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After something of a virtual and music-less flop in 2020, the 36th Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony 2021 came back rocking harder than ever, in a star-studded spectacular evening filled with outstanding performances and appearances.
Inducting 13 acts to the hall of fame, the show was held at Cleveland, Ohio’s Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse and was filled to capacity with numerous A-listers who featured as guest acts including Jennifer Lopez, Dave Chappelle and Eminem.
Undoubtedly the highlights of this event were the unbelievable performances throughout the night. Taylor Swift paid tribute to a visibly emotional Carole King who seemed happy with the musical interpretation of her much-loved song Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.
After covering her rendition of King’s classic hit, Swift spoke to the crowd, saying:
“I cannot remember a time when I didn’t know Carole King’s music. I was raised by two of her biggest fans, who taught me the basic truths of life as they saw it: That you should treat people the way you want to be treated, that you must believe that you can achieve whatever you want to in life, and that Carole King is the greatest songwriter of all time.”
King also performed herself at the ceremony, opting for reliable crowd favourite You’ve Got a Friend, and notably paid tribute to the late, great Aretha Franklin in her acceptance speech, which perfectly preceded Jennifer Hudson’s awesome cover of Natural Woman.
Other performances across the evening included Christina Aguilera who paid tribute to Tina Turner, and performer inductees The Go-Go’s. Most notably however, was LL Cool J who has waited to be inducted with much public comment over the years. In his acceptance speech, he spoke about his gratitude and resilient attitude in the face of naysayers:
“A lot people, when I told them when I told them I got inducted, they’d say to me, ‘Isn’t it is about time?’ What people don’t realise is, I wasn’t thinking about the people who voted against me. I was thinking about the people who voted for me. It was love. Like what I was feeling was, ‘Wow, here’s some people over there who won’t take no for an answer.’ They like, ‘Yo this guy got to be in here and we’re going to keep fighting for you till we get him in here.’ So I thank you.”
Showing absolutely no signs of taking a vacation anytime soon, Sir Paul McCartney inducted the Foo Fighters and joined them for a rocking version of Get Back. Macca appeared to be full of love and having a great time at the event, and praised all the performers of the evening, saying:
“Rock and roll is a magical thing that contains so many elements. I mean, it’s just unbelievable. I feel super privileged to be here.”
Perhaps the most interesting appearance of the night was that of former President Barack Obama and Dave Chappelle inducting JAY-Z into the class of 2021. President Obama prefaced the accolade saying:
“I’ve turned to Jay-Z’s words at different points in my life, whether I was brushing dirt off my shoulder on the campaign trail, or sampling his lyrics on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the 50th anniversary of the Selma march to Montgomery. Today, JAY-Z is one of the most renowned artists in history and an embodiment of the American dream, a dream he has helped make real for other young people like him.”
Ballots were sent to an international voting body of more than 1,200 artists, including current living Inductees, historians and members of the music industry. Factors such as an artist’s musical influence on other artists, length and depth of career and the body of work, innovation and superiority in style and technique are taken into consideration.
In order to be eligible, a nominee’s first recording must have been released at least 25 years ago.
Performer Category:
Tina Turner
Carole King
The Go-Go’s
JAY-Z
Foo Fighters
Todd Rundgren
Early Influence Award:
Kraftwerk
Charley Patton
Gil Scott-Heron
Musical Excellence Award:
LL Cool J
Billy Preston
Randy Rhoads
Ahmet Ertegun Award:
Clarence Avant
After a night like this, we can’t imagine how the show for 2022 might feel following such an outstanding year.
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Michelle is a musician and composer from the UK. She has performed across the UK and Europe and is passionate about arts education and opportunities for women and girls.
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