As a music enthusiast who’s lived through the golden age of soul and rock, I can’t help but be captivated by the magic that unfolded at this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. It was a night filled with nostalgia, tributes, and some unexpected collaborations that made my heart sing!
On a festive Saturday evening, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, transformed into a vibrant “celebration venue,” as Kool & the Gang, Dave Matthews Band, Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, and Cher graced the occasion to receive their inductions from an esteemed lineup that included Chuck D, Julia Roberts, Method Man, Dr. Dre, Dave Chappelle, and Zendaya.
Four performers among the eight nominees were making their debuts in this category: Cher, Foreigner, Kool & the Gang, and Peter Frampton, all of whom had never been nominated before.
For the first time since 2021, the event made its way back to the town where the Rock & Roll Museum is located. This year’s performer category for the highest music-industry honor was won by Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & The Gang, Ozzy Osbourne, and A Tribe Called Quest. The Musical Excellence Award was bestowed upon Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick, and Norman Whitfield; Alexis Korner, John Mayall, and Big Mama Thornton received the Musical Influence Award. Motown’s Suzanne de Passe was given the Ahmet Ertegun Award, making her the fifth woman to receive this prestigious accolade.
“We are swimming in deep water here,” says Matthews of the class of 2024.
The five-and-a-half-hour event combined emotional speeches, career milestones, and captivating performances that consistently energized the full house. The excitement grew as audience members eagerly anticipated who would collaborate with whom during the show. This year’s event saw a fusion of inductees and their successors; for instance, Dua Lipa teamed up with Cher, while Ella Mai and Lucky Daye performed alongside Mary J. Blige. A Foreigner tribute group was formed by Kelly Clarkson, Demi Lovato, Chad Smith, Slash, and Sammy Hagar to honor their late friend Jimmy Buffet. Furthermore, Smith reappeared for the Ozzy Osbourne induction, joining forces with Maynard James Keenan, Jelly Roll, Billy Idol, and others.
Below are the top moments from the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, which is streaming now on Disney+ and airing Jan. 1 on ABC.
Cher’s Change of Heart
To commence the evening’s festivities, Dua Lipa stepped onto the stage adorned in a long black leather dress embellished with intricate chains on fishnet stockings. With a powerful voice, she sang Cher’s iconic anthem “Believe.” Not long after, Cher herself appeared, donning leather chaps, and joined Dua Lipa. The duo triumphantly linked hands during the performance of the 1998 comeback song. Zendaya presented Cher’s induction speech while dressed in a Bob Mackie nude-illusion halter dress reminiscent of one of Cher’s classic looks from 1975. Zendaya praised Cher, who had not received a Hall of Fame nomination until this year, by stating that “Cher has got the goods.” She highlighted the impressive statistic that Cher is the only solo artist to have a No. 1 hit in each of the last seven decades and referred to her as “the coolest woman on the planet.” A tribute video for Cher showcased soundbites from Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper, and Pink.
In her acceptance speech, Cher first acknowledged the obvious elephant in the room: “It was more challenging to gain entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame than it was for me to get divorced from two men.” Over the years, she has been vocal about feeling undervalued by the organization, stating in 2022 to Kelly Clarkson that “I wouldn’t be a part of it now even if they offered me a million dollars.
She experienced a shift in feelings and expressed her gratitude towards David Geffen for ensuring the award reached its conclusion: “I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to my benefactor, David Geffen. He wrote a letter and sent it to the directors, which is why I’m here today. Thank you, David. Thanks for caring about me so deeply.
Throughout the address, her theme was resilience. She detailed her career’s ups and downs and maintained a sense of pride and self-worth not based on being the prettiest, smartest or most talented in the room.
Speaking to my fellow sisters, I understand our struggles. We’ve faced hardships, but we never give up, we push forward, and we continue to grow. We are not just anyone; we are extraordinary.
Chuck D’s Kool-Pentameter
The lead singer of Public Enemy honored a band that had been previously neglected by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is Kool & the Gang. D’s speech was a beautiful, poetic tribute delivered in the rhythmic style of “Kool,” filled with soulful and funky accolades.
