Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony full of emotions as Phil Collins, Queen Latifah, more inducted
Saturday night's Rock & Roll Hall of Came ceremony brought out stars and emotional tributes as Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Luther Vandross, Wu-Tang Clan, Queen Latifah, Oasis, MC Lyte, Sade, Joy Division/New Order and Iron Maiden were inducted during the ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, along with producer Rick Rubin.
Run DMC and Aerosmith were surprise event closers, as Wu-Tang Clan, Rick Rubin, Iron Maiden, others inducted
Andrew Dalton · The Associated Press
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Phil Collins gave a tearful acceptance speech and got an electrifying tribute from Cynthia Erivo, Oprah Winfrey inducted the late Luther Vandross, the crowd yelled along with Billy Idol, and Wu-Tang Clan crowded the stage for a rowdy celebration at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday night.
Queen Latifah, Oasis, MC Lyte, Sade, Joy Division/New Order and Iron Maiden were also inducted during the ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, along with producer Rick Rubin, who got a long-bearded tribute from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
A night that beforehand felt like it might fall flat with the absences of key inductees was as lively and overloaded as the induction ceremony ever is.
U2 was the night's surprise opener, playing their new single Silencio while surrounded by dancers in riot squad gear. They then launched into their 1984 classic Pride (In the Name of Love) as singer Bono alternately raised a peace sign and fist.
Run DMC and Aerosmith were the surprise closers with a loud jam of Walk This Way, their 1986 classic collaboration, produced by Rubin.
Queen Latifah, left, and Megan Thee Stallion perform during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday in Los Angeles. (Chris Pizzello/The Associated Press)
Collins gets emotional, Idol gets wild
The 75-year-old Collins, whose mobility trouble and other health problems kept him from performing, took the stage slowly using a pair of canes and cried at a huge ovation from a crowd that included his daughter, actor Lily Collins, and four other children.
Queen Latifah, Billy Idol, Sade and Oasis among artists being inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker inducted Collins and praised him for his unprecedented dual stardom as a drummer and a hit-making pop singer in the 1980s.
"I grew up just wanting to play the drums," Collins said. "Everything else has been a really happy accident. I can't believe, when I look back, how life has gone."
Phil Collins, left, is introduced by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker during Saturday's ceremony, before Collins shared a tearful speech. (Chris Pizzello/The Associated Press)
Collins was already in the hall as a member of Genesis, but now gets the solo honour.
Hours later, the crowd leapt to its feet and shouted along with White Wedding during the induction of Idol — one of the few artists ticket buyers knew for sure would show up and perform.
He was inducted along with his longtime guitarist Steve Stevens by No Doubt members Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal, who joined Idol for a duet on Eyes Without a Face.
Oprah inducts Luther Vandross
Winfrey said with relish that Vandross was "the maestro of the love song" and said he was once correctly named "the top artist that people make love to."
Vandross, an R&B singer with a velvet voice, was one of the definitive singers of the 1980s and '90s. He died in 2005.
"Luther Vandross sang with such passion and soul it could reach something deep inside that you didn’t even know needed to be reached," Winfrey said.
Hip-hop acts make their presence known
Wu-Tang Clan, the hip-hop collective from New York's Staten Island, filled the stage with its 10 current members, giving a memorable acceptance speech and a performance that had the crowd on its feet dancing. Backed by a big jazz band, the musical medley included C.R.E.A.M., Method Man and late member Ol' Dirty Bastard's Shimmy Shimmy Ya.
"Wu-Tang rewrote the rules of hip-hop and did it without a big machine behind them," said comedian Chris Rock, who inducted them.
Audience members put up Wu-Tang Clan hand signs as the Wu-Tang Clan performs during the ceremony on Saturday. (Chris Pizzello/The Associated Press)
MC Lyte, a trailblazing female rapper starting in the late 1980s, was the first artist inducted, with hip-hop star Remy Ma doing the honours. Her contemporary and fellow groundbreaker Latifah was inducted later in the evening by Megan Thee Stallion, who said Latifah "taught us to recognize royalty within ourselves."
Latifah said that for a long time, she would not have believed this night was possible.
"It's difficult enough being a woman in hip-hop," she said, "let alone being a hip-hopper in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame."
Inductee Queen Latifah speaks during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday in L.A. (Chris Pizzello/The Associated Press)
Latifah and MC Lyte then took the stage together to perform a medley of their hits, including Latifah's U.N.I.T.Y. and MC Lyte's Ruffneck.
They entered the hall as recipients of the Early Influence Award along with posthumous inductees Gram Parsons, Fela Kuti and Celia Cruz, who were all inducted via video tribute.
A stage full of Rick Rubins
Legendary rock, hip-hop and country producer Rubin accepted his induction with a one-sentence acceptance speech.
"You can't kill rock 'n' roll," he said, and left the stage.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers dressed as Rick Rubin during their performance at the ceremony on Saturday. (Chris Pizzello/The Associated Press)
The Red Hot Chili Peppers then appeared, all four of them wearing white wigs and long white fake beards to match Rubin's signature look as they played their 1991 breakthrough hit Give It Away, one of many he produced for them.
Oasis and the other no-shows
Oasis, the youngest of the inductees, didn’t show up. Guitarist Noel Gallagher was playing a gig back home in Britain, and his younger brother, Liam Gallagher, has said he just didn't want to come.
"Anybody surprised they didn’t show up?" asked actor and Oasis superfan Bob Odenkirk, who inducted them. "It would’ve been out of character if they had. I would've been worried."
Iron Maiden, the quintessential British heavy metal band of the 1980s, as well as iconic singer Sade weren't at the event. Joy Division and New Order got a joint induction, with only the bassist for both bands, Peter Hook, showing up at the ceremony.
After streaming the ceremony live for the past few years, the hall returned to its previous format, where the public won't see it until an edited version airs on ABC and Disney+ on Dec. 9.
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