Copyright cleveland.com
LOS ANGELES, California - The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony held at the Peacock Theater on Saturday evening was a double celebration. The ceremony honored the latest batch of inductees, but also allowed the Rock Hall to commemorate four decades of proving the concept. The ceremony has grown from a relatively closed party of famous folk into an elongated, full-work-shift-long and often awkward-for-the-audience television show taping that was edited and aired on HBO weeks later, to today’s slickly produced live TV show, courtesy of the Mouse House. The 40th Anniversary ceremony was a relatively svelte four and a half hours of well-played and performed music and good vibes. Compared to 2024’s sold-out and rocking Rocket Arena, the 7,100-seat Peacock felt almost intimate. The crowd, with a median age of “over 45,” was adorned in their Saturday-night best or rocking branded gear from their favorite inductees, with Outkast, Soundgarden and Bad Company fans showing up and showing out. Shortly before the start of the livestream, Rock Hall Foundation chairman John Sykes described the ceremony as the second-best thing to happen to Los Angeles in the past week, bookending the Dodgers’ World Series championship and adding that he was glad the ceremony was back in Southern California, “where it belongs.” Regional disrespect aside, Sykes offered the final words of the night from a Rock Hall official, as museum president Greg Harris didn’t appear to give his usual “Rock and Roll is the sound of rebellion and youth” speech. It opened with a year-by-year montage of induction highlights, from Chuck Berry, through Boomer icons, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones and Springsteen, through Tina Turner, Ozzy up through R.E.M, LL Cool J, Nirvana and Missy Elliot. All proved a stark reminder of just how many pop music icons have gathered on a Rock Hall ceremony stage and how many of them are now gone to the Great Jam Session in the Sky. The first live music came courtesy of a tribute to Sly Stone, who died in June following a career spanning film. A super group featuring Stevie Wonder, Maxwell, Questlove, Jennifer Hudson, Flea and Beck performed a raucous medley of “Dance to the Music,” led by Wonder, “Everyday People” sung by Maxwell, Flea thumping out the famous bass line to “Thank You (Falettinme’ Me Mice Elf Agin) and J-Hud closing with some appropriately high notes on “I Want To Take You Higher.” Mick Fleetwood introduced Bad Company but unfortunately for the UK band’s fans, singer Paul Rodgers had to back out of his appearance at both the ceremony and a Q&A with drummer Simon Kirke that was to happen on Thursday night, leaving Kirke as the only member of the band present, a fact that was not lost on him as he spoke of his bandmates getting a bit emotional when talking about guitarist Mick Ralphs, who died in June and praised the band’s many roadcrew members by name and sent a special shoutout to the band wives for their unwavering support throughout the years and the respective health issues. The performance featured Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes, Bryan Adams and guitarists Joe Perry and Heart’s Nancy Wilson, who would pull double duty during the evening. Adams, who said this year that he the Rock Hall doesn’t “see me,” is clearly now visible as he sang a solid “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love,” while Robinson reigned in some of his melismatic tendencies for a straight-ahead “Feel Like Making Love,” which had the fans in the room swaying and singing. Missy Elliott, who was inducted in 2023, introduced Salt N’ Pepa and DJ Spinderella with ecclesiastical fervor. Seemingly dressed as a sequined mashup of all three members, Elliott’s love and respect for the trio was evident as she talked, nay preached, about the trio trailblazing a path through the male-dominated world of hip hop and how she would never have picked up a microphone if she hadn’t seen them do it first. During their short film, Elliott, standing alone in the dark at the podium danced and pumped her fist as if she were at a show. The trio performed a quick medley, including snippets of “Let’s Talk About Sex,” “Whatta Man” with EnVogue and “Push It,” inspiring fans to dance like it was 1986. During their speeches, Cheryl “Salt” James spoke of the group trying to get their masters back “after 40 years,” and Sandra “Pepa” Denton apologized to the “countless fans who got in trouble for cutting their hair like us.” Diedre “DJ Spinderella” Roper spoke of her recently passed mother and celebrating her 40th year as a DJ. David Letterman then entered the stage joking, “How can you not feel let down after Salt N’ Pepa,” before a heartfelt and humorous speech about Warren Zevon. Letterman put Zevon’s catalog into three categories, the third being “Songs about Werewolves,” drawing spontaneous howls from Zevon fans. Letterman also spoke about the last time Zevon appeared on “Late Night With David Letterman,” where the two friends talked frankly, on air, about the cancer that would eventually kill Zevon and Letterman brought the guitar that Zevon played and gave him after the show that night, which would be the last time the two friends saw each other. Letterman handed that guitar to The Killers guitarist Dave Keuning so the band could run through a too quick version of “Lawyers, Guns and Money,” which seemed to leave the crowd wanting another chance to howl at their fallen musical hero. Iggy Pop, a 2010 inductee, came out chanting “THE WHITE STRIPES!” before recalling the first time he saw Meg and Jack White in Detroit and calling them the “The 21st century Adam and Eve which started a rock n’ roll band.” Pop, who seemed to go on, then off, then back on his own wrinkled script, also praised Meg White’s drumming after recalling less-than-favorable reviews of the duo. He spoke of the seven iconic notes of the anthemic “Seven Nation Army.” Meg White was an expected no-show, but during his speech Jack said he’d spoken with his former bandmate, who expressed her gratitude and