In a more fantastical universe than our own, the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at L.A.’s Peacock Theater would have featured Jack White and Meg White coming together as the White Stripes for the first time in 16 years, OutKast‘s first performance since their 2014 reunion tour, and Paul Rodgers fronting Bad Company one last time. In our actual universe, Meg was a no-show, OutKast delivered a speech but not a performance, and drummer Simon Kirke was forced to fly the Bad Company banner on his own.
Fortunately, these barely felt like disappointments – as historic as they would have been – because the Hall of Fame once again delivered a spectacular show by bringing in heavyweights like Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Doja Cat, Missy Elliott, the Killers, Stevie Wonder, Flea, Donald Glover, David Letterman, Jennifer Hudson, Elton John, and Janelle Monae to speak and perform alongside inductees Salt-N-Pepa, Jack White, OutKast, Soundgarden, and Cyndi Lauper.
And it was Lauper who captured the emotional sentiment of the evening near the end of the show. “I know I stand on the shoulders of the women in the industry who came before me,” she said. “My shoulders are board enough to have the women that come after me stand on mine. And the little kid in me still believes that rock & roll can save the world. Rock & roll is a big, wonderful quilt of a lot of different styles of music, thank goodness.”
Several hours earlier, Stevie Wonder kicked off the night by honoring Sly Stone by with a high-energy medley of “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People,” Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” and “Higher,” where he was joined by Flea, Beck, Maxwell, Questlove, and Jennifer Hudson. The Hall of Fame clearly meant something to Stone since he made an extraordinarily rare public appearance at the 1993 ceremony when Sly and the Family Stone were inducted, and it felt right to begin the show by honoring his genius even though we lost an astounding number of icons this year.
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Bad Company emerged onto the scene in 1973, just as Sly and the Family Stone were melting down after one of the greatest five-year runs in music history. It’s been a difficult year for Bad Company because guitarist Mick Ralphs died in March following a debilitating stroke several years ago, and frontman Paul Rodgers is still recovering from several strokes of his own. (Bassist Boz Burrell died in 2006.) Rodgers was initially optimistic he’d show up and perform a few songs, but he backed out last week because it was simply too stressful for him.
Kirke was on hand to accept the award on behalf of the band from Mick Fleetwood. “They say it’s better to travel than arrive,” he said. “But I don’t know. Tonight I’ve arrived with the band, and I’m so grateful…I want to acknowledge one of the great rock singers of all time, my friend, Mr. Paul Rodgers.”
Rodgers delivered a brief, pre-taped speech of his own. “Be at peace with God,” he said. “Whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul. It is still a beautiful world. My prayer for us is that we all choose love.”
Prior to the speeches, Kirke sat behind the drum kit in his tuxedo and banged out “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “Can’t Get Enough” with Chris Robinson, Bryan Adams, Joe Perry, and Nancy Wilson.
The show jumped from the Seventies to the Nineties when 2023 inductee Missy Elliott came out to welcome Salt-N-Pepa as the first female hip-hop act in the Hall of Fame. “This is historical,” she said. “I watched these three ladies from high school. The reason you even know Missy Elliott’s name is because of Salt, Pepa, and Spinderella. They inspired me to become an M.C…They came out the gate unapologetic, unforgettable, timeless. They were trailblazers and unstoppable. They stepped outside of the box and they broke all the molds. They made women like me feel heard and empowered.”
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Salt and Pepa have only recently made peace with Spinderella after a protracted legal spat, and an unfortunate war of words in the press. But they walked up to the podium as a unified force to accept the overdue honor. “This moment right here is bigger than us,” said Cheryl “Salt” James. “This is for every woman who picked up a mic when they told her she couldn’t, for every sister who had to fight twice as hard to be heard, for every artist who ever had to learn that ownership is the real freedom.”
Sandra “Pepa” Denton thanked her mother, who died just a couple of weeks ago. “She was my strength,” she said. “She was my guidance. She taught me to love, to persevere. I want to thank you mom, for everything.”
Spinderella, meanwhile, noted that she was the first female DJ to join the Hall. “When I started, it was a rare thing to see a woman behind turntables,” she said. “It was literally the boy’s club. I had to carve my own lane. I had to show up. It was dedication. It was a craft. And I never missed a beat.”
They went all the way back to 1985’s “My Mic Sounds Nice” at the top of their hits medley before bringing out a crew of background dancers for “Shoop” and “Let’s Talk About Sex.” En Vogue joined them for “Whatta Man,” and Kid ‘n Play made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo during the grand finale of “Push It.” The entire performance was simply a triumph, and proof that they should have been inducted long ago.
