Rock Hall 2024 induction performance reviews: Cher, Dave Matthews Band
From the ageless Cher steamrolling through “If I Could Turn Back Time” to the gleeful Dave Matthews Band skittering through “So Much to Say,” the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony mingled face-melting rock with flowing R&B, percolating hip-hop with strummy pop jams.
The longwinded, nearly 5 1/2-hour show, which aired live on Disney+ Oct. 19 from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, honored a genre-stretching class: Cher, Kool & The Gang, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, A Tribe Called Quest, Mary J. Blige, Ozzy Osbourne and Dave Matthews Band.
Awards for musical excellence were also bestowed to Dionne Warwick, MC5, Norman Whitfield and, posthumously, Jimmy Buffett, while the musical influence award went to a trio of blues heroes, Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton.
A three-hour broadcast special airs on ABC Jan. 1 with a replay on Hulu and Disney+ starting Jan. 2.
Here is a roundup of the performances – including a tribute to Buffett from James Taylor and Kenny Chesney, a surprise from Foreigner and a searing homage to a clearly delighted Osbourne – from this year’s Rock Hall induction ceremony.
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Cher: ‘Believe,’ ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’
Of all the megawattage in this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction class, none could out-wattage Cher.
But before the hair-tossing legend arrived, one of her many pupils, the lissome Dua Lipa, worked from Cher’s blueprint of commanding and sexy.
In a thigh-and-butt-baring outfit, her hair blackened to match her ensemble, Lipa pumped though “Believe,” Cher’s vocoder-tinged comeback from the dustbin in 1998, proving, for the 12 millionth time, that one should never, ever, for any reason, diminish the power of Cher.
That unrivaled magnetism was instantly apparent the second Cher, 78, appeared during the bridge of the song, her husky timbre overtaking a reverent Lipa, with whom she matched in her own black peekaboo outfit.
After accepting her award with a typically unfiltered speech – “It was easier getting divorced from two men than getting into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” she quipped – Cher headed back to the performance stage. The Roots backed her and audience member Jelly Roll smiled uncontrollably as Cher strutted and stalked the stage with her enduring anthem, “If I Could Turn Back Time,” complete with a fiery solo from guitarist Joel Hoekstra.
“The one thing I have never done, I never give up,” Cher said during her speech. “I’m talking to the women. We’ve been down and out and we keep striving and we keep going. We are somebody. We are special.”
No argument here.
Kool & The Gang: Medley
It took 30 years from their point of eligibility for the brilliant soul-pop of Kool & The Gang to be recognized. A few notes of the bass line of “Hollywood Swinging” from Robert “Kool” Bell and the brass bleats that power the 1974 song immediately reminded of the potency of the group’s songs aside from the wedding reception tripe “Celebration.”
James “J.T.” Taylor, the voice who joined in 1979 and coated “Get Down on It” and “Ladies Night” with his smooth pipes, joined Bell (with The Roots helping to lay down the groove) for a medley. Even Dave Matthews was dancing in the crowd as a giant disco ball spun on the video screen behind the band during “Ladies Night” before the stage bled red for the thick funk of “Jungle Boogie.”
Of course “Celebration” ended the performance, an obvious closer we’ll allow simply because it fit the occasion and gave the confetti cannon operator something to do early in the show.
Dionne Warwick: ‘I Know I’ll Never Love This Way Again,’ ‘Walk on By’
Clad in a black sequined pantsuit in honor of Warwick’s chic 1970s style, the power-lunged Jennifer Hudson injected the 1979 soul anthem (produced by Barry Manilow) with her usual intensity. But after the first verse, she stepped aside to salute Warwick, who entered from the back of the stage wearing her own sequined pantsuit and a gleaming smile.
Warwick and Hudson weren’t always in key as they launched into massive notes. But Warwick offered a masterclass in phrasing, particularly during her solo spin on “Walk on By,” on which she demonstrated the control she still has of her instrument.
“They finally got it right,” Warwick said at the start of her induction speech, acknowledging her two previous nominations with a pointed observation in that tone that is distinctly Dionne.
Foreigner: Medley
No original member of Foreigner has played in the band since last year, when founding member Mick Jones stepped away because of the effects of Parkinson’s disease.
So it was no surprise to see Slash, Red Hot Chili Peppers stickman Chad Smith and Demi Lovato belt through “Feels Like the First Time.” Lovato possesses the rock grit to convincingly sell the song, while Sammy Hagar – who introduced the band with a charmingly ramshackle speech – added his own brawny vocal to “Hot Blooded.”
Slash aped Jones’ monster riffs of the song and Hagar graciously shared the mic with Kelly Hansen, the band’s singer since 2005.
It also wasn’t surprising when Hagar said, “Now the real singer is coming out,” and a pristine-sounding Kelly Clarkson launched into the gospel beauty of “I Want To Know What Love Is,” her eyes closed with passion, her nuanced voice climbing the scales alongside a choir.
But it was a shock when Clarkson introduced Lou Gramm, the original muscular voice of the band and co-founder with Jones.
Gramm, who was in and out of Foreigner since 1990 before leaving for good in 2003, eased into the song, his familiar voice growing stronger as he traded verses with a respectful Clarkson.
In a dark suit, his hair straight to his shoulders, Gramm looked pleased as he closed the song and shared a hug with Clarkson.
