\n<\/p>\n
\n\tIn a more fantastical universe than our own, the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at L.A.\u2019s Peacock Theater would have featured Jack White and Meg White coming together as the White Stripes<\/a> for the first time in 16 years, OutKast<\/a>\u2018s first performance since their 2014 reunion tour, and Paul Rodgers fronting Bad Company<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n \n\tFortunately, these barely felt like disappointments \u2013 as historic as they would have been \u2013 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<\/a>, Jack White, OutKast, Soundgarden<\/a>, and Cyndi Lauper<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tAnd it was Lauper who captured the emotional sentiment of the evening near the end of the show. \u201cI know I stand on the shoulders of the women in the industry who came before me,\u201d she said. \u201cMy 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 and roll can save the world. Rock and roll is a big, wonderful quilt of a lot of different styles of music, thank goodness.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSeveral hours earlier, Stevie Wonder kicked off the night by honoring Sly Stone by with a high-energy medley of \u201cDance to the Music,\u201d \u201cEveryday People,\u201d Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),\u201d and \u201cHigher,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n \n\tBad 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\u2019s been a difficult year for Bad Company because guitarist Mick Ralphs died in March<\/a> following a debilitating stroke several years ago, and frontman Paul Rodgers is still recovering several from several strokes of his own. (Bassist Boz Burrell died in 2006.) Rodgers was initially optimistic he\u2019d show up and perform a few songs, but he backed out last week because it was simply too stressful for him.<\/p>\n \n\tDrummer Simon Kirke was on hand to accept the award on behalf of the band from Mick Fleetwood. \u201cThey say it\u2019s better to travel than arrive,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I don\u2019t know. Tonight I\u2019ve arrived with the band, and I\u2019m so grateful\u2026I want to acknowledge one of the great rock singers of all time, my friend, Mr. Paul Rodgers.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRodgers delivered a brief, pre-taped speech of his own. \u201cBe at peace with God,\u201d he said. \u201cWhatever 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tPrior to the speeches, Kirke sat behind the drum kit in his tuxedo and banged out \u201cFeel Like Makin\u2019 Love\u201d and \u201cCan\u2019t Get Enough\u201d with Chris Robinson, Bryan Adams, Joe Perry, and Nancy Wilson.<\/p>\n \n\tThe 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.<\/a> \u201cThis is historical,\u201d she said. \u201cI watched these three ladies from high school. The reason you even know Missy Elliott\u2019s name is because of Salt, Pepa, and Spinderella. They inspired me to become an M.C\u2026They 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n \n\tSalt 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. \u201cThis moment right here is bigger than us,\u201d said Cheryl \u201cSalt\u201d James. \u201cThis is for every woman who picked up a mic when they told her she couldn\u2019t, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSandra \u201cPepa\u201d Denton thanked her mother, who died just a couple of weeks ago. \u201cShe was my strength,\u201d she said. \u201cShe was my guidance. She taught me to love, to persevere. I want to thank you mom, for everything.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSpinderella, meanwhile, noted that she was the first female DJ to join the Hall. \u201cWhen I started, it was a rare thing to see a woman behind turntables,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was literally the boy\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThey went all the way back to 1985\u2019s \u201cMy Mic Sounds Nice\u201d at the top of their hits medley before bringing out a crew of background dancers for \u201cShoop\u201d and \u201cLet\u2019s Talk About Sex.\u201d En Vogue joined them for \u201cWhatta Man,\u201d and Kid \u2018n Play made a blink-and-you\u2019ll-miss-it cameo during the grand finale of \u201cPush It.\u201d The entire performance was simply a triumph, and proof that they should have been inducted long ago.<\/p>\n \n\tWarren Zevon<\/a> is also entering the institution at an absurdly late date. David Letterman delivered a heartfelt speech in his honor that touched upon Zevon\u2019s famous 2002 Late Show<\/em> appearance,<\/a> just one year before he died from cancer. \u201cThat was the last time I saw Warren,\u201d Letterman said. \u201cIt was very difficult for me because I\u2019d never talked to someone who pretty much understood that in a short period of time they\u2019d be leaving the planet\u2026After the show, Warren picked up a guitar he\u2019d used every time he did the show and handed it to me and said, \u2018Take care of this for me.’\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tLetterman 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 \u201cLawyers, Guns, and Money\u201d 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.)<\/p>\n \n\tAs soon as word hit that the White Stripes were entering the Hall of Fame earlier this year, fans began speculating about Meg White\u2019s possible participation.<\/a> Unsurprisingly, she didn\u2019t show. Somewhat surprisingly, Jack White revealed that he spoke to her<\/a> just days before accepting the award from fellow Detroit icon Iggy Pop, who referred to them as \u201ca 21st century Adam and Eve, who had started a rock & roll band.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI spoke with Meg White the other day,\u201d White said. \u201cShe said she\u2019s very sorry she couldn\u2019t make it tonight, but she\u2019s very grateful for the folks who have supported her throughout all the years, it really means a lot to her tonight\u2026To 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tJack 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 Rodirgo and Feist locked voices on a tender version of \u201cWe\u2019re Going to Be Friends\u201d before Twenty One Pilots tore through an inevitable \u201cSeven Nation Army.