Great performances as legends inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

NEW YORK (AP):

Sheryl Crow and Olivia Rodrigo kicked off the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony Friday night and Missy Elliott closed the show more than four hours later with a roof-shaking set, as the hall celebrated a strong representation of women and black artistes.

Chaka Khan, Kate Bush, Soul Train creator Don Cornelius, The Spinners and DJ Kool Herc were also inducted in a celebration of funk, art-rock, R&B and hip hop, which is celebrating its 50th ann iversary. Country music was represented by Willie Nelson, punk had Rage Against the Machine, the late George Michael repped pure pop and Link Wray defined guitar heroes.

It was Queen Latifah who had the honour of introducing Missy Elliott, the first female hip hop artiste in the rock hall. “Nothing sounded the same after Missy came on to the scene,” Latifah said. “She is avant garde without even trying.”

Missy Elliott then appeared onstage at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center as if beamed from a spaceship and with smoke machines pumping, a kinetic light show and a massive digital screen working overtime, performed Get Ur Freak On, The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly), Work It, Pass That Dutch and Lose Control.

Elliott, in a sparkly bucket hat, had her mother in attendance, the first time she saw her daughter perform live. She noted hip-hop’s anniversary, 50 years after its birth in New York. “I’m honoured just to be in a room with you all,” she said.

LL Cool J presented inductee DJ Kool Herc, and honored the creative genius and boundless innovation of the Father of Hip-Hop and his remarkable impact on music history. “Arguably, no one made a bigger contribution to hip-hop culture than DJ Kool Herc,” LL Cool J said.

He then turned to the older artiste, “You lit the fire and it’s still blazing.”

A visibly moved Herc was unable to speak for a few moments before thanking his parents, James Brown, Marcus Garvey and Harry Belafonte, among others.

The show kicked off when Sheryl Crow joined by Olivia Rodrigo traded verses as they both played guitars. Stevie Nicks later joined Crow and Peter Frampton came out to help sing Everyday Is a Winding Road.

“This is a little bit like getting an Oscar for a screenplay you have not finished writing,” Crow said.

H.E.R., Sia and Common accompanied Chaka Khan for a medley of her funky hits , including I’m Every Woman, which brought nearly everyone to their feet.

Khan graciously called up guitarist Tony Maiden, a member of the band Rufus, which featured Khan in her early career. “Without him and the band, I would not be here today,” Khan said.

Willie Nelson’s part of the ceremony opened with Dave Matthews playing an acoustic Funny How Time Slips Away. Nelson joined Chris Stapleton on Whiskey River, dueted with Crow for Crazy and then all three musicians combining with Nelson for a rollicking On the Road Again, which got a standing ovation.

Andrew Ridgeley honoured his partner in Wham!, the late George Michael. “His music was key to his compassion,” Ridgeley said.

Another posthumous inductee was Soul Train creator Don Cornelius. Snoop Dogg, Questlove and Lionel Richie in a video called the show a rite of passage and a pioneering show that elevated black music and culture.

Big Boi inducted Kate Bush, telling the crowd he never knew what to expect from her music and comparing her insistence on producing her own work to being very hip hop.

The Spinners, who became a hit-making machine with four No. 1 R&B hits in less than 18 months, were honoured by a velvet-jacket-and-fedora-clad New Edition. John Edwards and Henry Fambrough represented the Philadelphia five-member group.

Also entering the hall as the class of 2023 were Rage Against the Machine and the late guitarist Link Wray.