It was an “All Night Long” affair as music elite gathered for the 37th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony last night (Nov. 5) at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theatre. In addition to Lionel Richie, the diverse new class included Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Pat Benatar, Carly Simon, Eminem, and the Eurythmics. Honorary awards were also given to Judas Priest, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Harry Belafonte, Elizabeth Cotten, and Jimmy Iovine, among others.
Though there were some sad moments, such as original Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor revealing his battle with stage 4 prostate cancer, there was also plenty of celebration and surprise guest appearances. The ceremony will air on HBO and HBO Max on Nov. 19.
After being introduced by Lenny Kravitz, Richie broke out into a medley of hits including “Hello,” the Commodores classic “Easy,” and a crowd singalong version of “All Night Long.” Dave Grohl joined for “Easy,” continuing his bromance with the “American Idol” host who also starred in the Foo Fighters movie “Studio 666.”
Dolly Parton, who initially rebuffed her nomination and said she was not “rock-worthy,” shined in her moment. The country icon was joined by Zac Brown on guitar to debut a new song from the forthcoming rock album she vowed to record if she was inducted. Singers P!nk and Brandi Carlile supported Parton during a performance of “Coat of Many Colors,” while Brown returned with Sheryl Crow for “9 to 5.” An all-star cast joined for a show-topping finale of “Jolene,” including Carlile, Crow, Annie Lennox, P!nk, Benatar, Duran Duran’s Simon LeBon, and even Judas Priest’s Rob Halford.
Rapper Eminem was inducted by early mentor and longtime collaborator Dr. Dre, who recalled the first time they met in his studio and began recording Em’s hit “My Name Is.” Eminem opened his performance with that song, then brought out guest stars Steven Tyler (for a live recreation of the “Dream On” sample in “Sing for the Moment”) and pop titan Ed (reprising Dido’s parts on “Stan”).
Though Carly Simon didn’t attend the ceremony while grieving over the loss of her two sisters a day apart last month, Sara Bareilles filled in admirably, inducting Simon and also performing “Nobody Does It Better” and “You’re So Vain,” the latter helped by Olivia Rodrigo.
Other guests included The Edge inducting the Eurythmics, Crow inducting Pat Benatar, Janet Jackson introducing Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Alice Cooper feting Judas Priest. The heavy metal icons, celebrating 50 years in the biz, also performed with original guitarist K.K. Downing for the first time since he left the band in 2011. Early drummer Les Binks also joined.
The ceremony ended with a tribute to the late Jerry Lee Lewis, with Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp performing Lewis’ classic hit “Great Balls of Fire.”
.@springsteen just closed the show at the 2022 @rockhall ceremony with a tribute to The Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis. Backed by @zacbrownband and with special guest @johnmellencamp. pic.twitter.com/gzXS46EYmi
— None But The Brave Podcast (@NBTBPodcast) November 6, 2022