Warren Zevon is also entering the institution at an absurdly late date. David Letterman delivered a heartfelt speech in his honor that touched upon Zevon’s famous 2002 Late Show appearance, just one year before he died from cancer. “That was the last time I saw Warren,” Letterman said. “It was very difficult for me because I’d never talked to someone who pretty much understood that in a short period of time they’d be leaving the planet…After the show, Warren picked up a guitar he’d used every time he did the show and handed it to me and said, ‘Take care of this for me.’”
Letterman held onto the guitar all these years, and he handed it to Killers guitarist Dave Keuning. His band was already onstage to play a joyous rendition of “Lawyers, Guns, and Money” with guitarist Waddy Wachtel, a longtime Zevon collaborator. (This was a rare appearance by all four original members of the Killers since bassist Mark Stoermer was there as well.)
As soon as word hit that the White Stripes were entering the Hall of Fame earlier this year, fans began speculating about Meg White’s possible participation. Unsurprisingly, she didn’t show. Somewhat surprisingly, Jack White revealed that he spoke to her just days before accepting the award from fellow Detroit icon Iggy Pop, who referred to them as “a 21st century Adam and Eve, who had started a rock & roll band.”
“I spoke with Meg White the other day,” White said. “She said she’s very sorry she couldn’t make it tonight, but she’s very grateful for the folks who have supported her throughout all the years, it really means a lot to her tonight…To young artists, I want to say, get your hands dirty and drop the screens and get out in your garage or your little room and get obsessed. Get obsessed with something, get passionate. We all want to share in what you might create.”
Jack White regularly plays White Stripes songs at his solo shows, but it would have been slightly odd for him to represent the band live at this event without Meg. He remained in the audience as Olivia Rodrigo and Feist locked voices on a tender version of “We’re Going to Be Friends” before Twenty One Pilots tore through an inevitable “Seven Nation Army.” (For those of you who continue to pine for a White Stripes reunion, it’s probably best to give it up. If it didn’t happen here, it ain’t happening anywhere.)
An OutKast reunion seemed significantly more probable because Big Boi and Andre 3000 remain close friends, they went on an extensive reunion tour in 2014, and both are active in music today, even if Andre’s recent flute music is a far cry from the days of Aquemini. The duo sat together in front of the hall as Donald Glover delivered their induction speech.
“Thank you for showing me that brothers may not always see eye to eye and their philosophies or styles, but they need each other in a world that would rather see them both fail together,” Glover said. “Atlanta is not the music Mecca it has become without you. There is no Childish Gambino without you. There is no South without you.”
After winning a game of rock/paper/scissors, Big Boi spoke first, and called the extended OutKast family to the stage as he read off a long list of people to thank. Andre 3000 had no formal remarks prepared and gave a long, impromptu address that grew quite emotional near the end when he brought up Jack White’s speech. “Man, he’s one of my favorites,” he said as his voice began to crack with genuine tears. “He said something about little rooms, and we started…Great things start in little rooms.”
And a great OutKast tribute started in this big room, though Andre 3000 opted to go the Steve Perry route by watching it from the wings as opposed to joining in. It featured “ATLiens” with Big Boi and J.I.D., “Ms. Jackson” with Doja Cat – who seemed to forget the words or simply got lost at one point – an explosive “B.O.B.” with Tyler, the Creator, a wild “Hey Ya!” where Janelle Monáe shook like a Polaroid in the audience and writhed around on the floor, Big Boi and Sleepy Brown teaming up on “The Way You Move,” and Killer Mike closing things out by bringing everyone back for a joyous “The Whole World.” Would this have been better if it was simply Big Boi and Andre 3000 without any special guests? Yes. But with Andre simply unwilling to do that, it was the next best thing.
There was sadly no chance for Soundgarden to stage a complete reunion, but drummer Matt Cameron, guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassists Ben Shepherd and Hiro Yamamoto were all on hand to honor the late Chris Cornell. Before they came out, Jim Carrey delivered their induction speech. “When the Seattle music scene exploded, it resurrected rock & roll for me,” he said. “When I heard Soundgarden for the first time, I wasn’t just excited. I wanted to put a flannel shirt on and run into the streets screaming, ‘My mother smoked during pregnancy!’”