\u201d (For those of you who continue to pine for a White Stripes reunion, it\u2019s probably best to give it up. If it didn\u2019t happen here, it ain\u2019t happening anywhere.)<\/p>\n \n\tAn OutKast reunion seemed significantly more probable because Big Boi<\/a> and Andre 3000<\/a> remain close friends, they went on an extensive reunion tour in 2014, and both are active in music today, even if Andre\u2019s recent flute music is a far cry from the days of Aquemini<\/em>. The duo sat together in front of the hall as Donald Glover delivered their induction speech.<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThank 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,\u201d Glover said. \u201cAtlanta is not the music Mecca it has become without you. There is no Childish Gambino without you. There is no South without you.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAfter 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\u2019s speech. \u201cMan, he\u2019s one of my favorites,\u201d he said as his voice began to crack with genuine tears. \u201cHe said something about little rooms, and we started\u2026Great things start in little rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAnd a great OutKast tribute<\/a> 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 \u201cATLiens\u201d with Big Boi and J.I.D., \u201cMs. Jackson\u201d with Doja Cat \u2013 who seemed to forget the words or simply got lost at one point \u2013 an explosive \u201cB.O.B.\u201d with Tyler the Creator, a wild \u201cHey Ya!\u201d where Janelle Mon\u00e1e shook like a Polaroid in the audience and writhed around on the flood, Big Boi and Sleepy Brown teaming up on \u201cThe Way You Move,\u201d and Killer Mike closing things out by bringing everyone back for a joyous \u201cThe Whole World.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n \n\tThere 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<\/a> to honor the late Chris Cornell. Before they came out, Jim Carrey delivered their induction speech. \u201cWhen the Seattle music scene exploded, it resurrected rock & roll for me,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I heard Soundgarden for the first time, I wasn\u2019t just excited. I wanted to put a flannel shirt on and run into the streets screaming, \u2018My mother smoked during pregnancy!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFronting Soungarden in the place of Cornell is an extremely difficult task, but Taylor Momsen hit all the right notes on \u201cRusty Cage\u201d before bringing out Brandi Carlile for a glorious rendition of \u201cBlack Hole Sun.\u201d They were joined by Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, creating a one-night-only grunge mega supergroup<\/a>. (Nirvana\u2019s Krist Novoselic watched from the audience. They already had two bass players. A third one would have brought them into \u201cBig Bottom\u201d territory, and possibly opened up a time portal back to 1992.)<\/p>\n \n\tCornell\u2019s older daughter Lily spoke after Carrey\u2019s speech. \u201cI am just really, really happy that he got to make music with his friends,\u201d she said of her dad. \u201cAt the end of the day, that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about. I know how much purpose that gave him, and how much it\u2019s meant to people who have heard that music. That\u2019s what I\u2019ll be holding in my heart tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAnd his younger daughter Toni sang \u201cFell on Black Days\u201d with Nancy Wilson on guitar. \u201cIt\u2019s so surreal, and I\u2019m so honored that I get to be here to do this for my dad,\u201d she said backstage. \u201cI just wish he were here to see this tremendous honor for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe members of Soundgarden also reflected on Chris during their speeches. \u201cChris Cornell, we are so missing you tonight on this stage,\u201d said Yamamoto. \u201cWe all love you. All love to you. We would not be here without you. Somewhere up there Chris, we\u2019re talking to you, baby.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe bassist, who left the band in 1989 and now works as a chemist, also made one of only overly political statements of the night. \u201cThanks 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\u2019s not add another story like this to our history.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe Soundgarden segment was followed by the In-memoriam montage and a heartfelt take on \u201cGod Only Knows\u201d with Elton John<\/a> 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.)<\/p>\n \n\tChappell Roan came dressed in a vintage Cyndi Lauper-style outfit,<\/a> complete with a silver headpiece, but she failed to bring her contacts, and struggled to read Lauper\u2019s induction speech from the teleprompter without squinting heavily. \u201cTonight,\u201d she said, \u201cwe honor a woman who redefined what a pop star could look like, sound like, and be.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tLauper assembled an all-female band featuring Go-Go\u2019s drummer Gina Schock, and former Smashing Pumpkins bassist Ginger Pooley to back her on \u201cTrue Colors,\u201d \u201cTime After Time\u201d with guest singer Raye, and \u201cGirls Just Want to Have Fun\u201d with Avril Lavigne, Raye, and Salt-N-Pepa.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSee what happens when you let the riff-raff in,\u201d Lauper said during her speech. \u201cI just want to say thank you to all the love that I\u2019ve gotten over my whole career. And Chappell, I was back there crying, and you can\u2019t lose an eyelash in rock and roll.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tEarlier in the evening, Lenny Waronker, Carol Kaye, Thom Bell, and Nicky Hopkins were inducted via quick video montages. Chubby Checker<\/a> 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 \u201cThe Twist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
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