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The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted its 38th annual class of musical heroes on Friday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, in a night dominated by strong women and giants from genres the institution had long treated as adjacent to rock.<\/p>\n
The latest inductees<\/a> in the flagship performer category included Willie Nelson, the 90-year-old country icon; Missy Elliott, the hall\u2019s first female rapper; the singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow; George Michael, the larger-than-life pop singer of Wham! who became one of pop\u2019s first openly gay heroes; the soul vocal act the Spinners; Kate Bush, the eclectic British performer, who did not attend; and the political firebrands Rage Against the Machine, who were represented solely by their guitarist, Tom Morello.<\/p>\n In other categories, the hall inducted DJ Kool Herc, who presided over hip-hop\u2019s founding party 50 years ago; the rockabilly guitarist Link Wray; the spitfire R&B singer Chaka Khan; Al Kooper, one of rock\u2019s most well-traveled musicians, who played with Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and many others; Bernie Taupin, Elton John\u2019s longtime songwriting partner; and Don Cornelius, the creator and host of the TV show \u201cSoul Train.\u201d<\/p>\n The induction came less than two months after the Rock Hall ejected Jann Wenner<\/a>, one of its founders, who made disparaging remarks about female and Black performers as part of a New York Times interview<\/a>. This year\u2019s class demonstrated the organization\u2019s recent commitment to inclusion<\/a>, but the night didn\u2019t end without a barbed reference to the controversy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI\u2019m honored to be in the class of 2023, alongside such a group of profoundly \u2018articulate\u2019 women and outstanding, \u2018articulate\u2019 Black artists,\u201d said Taupin, echoing Wenner\u2019s comments in the interview.<\/p>\n Here are some highlights from the show.<\/p>\n Some of the most commanding presences were artists outside the traditional boundaries of rock \u2019n\u2019 roll who claimed their places in music history proudly.<\/p>\n In an arena-worthy spectacle that began with her own countdown clock, Elliott arrived onstage just after midnight outfitted in gold and surrounded by a phalanx of backup dancers. After an energetic spin through abbreviated versions of songs including \u201cGet Ur Freak On,\u201d \u201cThe Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)\u201d and \u201cWork It,\u201d she got emotional at the podium, revealing that this was the first time her mother had seen her perform. (Elliott hadn\u2019t wanted to rap risqu\u00e9 records in front of her mom because \u201cshe from the church\u201d she said, to laugher.)<\/p>\n She mentioned women innovators who \u201cgave me their shoulders to stand on,\u201d including Pepa, Queen Latifah (who inducted her) and Roxanne Shante, and noted that on hip-hop\u2019s 50th anniversary<\/a>, she felt the magnitude of the moment: \u201cYou just feel like it\u2019s so far to reach when you in the hip-hop world, and to be standing here, it means so much to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Earlier, Nelson sat stone-faced, in his signature red bandanna and long braids, as Dave Matthews gave a rambling but affectionate induction speech, praising Nelson\u2019s longevity and history of activism \u2014 and his well-known penchant for marijuana.<\/p>\n Nelson, who has been a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame<\/a> for 30 years, cut to the chase in a brief acceptance speech, saying, \u201cI never paid much attention to categories, and I\u2019m not sure fans did either.\u201d At 90, Nelson\u2019s love of performing was still palpable. Seated and playing a weathered acoustic guitar, he nimbly ran through riffs and solos, leading his band on classics like \u201cWhiskey River,\u201d \u201cOn the Road Again,\u201d and, joined by Crow, \u201cCrazy,\u201d his song made famous by Patsy Cline.<\/p>\n As recently as 2016, there were years when the hall welcomed no women. But on Friday, they were a strong presence, and honored one another onstage and in supportive statements.<\/p>\n The night kicked off with Crow<\/a>, who began her career as a backup singer for Michael Jackson before breaking out on her own in the 1990s with hits like \u201cAll I Wanna Do.\u201d She was joined onstage by Olivia Rodrigo<\/a>, the 20-year-old pop star, for a duet of \u201cIf It Makes You Happy,\u201d a power ballad about vulnerability. And Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac \u2014 in black lace and fingerless gloves \u2014 sang with Crow on \u201cStrong Enough.\u201d<\/p>\n In a video segment, Nicks called Crow \u201ceverything that every girl should want to be.\u201d In her acceptance speech, Crow thanked her parents \u201cfor all the years of unconditional love,\u201d adding, \u201cand piano lessons.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Khan sang her hits \u201cAin\u2019t Nobody\u201d and \u201cSweet Thing\u201d with H.E.R. and \u201cI\u2019m Every Woman\u201d with the pop singer and songwriter Sia, who entered the stage in a gigantic, rainbow-colored wig that obscured her face. In accepting her honor, Khan spent much of her time praising Jazmine Sullivan, the R&B singer who inducted her.<\/p>\n Queen Latifah introduced Elliott by noting all the boundaries she\u2019d broken: \u201cMissy has never been afraid to speak out about the preconceptions, the stereotypes, the string of misogyny and the obstacles that have been placed in the way of women.\u201d<\/p>\n The ceremony was defined as much by who wasn\u2019t there as who was.<\/p>\n Bush, who shot up the charts<\/a> last year when a decades-old song, \u201cRunning Up That Hill (A Deal With God),\u201d was used in the TV show \u201cStranger Things,\u201d did not attend. Neither did three of the four members of Rage Against the Machine. And some of the most uproarious applause in the arena was for Michael, who died in 2016.<\/p>\n Bush, who has not performed in public in nine years, was celebrated for her singularly dark and theatrical vision. The singer St. Vincent, her wide eyes staring straight ahead, performed \u201cRunning Up That Hill\u201d in a black puffy lace top. In a statement posted to her website<\/a> on Friday, Bush thanked the Rock Hall for welcoming her to \u201cthe most extraordinary rostrum of overwhelming talent.\u201d<\/p>\nStars from beyond rock\u2019s borders<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Women celebrated women<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
A night of notable absences<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n