Peter Frampton: ‘Baby (Something’s Happening)’, ‘Do You Feel Like We Do’
Despite producing a plethora of rock hits in the 1970s, Frampton opted to open his performance with the lesser-known title track of his 1974 album, “Baby (Somethin’s Happening)”. Seated with his guitar, a joyful-looking Frampton, who played at last year’s ceremony with Sheryl Crow, welcomed Keith Urban to share the moment.
Frampton has suffered from the muscle-weakening inclusion body myositis since 2015. The disease has affected his legs and mobility, but not as much his hands, which ignited his fretboard with the slithering notes of his 1973 opus “Do You Feel Like We Do.”
Frampton and Urban, both guitar aces, made their finger-splaying notes look effortless and (hopefully) inspired some young viewers to pick up an instrument.
The loudest cheers, however, were reserved for Frampton’s signature talk box. That is, until he practically played himself out of his seat while riffing on the song’s solo as Urban, floppy bangs flying, happily kept pace.
“Now that’s a rock star!” proclaimed inductor Roger Daltrey at song’s end. Indeed.
Dave Matthews, James Taylor, Kenny Chesney: Jimmy Buffett tribute
An admittedly nervous Matthews graced the stage solo with an acoustic guitar, his emotion visible as he scrunched his eyes closed and sang Buffett’s contemplative “A Pirate Looks at Forty.” Matthews’ voice swung from gravelly to hushed in a simple, affecting tribute.
Another Buffett buddy, James Taylor, eulogized the irreplaceable musician, who died in September 2023, and then moved to the performance stage, flanked by Kenny Chesney and renowned session guitarist/producer Mac McAnally, also a longtime member of Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band.
The trio was visibly filled with emotion as they traded verses on “Come Monday,” harmonizing on the last line with a heavenly lilt directed at Buffett.
A Tribe Called Quest: Guest medley
With The Roots laying down the beat after an agonizingly lengthy induction speech from ATCQ’s Q-Tip, Queen Latifah glided onto the stage asking hip-hop’s enduring question, “Can I Kick It?”
A starry parade honored the confab from Queens, New York, including Roots co-founder Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter during a taut “Check the Rhime.”
Common popped on stage to side dance and unroll the beckoning lyrics of “Bonita Applebum” with the kind of verve that had Dionne Warwick standing and clapping along to the gliding track, which bumped to a harsher level with the arrival of Busta Rhymes.
The swaggering Busta, all flailing arms and rubber faces, segued with The Roots into “Scenario,” the song that introduced Busta to the rap scene in 1992.
Mary J. Blige: Medley
In thigh-high black boots and matching elbow-length gloves, a wide brimmed hat nearly obscuring her face but not her cinnamon-hued hair, Blige reinstated her position as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.
Young R&B singers Ella Mai and Lucky Daye joined Blige as she floated through her recent musical affirmation “Good Morning Gorgeous” and, from her 1992 debut album “What’s the 411?,” “Love No Limit.”
Jennifer Hudson mouthed along to “Be Happy” in the crowd while Blige swayed on stage, punctuating the air with her hands.
The highlight of Blige’s performance came with the snaking thump of “Family Affair,” Blige’s voice growing more urgent as plumes of steam erupted around her, a fitting finale for a queen.
Ozzy Osbourne: Guest medley
From his throne onstage, the inimitable Osbourne bellowed the hallowed opening of “Crazy Train”: “All aboard!!!”
Chad Smith, back for another round behind the drums, bulldozed into the song as Tool’s Maynard James Keenan, in a chic black suit, handled the gritty vocals. If you want someone to play Randy Rhoads’ iconic riffs from Osbourne’s 1980 cruncher, you want Wolfgang Van Halen, whose finger-bleeding solo inspired chills. Guitarist/producer Andrew Watt and Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo rounded out the all-star crew.
Longtime Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde played the sweet acoustic guitar that introduced “Mama I’m Coming Home” followed by a well-cast Jelly Roll pouring his versatile voice and usual pathos into the rich rock ballad.
Wylde stepped into the crowd to sizzle through the launch of “No More Tears” as a well-preserved Billy Idol sneered the lyrics alongside his longtime musical partner Steve Stevens on guitar. As they unleashed the thumping song, Osbourne, with fervent fan and inductor Jack Black seated next to him, sang along heartily, the Prince of Darkness still enlivened by his own songs.
Dave Matthews Band: Medley
In 2019, the Dave Matthews Band became the first artist to win the fan vote but not get voted in for induction.
This year, the outcome was different.
Winners of the 2024 fan vote, DMB demonstrated their value from the signature snare drum smack that ushers in “Ants Marching.” With his guitar held high and against his chest, his eyebrows cocked in that way that could be quizzical or menacing depending upon the setting, Matthews unleashed his quirky vocals.
His unusual phrasing during “Crash Into Me” is part of the song’s charm – as well as his undiminished upper range, which dipped from soaring to squeaky – while the throwback “So Much to Say” provided a reminiscence to the band’s early days playing Virginia bars.
Carter Beauford, perhaps the most unheralded drummer in music, busied himself with syncopated patterns and dizzying high hat on the song.
But DMB had one more burst to play a surely exhausted audience out of the arena – the band’s rugged cover of the Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House.”