Tom Morello’s speech (the best speech of the night) inducted Kiss, who did not play, but who cares? Sitting as far away from each other as they were on the arena floor littered with banquet tables, it’s obvious the original face-painted foursome were barely tolerating each other long enough to accept their statuettes and make their acceptance speeches.
Peter Gabriel opened the show with “Digging in the Dirt†and after Peter Asher inducted managers Brian Epstein and Andrew Loog Oldman-he was inducted by Chris Martin (managing the most stuttering speech of the night)…though across the arena floor we could all see a scrolling video teleprompter.
Yusuf Islam (the-artist-formally-known-as-Cat Stevens) managed a great acceptance speech and an even greater 3-song set of “Father and Son,†“ Wild World,†and “Peace Train†with his performance being the best of the night.
Bruce Springsteen hilariously inducted his E Street Band members past, present, and dead and they played their own 3-song set: “The E Street Shuffle, “The River,†and “Kitty’s Back.†By the time all the E-streets speeches were done though the crowd was pretty much exhausted over The Boss and his New Jersey Mafia.
Seeing as Linda Ronstadt couldn’t attend the festivities (she has Parkinson’s and is too sick to travel) after a Glen Fry introduction, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Stevie Nicks, Carrie Underwood and an ass-kicking Sheryl Crow (who stole the 3-song Ronstadt tribute) wowed the crowd.
Hall & Oats were up next and they beat Springsteen and the boys (and lady) as best band of the night, their longtime keys/reed man Charles DeChant making their set especially killer.
Michael Stipe inducted Nirvana and luckily Dave Grohl managed a fun and poignant speech in the face of all the self-congratulatory mumbo jumbo. Kim Gordon and Lorde showed up to front the band’s sloppy 4 songs, but it was Joan Jett leading them off on “Smells Like Teen Spirit†that was truly incendiary.
This is what went down for the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Induction ceremony at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center last Thursday night.
