The 33rd annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in Cleveland Saturday night April 14th, did not fail to disappoint. It was quite refreshing to see band members reuniting and bringing back different colors of vintage rock at the Cleveland Public Auditorium.
Fans had the privilege to witness the induction of Bon Jovi, the Cars, Dire Straits, the Moody Blues, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Nina Simone.
For the most part, the event was on key but only left one issue for many of the people. Arguably, one of the most anticipated parts of the annual ceremony is the All-Star Jam that traditionally caps off the show — but that didn’t occur this year. Part of the blame for that could go to the lengthy speeches from the band members of Bon Jovi, who took up about an hour of the show by themselves, let alone Howard’s Sterns induction speech.
Although, Rock Hall’s Vice President of marketing and communications, Todd Mesek was asked after the ceremony about the absence of the all-star jam. “That was the show. Nothing was cut,” he explained.
Based on the crowd social media’s reaction, the performance of the night was Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes and Felicia Collins, paying tribute to the great Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Additionally, Lauryn Hill and Andra Day covering the music of Nina Simone was a phenomenal memory that resonates as well.
Wouldn’t feel right without mentioning the Moody Blues’ and Bon Jovi reunions and the fact that one of Dire Straits’ own members, bassist John Illsley, designated himself as the official speaker. His fellow bandmates, keyboardists Alan Clark and Guy Fletcher, followed with short and speeches of their own, but not before Illsley tried to clear the air about Mark’s Knopfler’s absence — which he previously said boiled down to Mark just not feeling like attending.
The Cars minus Ben Orr (who died in 2000), regrouped on stage for a run through “You Might Think,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Moving in Stereo,” and “Just What I Needed.” The band was joined by Weezer bassist Scott Shriner for the set, and Brandon Flowers did a swell induction, noting the prized placement in Fast Time at Ridgemont High for “Moving In Stereo.”
As we’re approaching about a month away from one year since Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell’s unprecedented death. Well this past Saturday night, Heart’s Ann Wilson and Alice in Chains’ guitarist Jerry Cantrell sang the classic “Black Hole Sun,” to pay tribute to Cornell. Of course, Cornell inducted Heart into the Rock Hall back in 2013, so it added an emotional yet remarkable moment to the ceremony that will be remembered for years to come.
For those that didn’t get to see any of the induction ceremony, it will be aired on May 5th on HBO at 8pm EST.
