Dolly Parton was officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday night in Los Angeles.”I’m suddenly a rock star!” Dolly Parton stated, “This is an extremely special night for me.
” I’m sure many of you were aware that when they announced my induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I didn’t believe I had done enough to merit it. And I didn’t realize it was about more than that at the time. But I’m incredibly honoured and proud to be here tonight.”
Pink praised Dolly Parton in her acceptance speech, and she later sang “Jolene” alongside Pink, Brandi Carlile, and other inductees Pat Benatar, Simon LeBon of Duran Duran, Rob Halford of Judas Priest, and Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart.
Parton also performed a new song, “Rockin’,” with her house band for the night, the Zac Brown Band. “I’m going to have to earn my way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” she declared, dressed in a black leather costume with red jewels and playing a blues-rock riff on a matching heavy-metal Superstrat. “And you thought I couldn’t do it.”
In addition to Dolly Parton, Eminem, Duran Duran, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics, and Carly Simon were among the 2022 entrants. Highlights from the ceremony, which took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, will appear on HBO on November 19 and will be available to watch on HBO Max.
Duran Duran Stumbles at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Lionel Richie took off. Pat Benatar yelled. Duran Duran faltered but remained elegant. Eminem was just Eminem.
The four performers celebrated very differently on Saturday night, but they are all now Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. Carly Simon, Eurythmics, Harry Belafonte, Judas Priest, and Dolly Parton are among those who enthusiastically accepted the prize after initially declining it.
Duran Duran entered the stage and began their 1981 breakthrough song “Girls on Film” as the first act inducted at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, following a stunning address from a shaved-headed Robert Downey Jr.
The raucous audience was there for it, but the music wasn’t. Except for singer Simon Le Bon, whose singing was a cappella, the band was nearly inaudible.
It was joyful, if unlucky, start to a mainly smooth and often victorious evening.
“The glorious spontaneous world of rock ‘n’ roll!” exclaimed Le Bon, 64, as the band halted for a retake.
They returned to full loudness, playing a set that featured “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “Ordinary World,” rapidly reverting to what Downey saw as their core quality: “CSF stands for cool, sophisticated fun.”
Hours later, Lionel Richie brought both chill and warmth to the room, opening his concert with a sparse rendition of his ballad “Hello” that seemed to make him nearly collapse from the weight of the situation.
“His songs are the soundtrack of my life, your life, everyone’s life,” Lenny Kravitz remarked during Richie’s induction.
Richie followed “Hello” with “Easy,” his 1977 smash with the Commodores. When Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl made a surprise appearance to play a guitar solo and swap vocals with Richie, the mood changed from slick to triumphant. This was followed by a singalong, jubilant rendition of 1983′s “All Night Long,” which elicited the most applause of the night.
During his victory speech, Richie slammed critics who accused him of moving too far from his Black origins.
“Rock and roll isn’t a hue,” he explained. “It’s just a sensation.” It’s a feeling. And if we let that attitude permeate the room, it will grow and grow and expand.”
The Eurythmics hit the stage next, performing a soulful, danceable rendition of “Missionary Man” from 1986.
“Well, I was born an original sinner. I was born from original sin,” singer Annie Lennox yelled four hours into the event, bringing the audience to its feet and clapping. It was followed by a spirited performance of their biggest song, “Sweet Dreams.”
Her musical partner, Dave Stewart, later described Lennox as “one of the finest performers, vocalists, and songwriters of all time.”
“Thank you, Dave, for this wonderful trip,” a sobbing Lennox replied.
Eminem was the outlier, as he has been throughout his career. He was the only hip-hop musician among the inductees, the only one whose heyday occurred after the 1980s, and he added an edge to the evening that was otherwise lacking outside of Judas Priest’s heavy metal stylings.
He also pushed the guest star game to new heights. He brought on Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler to sing the chorus of “Dream On” for 2003’s “Sing for the Moment,” which samples the Aerosmith classic, after opening briefly with 1999’s “My Name Is.” Then he brought Ed Sheeran to sing his verse from Eminem’s 2017 hit “River” as rain fell on the stage.
“I’m probably not supposed to be here tonight for a couple of reasons,” Eminem remarked as he accepted the award, wearing a black hoodie. “I know one. I’m a rapper, and here is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
He is only the 10th hip-hop musician in the Hall of Fame, with over 300 members.
He was inducted by Dr. Dre, his producer and mentor, whom he credits with saving his life.
The night, however, was defined by 1980s hitmakers.
In her induction speech, Sheryl Crow observed, “Pat always dug into the deepest part of herself and came roaring out of the speakers.”
Benatar, recognized alongside her longtime musical collaborator and husband Neil Giraldo, took the stage with him and immediately demonstrated her power.
“We are young!” exclaimed the 69-year-old as she soared through a rendition of 1983’s “Love is a Battlefield.”
Inductees who did not attend the ceremony included Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, who has been battling advanced prostate cancer for four years, the 95-year-old Belafonte, and Simon, who lost sisters Joanna Simon and Lucy Simon, both vocalists, to cancer on back-to-back days last month.
Carly Simon was nominated for the first time this year, more than 25 years after becoming eligible. Olivia Rodrigo, 60 years Simon’s junior and by far the night’s youngest performer, played “You’re So Vain,” Simon’s hallmark tune.
Janet Jackson emerged in a black costume with a large mound of hair atop her head, duplicating the cover of her breakout album “Control,” as she inducted writer-producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who worked on that and many other recordings with her.
When the candidates were released in May, Parton “respectfully” rejected them, stating that it didn’t seem appropriate for her to take a slot as a true country artist. She was persuaded otherwise and ended up being the headliner on Saturday night.
“I’m a rock star now!” she said as she took her award. “This is going to be a very, very, very special night.”
Parton stated that she would have to earn her seat retrospectively.
She vanished and reappeared moments later, dressed in black leather, holding an electric guitar and performing a song she had made just for the occasion.
“I’ve been rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rockin’ rock
On her country hit “Jolene,” she capped the night by leading an all-star jam with her fellow inductees. Le Bon, Benatar, and even Judas Priest’s Rob Halford all sang a stanza.
“This is a star-studded stage,” Parton stated. “In the city, I feel like a hillbilly.”
Source: Rolling Stone, AP, VOR News
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