The 33rd annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony airs this Saturday (May 5th) on HBO. The event took place on April 14th at Cleveland’s Public Auditorium, with the class of 2018 consisting of Bon Jovi, the Moody Blues, the Cars, Dire Straits, Nina Simone, and early influence gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
As with all the Rock Hall inductions, there were emotional moments — including Jon Bon Jovi‘s nearly 20-minute acceptance speech, along with former member Alec John Such playing with the band — and Richie Sambora taking the stage with Bon Jovi for the first time in five years. On the bizarre side was Dire Straits, which was essentially inducted by itself, minus songwriter and frontman/guitarist Mark Knopfler, who opted out of the event with no public explanation.
The 2018 inductors for the ceremony were Ann Wilson for the Moody Blues; Howard Stern for Bon Jovi; the Killers’ Brandon Flowers for the Cars; Mary J. Blige for Nina Simone; and Alabama Shakes‘ Brittany Howard for Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Along with the inductees performing, tributes were paid to recently deceased rockers with the Killers performing a medley of Tom Petty‘s “American Girl” and “Free Fallin’” and Ann Wilson with Alice In Chains‘ Jerry Cantrell performing a salute to Chris Cornell with a cover of Soundgarden‘s “Black Hole Sun.” In addition to that, Lauren Hill brought the house down with her four-song salute to late-inductee Nina Simone.
In an interview before the festivities Richie Sambora said that entering the Rock Hall felt like being rewarded for a job well done: “I’ve been lucky enough to have the profound opportunity to be a big part of that band. And this is just people going, ‘Hey — ya did it.’ Y’know what I mean?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hxj_A1DRdR8
Jon Bon Jovi spoke about the long ascent to making it and recalled his earliest days as a musician: “Every kid — whoever plays in their garage — dreams of being in a rock band and I was no different. I began in my buddy’s basement and in the backyard. We played in the local talent show, came in second place. Worked up to block dances, then the clubs where we got a glimpse of what we thought was the big time. At 17, I started a big 10-piece band called the Atlantic City Expressway playing the songs of my childhood heroes; the Animals and Thin Lizzy, of course — but a lot of Bruce Springsteen and Southside Johnny (applause). David Bryan was in that band. He used to do his homework in the basement of the Fastlane before we’d play our set. And I want to take a moment here to thank David’s dad, ‘Big Ed,’ because I know he’s here tonight watching down over us (applause). So thanks, ‘Big Ed,’ for your van, for cheering us on!”
Cars guitarist Elliot Easton took time out to thank bandmate Ric Ocasek for providing the group with an unforgettable repertoire of hits: “It all begins with a great song. Without that none of this would exist. The music business, radio, Hall of Fame — all of it. Without a great song, there’s nothing. And in Ric Ocasek we had an incredible songwriter (applause). Songs. . . (applause) that’s right. Whose songs gave the band such a wonderful platform and framework for the rest of us to be creative and do the best work of our lives — and they still sound great today.”
Ann Wilson inducted the Moody Blues and put them into historical perspective: “From day one, Denny Laine, Ray Thomas, Mike Pinder, Graeme Edge, John Lodge, and Justin Hayward hit hard and go way deep. The Moody Blues are as mind-blowing in concert as on record. They have sold 70 million albums, and counting, worldwide, and they have done so without selling their creative soul for 54 years and counting,”
Moodies co-founder Denny Laine — who went on to form Wings with Paul McCartney in 1971 — spoke from the heart: “I won’t keep ya long, since I wasn’t in the band that long, alright? I gotta tell ya, Mike and Ray came up to me, they wanted to form a new band and I said, ‘If we can play blues music, yeah.’ But I’m really pleased to say that these guys got rid of the blue suits and went on to other things — and I’m a big fan! So, there ya go. The Moody Blues, I love you — alright?”
Dire Straits bassist John Illsey, who inducted the band himself, shed light on where the band found its original inspiration: “Back in the ’70s, the band’s influences came from a number of sources — Elvis (Presley), Chuck Berry, Ry Cooder, J.J. Cale, Bob Dylan, and many more. Like all musicians, Mark (Knopfler), myself, and David (Knopfler), we sat around, playing, borrowing from here, there, and everywhere. Then something magical happens and you develop your own style. ‘Build up a following and the whole thing starts to take on a shape and identity all of its own.”
This year’s event introduced a new category — similar to the Grammy’s Hall of Fame, in which the Rock Hall selects “Hall of Fame Singles.” The inaugural batch, which was presented by Steve Van Zandt, were “Rocket 88” by Jackie Breston & His Delta Cats; “Rumble” by Link Wray and His Ray Men; “Louie Louie” by the Kingsmen; “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” by Procol Harum; and Steppenwolf‘s “Born To Be Wild.”
