While the ceremony will air next month on HBO, we’ll recap what we know from the proceedings here thanks to information culled from CLEVELAND.COM and ULTIMATE CLASSIC ROCK
Set for a 7pm Eastern Time start, the proceedings got underway a little late at around 7:20. And after a tribute to the late David Bowie from David Byrne of Talking Heads and The Roots, it was Deep Purple inducted first. While there was disappointment that Ritchie Blackmore wasn’t part of the induction (and lots of back and forth sniping between he and the band over the past few weeks as to why), the band played a “Highway Star”, “Hush” and-wait for it-“Smoke On The Water”. Inducting them? Lars Ulrich of Metallica. HERE ARE SOME OF HIS COMMENTS.
Steven Van Zandt then spoke of posthumous inductee, the songwriter Bert Burns. There was disappointment that none of his songs were performed.
Then it was Steve Miller inducted by Black Keys. After a moving and gracious acceptance speech, he ripped through a 3 song set of “Fly Like An Eagle”, “Jet Airliner” and “The Joker”, saying it was the latter that saved his career. Then he ripped into the Hall of Fame to backstage reporters over the way organizers treat the artists. MORE ON THAT HERE.
There was also a stripped down version of “New Kid In Town” by the Eagles from Sheryl Crow and Grace Potter in tribute to late Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey.
Rapper of the moment Kendrick Lamar inducted N.W.A., who let KISS bassist Gene Simmons have it over his recent comments that he was looking forward to “the death of rap”. MC Ren saying, ““I want to say to Mr. Gene Simmons, hip-hop is here forever — get used to it”.
Five of the seven original members of Chicago performed what is described as a stellar three song set comprised of “Saturday In The Park”, “Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?” and “25 or 6 to 4”. And while their invitation to original singer Peter Cetera to perform with the band for the first time in decades melted down into a display of pettiness on Cetera’s behalf and he was a no-show, THEY HAD A FUN ACCEPTANCE SPEECH.
Then!
The top of the bill was an Illinois sweep, with Cheap Trick in the headlining position. After being inducted by Kid Rock, the band launched into a set of their big three-“I Want You To Want Me”, “Dream Police” and “Surrender”. While the inductions devolved into a lot of sniping between current and former members of Deep Purple and Chicago leading up to the ceremony, not the case with Cheap Trick. While he hasn’t played with the band in six years and there’s been legal issues between he and the remaining members of Cheap Trick, it was Bun E. Carlos behind the kit for the band. And apparently not missing a beat. Rick Neilsen rightly stated the he “deserved to be there”. SOME OF WHAT KID ROCK HAD TO SAY IS HERE.
Monday on Mancow, we’ll get a sense of the evening when Cheap Trick bassist Tom Petersson checks in, and on Friday Mancow hears from Chicago’s Peter Lamm.
