Hundreds of music legends and legends-to-be gathered Saturday night at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Los Angeles, and it was an evening of once in a lifetime collaborations, laughter, tears and most of all, music. While literally hundreds of stars showed for the occasion, the list of notable absences was long as well. Inductees Joe Cocker, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, Warren Zevon and Nicky Hopkins have all passed on, as have Boz Burrell and Mick Ralphs of Bad Company. Bass-playing legend Carol Kaye opted out, as did Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers for health reasons, though he did appear in a pre-recorded segment. Meg White, the reclusive half of White Stripes, also did not show.
The show kicked off with an all-star tribute to late funk innovator Sly Stone, who passed earlier this year. Other performances over the course of the 4+ hour ceremony included:
- Chris Robinson, Joe Perry, Nancy Wilson and Bryan Adams performing alongside Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke on two of the band’s songs.
- Inductees Salt-n-Pepa had the crowd on their feet with a medley of their hits that included a reunion with En Vogue for “Whatta Man.”
- Big Boi of Outkast performed several of the duo’s hits with a list of guest stars including JID, Janelle Monáe, Doja Cat, Killer Mike and Sleepy Brown. Andre 3000, who was present and did give an acceptance speech, sat the musical performance out.
- Cyndi Lauper performed a medley of her hits, including duets with Avril Lavigne, Raye and Salt-N-Pepa.
- Surviving Soundgarden members performed with Taylor Momsen and Brandi Carlile. Chris Cornell’s daughter, Toni, also performed with Nancy Wilson.
- The White Stripes were honored by tribute performances by Olivia Rodrigo, Feist and Twenty One Pilots.
- Warren Zevon was honored with a performance of “Lawyers, Guns and Money” by the Killers.
- A medley covering the career of Joe Cocker was performed by Teddy Swims, Tedeschi Trucks Band, along with Bryan Adams, Cyndi Lauper, Chris Robinson and Nathaniel Rateliff who took the stage for a rendition of “With A Little Help from My Friends.”