Fronting Soundgarden in the place of Cornell is an extremely difficult task, but Taylor Momsen hit all the right notes on “Rusty Cage” before bringing out Brandi Carlile for a glorious rendition of “Black Hole Sun.” They were joined by Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, creating a one-night-only grunge mega supergroup. (Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic watched from the audience. They already had two bass players. A third one would have brought them into “Big Bottom” territory, and possibly opened up a time portal back to 1992.)
Cornell’s older daughter Lily spoke after Carrey’s speech. “I am just really, really happy that he got to make music with his friends,” she said of her dad. “At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. I know how much purpose that gave him, and how much it’s meant to people who have heard that music. That’s what I’ll be holding in my heart tonight.”
And his younger daughter Toni sang “Fell on Black Days” with Nancy Wilson on guitar. “It’s so surreal, and I’m so honored that I get to be here to do this for my dad,” she said backstage. “I just wish he were here to see this tremendous honor for himself.”
The members of Soundgarden also reflected on Chris during their speeches. “Chris Cornell, we are so missing you tonight on this stage,” said Yamamoto. “We all love you. All love to you. We would not be here without you. Somewhere up there Chris, we’re talking to you, baby.”
The bassist, who left the band in 1989 and now works as a chemist, also made one of the only overly political statements of the night. “Thanks to my parents, whose story as American citizens who were rounded up and placed in prison camps just for being Japanese during World War II, that effected my life greatly, and it really echoes strongly today. Let’s not add another story like this to our history.”
The Soundgarden segment was followed by the “In Memoriam” montage and a heartfelt take on “God Only Knows” with Elton John on lead vocals backed by drummer Kenny Aronoff, keyboardist Benmont Tench, and bassist Don Was. (Ozzy Osbourne was only given a brief moment at the top of the “In Memoriam,” but he was present last year for his induction as a solo artist.)
Chappell Roan came dressed in a vintage Cyndi Lauper-style outfit, complete with a silver headpiece, but she failed to bring her contacts, and struggled to read Lauper’s induction speech from the teleprompter without squinting heavily. “Tonight,” she said, “we honor a woman who redefined what a pop star could look like, sound like, and be.”
Lauper assembled an all-female band featuring Go-Go’s drummer Gina Schock, and former Smashing Pumpkins bassist Ginger Pooley to back her on “True Colors,” “Time After Time” with guest singer Raye, and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” with Avril Lavigne, Raye, and Salt-N-Pepa.
“See what happens when you let the riff-raff in,” Lauper said during her speech. “I just want to say thank you to all the love that I’ve gotten over my whole career. And Chappell, I was back there crying, and you can’t lose an eyelash in rock & roll.”
Earlier in the evening, Lenny Waronker, Carol Kaye, Thom Bell, and Nicky Hopkins were inducted via quick video montages. Chubby Checker booked a gig on the same night as the ceremony after trying to get inducted for decades, but he gave a quick speech via satellite and sang a portion of “The Twist.”
As the clock hit midnight on the East Coast, Bryan Adams walked out to induct Joe Cocker. “It’s one thing to cover a song, it’s another to make it your own,” he said. “That’s what Joe could do. Even Paul McCartney acknowledged how Joe had transformed his Beatles classic [‘With a Little Help From My Friends’] into a soul anthem. The list of songs that Joe did that do is mighty. There’s not a person in this room who wasn’t moved by his version of ‘You Are So Beautiful.’”
The Tedeschi Trucks Band closed out the evening by resurrecting the Mad Dogs and Englishman renditions of “The Letter” and “Feelin’ Alright” with help from Nathaniel Rateliff and Teddy Swims. They then invited Cyndi Lauper, Bryan Adams, Chris Robinson, and Brandi Carlile back out for a euphoric “With a Little Help From My Friends.” Intentionally or not, it brought the ceremony full circle since it started with another set of Woodstock songs by Sly and the Family Stone.
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The Woodstock era is now nearly six decades behind us. And the Hall of Fame is now starting to take in acts like the White Stripes who broke after the turn of the millennium. In the coming years, they might be followed by the Strokes, the Killers, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. And as crazy as it sounds, Taylor Swift is eligible in just a few short years.
Meanwhile, Joy Division/New Order, the Smiths, Devo, Sonic Youth, the New York Dolls, the Monkees, King Crimson, the Replacements, the Pixies, Weezer, Alice in Chains, and Smashing Pumpkins all await their turns. It’s too late for the Dolls, but let’s hope the others make it while at least one member is still around. These tributes are great fun, but it’s more fun to watch survivors like Salt-N-Pepa, Cyndi Lauper, and Jack White take the stage and revel in the moment.
