who gave his take on “Mama I’m Coming Home”.
A lot of people didn’t like it, but I must admit, seeing Jelly Roll, one of the biggest artists in the world, belting out lyrics written by Lemmy Kilmister in front of rock royalty in 2024 warmed this old Motorhead fan’s heart.
9. Tom Morello inducted the MC5, who should have been in long before this.
10. Jimmy Buffett was finally inducted, although he got in with the “Musical Excellence” award. James Taylor and Kenny Chesney performed in his honor, as did Dave Matthews.
11. Speaking of . . . the Dave Matthews Band performed themselves, after being inducted by Julia Roberts. They also ended the evening with “Burning Down the House” by the Talking Heads.