helped him finish his speech including many “punctuation corrections.” Olivia Rodrigo and Feist, on a small stage behind the tables full of rock stars and their families and managers, sang a sweet version of “We’re Going To Be Friends” before Columbus’ own Twenty-One Pilots thumped through a slightly re-arranged “Seven Nation Army” as nearly every fan in the building seemed to be holding their phones up to record the moment. Donald Glover spoke with reverence about Outkast, who had a strong contingent of friends, fans and (Dungeon) family in the crowd. Glover described what made the group different besides their Southern home: Most rappers talked about what was happening while Outkast “explored what could be,” summing up their unique teamwork as “two brothers who turned their differences into a dynasty.” Big Boi and Andre 3000 brought up a squad of folks to the stage as they thanked late producer-songwriter Rico Wade, The Goodie Mob and 3000, and Wade’s family and sisters for putting up with all the noise in the “Dungeon” (the DIY basement studio in the basement of Wade’s family house) and got a bit emotional looking back and talking about how “great things start in little rooms.” 3000 didn’t perform, but Big Boi and Atlanta emcee J.I.D. joined for “ATLiens,” followed by Doja Cat stumbling through “Ms. Jackson” before an animated Tyler The Creator ripped though “Bombs Over Bagdad” and Janelle Monae kept the energy up for “Hey Ya.” She mimicked 3000’s crazy dance from the video, going into the crowd and splaying herself on a table before ending on the floor in front of the stage. Big Boi returned with singer Sleepy Brown for a funky “I Like The Way You Move,” and Killa Mike closed it by turning “The Whole World” into a singalong. The Soundgarden segment was bittersweet, despite the typically lightly wacky intro by Jim Carrey, complete with a dash of his old “In Living Color” character, Fire Marshal Bill. Carrey talked of the Seattle scene bands and gave way to Cornell’s daughter Lily, who shouted out her father and her mother, former Soundgarden and Alice In Chains manager Susan Silver, who was in the audience. Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen sang the hard-charging “Rusty Cage” backed by the surviving bandmembers, including ex-bassist and inductee Hiro Yamamato and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready. Brandi Carlile and Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell joined the band for “Black Hole Sun,” minus the recording’s frantic Thayil guitar solo. The band members’ speeches were direct. Yamamoto spoke of the camp his Japanese-American parents were forced into during World War II and how it greatly it affected him and suggested we “not add another story like this,” drawing cheers. The segment ended with Cornell’s youngest daughter Toni, performing an acoustic “Fell On Black Days” with Nancy Wilson earning a standing ovation. Keeping with the reverence and remembrances, the In Memoriam montage was packed with icons and beloved entertainers. Elton John appeared with the Don Was band to talk of Brian Wilson, who also died in June, before singing low-key “God Only Knows.” Chappel Roan, wearing some kind of Vegas Showgirl meets ancient goddess ensemble, cursed as she realized she didn’t have her contacts in, making her squint through her intro for Cyndi Lauper. Lauper, last seen at Blossom in July for her farewell tour, sang the hits with her all-women band featuring Go-Go’s drummer Gina Shock and former Prince keyboardist Lisa Coleman for “True Colors.” She brought out British soul-pop singer-songwriter Rae for a “Time After Time” with Lauper asking for folks to turn on their phone lights as she did at the Blossom show. Avril Lavigne turned up for a bouncy “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” with a surprise appearance by Salt N’ Pepa. “This is what happens when you let the riff-raff in,” Lauper joked before her speech, thanking fans, musicians and family and saying she knows she “stands on the shoulders of the women in the industry that came before me and my shoulders are broad enough to have the women that come after me stand on mine.” Chubby Checker, who at 84 was the evening’s oldest inductee, was too busy working to show up to be honored at the ceremony. But, he appeared on the big screen at the very same gig to accept his award with the crowd at his back offering support. Checker thanked his peers and talked about how the next time he drives through Cleveland in the car, “I’ll think totally different than before,” he said before counting off his signature song and showing the crowd at the gig and at the Peacock that he can still twist again like he has for the past 67 summers. Adams returned again to wrap up the evening with the induction of singer Joe Cocker. The short film featured decades worth of artists including Ray Charles and Billy Joel praising Cocker’s unique soulful voice, stage presence and his way of making other folks’ songs his own. That musical pudding was proved with the Tedeschi Trucks band joined by Teddy Swims performing a funky take on “The Letter,” followed by a groovy “Feeling Alright” with the still engaged crowd dancing in their seats. The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony appropriately ended with “A Little Help From My Friends,” featuring vocals from Teddy Swims, Susan Tedeschi, Cyndi Lauper and Chris Robinson in place of Paul Rodgers. As with Cocker’s version, the lurching rhythm and all-in vocals from the singers lent a gospel feel to the last song of the night with Robinson and Tedeschi wailing back and forth at each other and smiling. As the crowd headed out into the balmy downtown L.A. night, fans recalled their favorite moments as they stood dutifully in line at conveniently placed merch table to ensure they had physical memories of the occasion and milled around in the plaza. The Peacock Theatre may not have the grandiose, big-tent rock show vibe of Rocket Arena or Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, but as an in-the-room concert experience Los Angeles afforded itself well.