He pointed out that “Kool & the Gang has been sampled by hip-hop producers more than most other artists” and “it’s high time we celebrate them,” highlighting that, “You all are aware of the situation – birthdays, weddings, sports victories. You all get the picture… It’s about getting down to ‘Get Down on It’… I’m simply saying that good work is always on our minds, inside jobs that are both wild and peaceful. To the rhythm of the Jungle Boogie, let’s get down to the one-down and jungle boogie, say ‘uh!’ I always wanted to rap on that track. And if that wasn’t enough, there was more funky business.
Mark Ronson, Lionel Richie, Usher and Anderson .Paak participated in the video introduction.
James J.T. Taylor and Robert ‘Kool’ Bell are responsible for hits such as “Get Down on It”, “Jungle Boogie”, “Hollywood Swinging”, “Ladies’ Night” and “Celebration.
Dionne Warwick Calls Teyana Taylor Her “Alter Ego”
Teyana Taylor, set to portray Dionne Warwick in an upcoming biopic, brought a touch of the ’60s icon to the stage with her beehive hairstyle and olive-green empire-waist gown adorned with tassels.
Taylor didn’t fully grasp the extent of her talent until she landed a remarkable role portraying her in an upcoming biopic. She expressed, ‘It wasn’t until then I truly realized what an exceptional artist she is.’ Taylor admires Warwick’s significant impact on the world through her music, referring to “Don’t Make Me Over” as a global anthem for women and acknowledging that she displaced The Beatles from the charts.
Taylor remarks that Ms. Warwick didn’t just show up for a casual performance; instead, she was there in full force. The world, Taylor adds, could use a lot more of the warmth and talent embodied by Dionne Warwick.
Jennifer Hudson performed “I’ll Never Love This Way Again,” with Warwick joining her on stage for a rendition of “Walk On By” as well.
When Warwick accepted her award from Taylor, she said that “her alter ego is with me tonight.”
The Foreigner Super Group
At the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony in 2024, an extraordinary collaboration took place among Demi Lovato, Chad Smith, Slash, Sammy Hagar, and Kelly Clarkson. They filled in for Foreigner’s absent members, Mick Jones and Dennis Elliott, by jamming together. Demi Lovato sang “Feels Like The First Time”, Sammy Hagar performed “Hot Blooded”, and Kelly Clarkson teamed up with Lou Gramm to sing “I Want To Know What Love Is”. Jones’ daughter accepted the induction on behalf of her father who, unfortunately, had to stop performing with Foreigner due to his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2022.
Peter Frampton Gets Roast and the Rocks
Roger Daltrey poked at Peter Frampton’s lack of prior nominations, starting off his induction speech with, “I was astonished this guy wasn’t inducted 35 years ago.” He then shared that early on Pete Townsend joked that packs of screaming girls had mistaken Daltrey for Frampton before going on to roast his endless farewell tours. Frampton jammed with Keith Urban on “Do You Feel Like We Do,” which was the biggest guitar moment of the night.
As the evening drew to a close, the Dave Matthews Band took center stage for a performance of their most popular songs, following an amusing introduction by Julia Roberts who shared a tale about a mishap during a Google search.
Avoid searching for ‘David Matthews’ online, as I recently came across an unfortunate incident involving a different David Matthews – a man in his sixties from New Zealand who had experienced a stroke.
Eventually, she uncovered the perfect match… “I stumbled upon some interesting facts — it turned out I hadn’t realized Adam Sandler had a business partnership, which was news to me! It seems he and Ashley run a winery with an attractive label and reasonable price points. A pleasant surprise indeed. As for ‘When did Dave Matthews come out?’, that question actually refers to the debut of the band, as you’re well aware, not a personal milestone for the band’s namesake.
As the clock struck midnight and the gaming console hummed softly, I found myself belted out “Burning Down the House” in an unexpected finale. It was a heartfelt tribute to Talking Heads’ iconic 1983 album, Speaking in Tongues.
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2024-10-20 09:25