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CLEVELAND — Dua Lipa and Cher opened the Rock & Roll Hall Fame induction ceremony on Saturday night singing “Believe” before giving way to a medley of rump shakers by funk masters Kool & the Gang, rock classics by Foreigner and a powerhouse performance by Dionne Warwick, bringing the house down at 83.
The inductees this year also include: Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Frampton, Foreigner, Dave Matthews Band, the late Jimmy Buffett, MC5, the late Alexis Korner, the late John Mayall, the late Norman Whitfield and the late Big Mama Thornton.
Zendaya inducted Cher. “Where do I even begin? Cher is not one person,” the actor said. “Her name is just as legendary as her legacy.” Zendaya noted that Cher, 78, is the only woman to have a No. 1 hit on a Billboard chart in each of the past seven decades. “Cher has got the goods,” Zendaya said before Cher performed a rocking version of “If I Could Turn Back Time.”
In her speech, Cher said she was inspired by Cinderella and thanked her mother for instilling in her to always get back up after defeat. “The one thing I got from my mom is to never give up,” she said. “I never give up. I’m talking to the women — down and out, we keep going.”
Chuck D inducted Kool & the Gang, saying “This is a long-due celebration.” The band had 12 Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 including the 1980 chart-topper “Celebration” as well as “Cherish,” “Get Down On It,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Ladies Night” and “Joanna.” They’ve been eligible for the hall since 1994.
The Roots helped the band do a medley of hits that got the crowd grooving — led by Robert “Kool” Bell — bass guitarist, co-founder and last original member — and longtime singer James “JT” Taylor. Confetti shot into the arena and Taylor asked the crowd to use their cellphone lights as he read off the names of 10 members who were critical to the band’s success.
Warwick arrived at the ceremony only a few days after attending a memorial to her longtime friend and collaborator, Cissy Houston, in Newark, New Jersey. Teyana Taylor called her “truly one of a kind” as well as telling off the teleprompter operator for not putting “Ms.” before her name. Jennifer Hudson sang “I’ll Never Love This Way Again” and was joined by Warwick, who also sang “Walk On By.”
She said this was the third time she was nominated. “I am so pleased to be here,” she said. “I’m just going to say this and get off the stage: Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
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Sammy Hagar introduced Foreigner, and thanked their fans for their tenacity to demand inclusion. The English-American rockers — with hits like “Cold as Ice,” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You” — topped the charts in the 1970s and ’80s but never made it into the Hall — much less a ballot — until last year, despite being eligible for more than 20 years.
Hagar noted that Foreigner currently tours without any original members. “That’s how good the songs are,” he said. “Who deserves this more than Foreigner?” Demi Lovato and Slash joined the touring Foreigner for “Feels Like the First Time” and Hagar then took lead for “Hot Blooded.” Kelly Clarkson thrilled with a powerful “I Want to Know What Love Is” but the arena erupted when original singer Lou Gramm joined her. Gramm thanked guitarist Mick Jones, sidelined in New York by Parkinson’s disease.
Saturday’s induction ceremony is being held at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, where the Hall has promised to return to every few years. It streams live on Disney+ and a special with performance highlights will air on ABC on Jan. 1.
The Hall says Dave Matthews Band, Blige and Frampton also will be performing live. When the names of the nominees were read before the telecast, it was Dave Matthews Band that got the biggest cheer in the auditorium.
Warwick, Cher — who, in addition to her hits, was a pioneer in the use of Auto-Tune — and Blige, with eight multi-platinum albums and nine Grammy Awards, will help boost the number of women in the Hall, which critics say is too low.
Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction. Nominees were voted on by more than 1,000 artists, historians and music industry professionals.
John Sykes, president of entertainment enterprises at iHeartMedia and the chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said Saturday that he and the Hall are trying to bring the inductions back to rock’s roots, not expand the category.
“What I’m trying to do is bring over the aperture back up to where it was in the late ’50s, where you had Brenda Lee and Hank Williams right next to Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, the Beatles. It was, at that time, this gumbo of artists. It kind of narrowed down over the years. All I can do is bring it back to its original roots.”
Other members of rock, pop and hip-hop royalty will be on hand to help usher the class in, including Busta Rhymes, Ella Mai, James Taylor, Jelly Roll, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Lucky Daye, Mac McAnally, Method Man, Roger Daltrey and The Roots.
Julia Roberts will help induct the Dave Matthews Band — she’s a self-avowed superfan and she appeared in the band’s video for the 2005 single, “Dreamgirl.” Busta Rhymes will be performing with A Tribe Called Quest.
While no country act is being inducted this year, country artists will be heard. Kenny Chesney and Mac McAnally teamed up to pay tribute to Buffett, while Urban will play in honour of Frampton.