The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions brought 18 musical acts into the hall on Saturday night, in a ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles that ran from a surprise opening set by U2 to tributes for Phil Collins, Luther Vandross and the Wu-Tang Clan.
U2 opened the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions with their new single “Silencio”, played while dancers in riot squad gear stood around the stage, before the band moved into their 1984 song “Pride (In the Name of Love)”. Bono raised a peace sign and a fist during the song about Martin Luther King Jr. U2 joined the hall in 2005.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions took place on November 14, the second year in a row that Los Angeles has hosted the ceremony. An edited version will air on ABC and stream on Disney+ in December.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions honour Phil Collins
Phil Collins, 75, entered the hall for his solo career, 16 years after he first joined it as a member of Genesis. His solo work produced some of the biggest hits of the 1980s, including “Against All Odds”, “One More Night” and “You’ll Be in My Heart”.
Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker inducted Collins and played the drum fill from “In the Air Tonight” while Cynthia Erivo sang the song in tribute. Collins attended the ceremony but said he could not play his songs for health reasons.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions gave Collins his second place in the hall. He told the New York Times before the ceremony that he was “very, very pleased” by the honour and “quite surprised” to learn he was under consideration.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions celebrate Wu-Tang Clan and Luther Vandross
The Wu-Tang Clan, the hip-hop group from Staten Island, entered the hall after a career that began with their 1993 debut album “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)”. The group was inducted by Chris Rock and performed a medley of its hits, including “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”, backed by a big jazz band.
Luther Vandross, who died in 2005, entered the hall for a run of R&B love songs that made him one of the defining voices of the 1980s and 1990s, among them “Never Too Much”, “Dance With My Father” and “I’d Rather”. Oprah Winfrey inducted Vandross, and Usher sang a medley of his songs, including “Here and Now” and “So Amazing”.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions also recognised Sade, who did not attend. Andra Day inducted the British band, and Sienna Spiro sang its biggest hit, “Smooth Operator”.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions honour early influence acts
Five acts entered the hall with the Early Influence Award: Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Gram Parsons. Cruz, the Havana-born queen of salsa, is the first member of the hall who sang mainly in Spanish. Fela Kuti, the Nigerian saxophonist and bandleader who died in 1997, is the first African-born solo artist to enter the hall.
MC Lyte, the Brooklyn rapper who released the first full solo album by a female rapper, “Lyte as a Rock”, accepted the award in person and was inducted by Remy Ma. Queen Latifah, who released her first album “All Hail the Queen” at 19, also received the Early Influence Award.
The Musical Excellence Award went to producer Rick Rubin, songwriter Linda Creed, producer Arif Mardin and producer Jimmy Miller. Ed Sullivan received the Ahmet Ertegun Award for bringing the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, James Brown and the Doors to American television, and for featuring Black artists when network pressure ran the other way.
Absences at the ceremony
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions went ahead without several of the new members. Oasis stayed away, as did Sade, and Iron Maiden had tour dates in Australia that clashed with the ceremony. Billy Idol, 70, was inducted with his longtime guitarist Steve Stevens, while Joy Division and New Order received a joint induction that follows their shared history: after Joy Division singer Ian Curtis died in 1980, the remaining members formed New Order.
Artists become eligible for the hall 25 years after their first commercial recording. The inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions were chosen by a voting body of more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry members, along with a fan vote.
The hall said the ceremony will stay in Los Angeles more often in coming years, while still rotating to New York and Cleveland, where the hall itself stands.