The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony came back to Cleveland on Saturday night with much fanfare and excitement. “You can feel the energy in the crowd, the energy outside, because this is where it all began”, Rock Hall Chairman John Sykes stated at the opening of the pre-show press conference.
This year marked the return of the induction to Cleveland after three years away, and the Rock Hall rolled out the red carpet for stars such as Billy Idol, Dua Lipa, Jelly Roll and many, many more as music’s A- listers descended upon the city.
The 2024 induction class was a musically diverse one, including icons such as Cher, Kool & The Gang, Foreigner, A Tribe Called Quest, Ozzy Osbourne, Dionne Warwick, Peter Frampton, Mary J Blige and many others as the Rock Hall continues its commitment to take the definition of Rock and Roll Back to its roots.
“Rock and Roll was founded with rhythm and blues, country and gospel. Rock is an amazingly important part of that, but so is the Roll,” Sykes said.
The ceremony opened with Dua Lipa performing a rendition of “If I Could Turn Back Time” in tribute to Cher, with the inductee herself wowing the crowd by joining the performance midway through.
When asked about her previous remarks about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the ever unfiltered Cher exclaimed, “I said that I didn’t give a flying fuck about getting in! I had a love-hate relationship with it [the Rock Hall] because it’s like, what do I have to do to get in this place?” Yet, Cher stated that over time she had a change of heart, and was shocked and happy to be nominated and inducted.
Other standout performances of the night included tributes to Peter Frampton with support from Keith Urban, Kool & the Gang featuring The Roots, Dionne Warwick featuring Jennifer Hudson and A Tribe Called Quest’s tribute with a star studded hip hop line up including Queen Latifah and Busta Rhymes.
Dave Chapelle had the honor of inducting A Tribe called Quest, where he said that the group fused “jazz and soul in a way that hip hop had never seen.”
The over 5 hour live show, which was also broadcast on Disney+, ended with tributes and inductions for Ozzy Osbourne and Dave Matthews.
This year’s ceremony was held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and the Rock Hall has made a commitment to bring it back to the city every few years.
At the pre-show press conference, Greg Harris, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO stated, “The intent is to keep cycling the inductions to Cleveland, Ohio on a very regular basis and we’re really pleased to be hosting it.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2024 is streaming now on Disney+ and will be aired as a special event on ABC January 1st, 2025.
Check out all our photos below
