Duran Duran stumbles, Dolly Parton tumbles down the rock hall
Los Angeles – Lionel Richie has soared. Pat Benatar roared. Duran Duran stumbled, but remained sophisticated. Eminem was Eminem.
The four acts celebrated in very different ways on Saturday night, but we can now say that they are all inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame forever. Carly Simon, Eurythmics, Harry Belafonte, Judas Priest and Dolly Parton did as well, giving a passionate hug after temporarily declining.
After an impressive speech by a shaved-headed Robert Downey Jr., Duran Duran, the first act to take office at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, took the stage to sing their breakthrough 1981 hit “Girls On Film” was announced.
The screaming crowd was there for it, but the music wasn’t.
The mostly smooth and often triumphant beginning of the show was ominous, but it was fun.
“The wonderful spontaneous world of rock and roll!” Le Bon, 64, exclaimed as the band stopped to start over.
They kicked back at full volume, playing a set that included “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “Ordinary World,” and quickly jumped into what Downey called their essential quality, “CSF — cool, sophisticated fun.” I went back to
A few hours later, Lionel Richie brought both coolness and warmth into the room, kicking off the set with a preliminary rendition of the ballad “Hello.”
“His songs are the soundtrack to my life, your life, everyone’s life,” said Lenny Kravitz when introducing Richie.
After “Hello,” Richie slipped into his 1977 hit with the Commodores, “Easy.” The vibe changed from smooth to triumphant when Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl suddenly showed up to play a guitar solo and swap vocals with Richie. Long” led to a singular and celebratory production, which was the biggest reaction of the night.
In his acceptance speech, Richie lashed out at those who accused him of straying too far from his black roots in his career.
“Rock and roll is not a color,” he said. “It’s the feeling.
Eurythmics took it to the next level with a soulful and danceable version of 1986’s “Missionary Man.”
“Well, I was born an original sinner. I was born of an original sin,” singer Annie Lennox belted out, applauding the crowd and standing up four hours into the show. An electrifying rendition of their most famous hit “Sweet Dreams” followed.
Some time later, her musical partner Dave Stewart called Lennox “one of the greatest performers, singers and songwriters of all time.”
“Thank you, Dave, for this wonderful adventure,” Lennox said tearfully.
Throughout his career, Eminem has been an outlier. He’s the only hip-hop artist in the Hall of Fame and the only artist whose heyday came after his 1980s, Judas’ Priest’s heavy edge that he lacked outside of his metal style. at night.
He also took the guest star game to another level. After briefly opening with 1999’s ‘My Name Is’, his 2003 sampled Aerosmith classic ‘Sing for the Moment’ featured the chorus of ‘Dream On’ by Aerosmith’s Stephen He I let Tyler sing. Then he had Ed Sheeran sing his part during Eminem’s 2017 jam “River” as the rain fell on the stage.
Eminem, who wore a black hoodie, said, “Maybe I shouldn’t actually be here tonight for a few reasons. One is I’m a rapper and this is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.” .”
He is the 10th hip-hop artist among over 300 Hall of Fame members.
He was installed by a producer and mentor, Dr. Dre, who he believed saved his life.
But the 1980s hitmakers defined the night.
“Pat was always reaching into the deepest parts of himself and roaring out of the speakers,” Sheryl Crow said in her introduction to Benatar.
Benatar stepped in with her longtime musical partner and husband, Neil Girard, and joined him on stage to showcase a moment of that power.
“We’re young!” the 69-year-old sang through her long, gray hair as she danced a version of 1983’s “Love is a Battlefield.”
Inductees who missed the ceremony included Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, who spent four years battling advanced prostate cancer, Belafonte, 95, and Simon, who lost a sister. Joanna Simon and Lucy Simonboth of whom are also singers, get cancer on a back-to-back date.
Carly Simon is nominated for the first time this year, more than 25 years after she qualified. Olivia Rodrigo, who was 60 years younger than Simon and the youngest performer of the night, took the stage to sing Simon’s signature song, “You’re So Vain.”
Janet Jackson remade the cover of her groundbreaking album Control, appearing in a black suit with a massive mound of hair on her head, and made many other records with her. We introduced two men who were writers and producers. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
When the candidates were announced in May, Parton ‘politely’ declinedsaid it didn’t seem right for her to occupy her position as a country-to-centre artist.
“I’m a rock star now!” she exclaimed, accepting the honor. “This is a very, very, very special night.”
Parton said he would have to retroactively earn his position.
She disappeared and reappeared moments later in black leather with an electric guitar, interrupting a song she had written for the occasion.
“From the day I was born I’ve been rocking all the way, all the way, the day I left this world,” she sang.
She capped off the night by leading an all-star jam of fellow inductees with her country classic, “Jolene.” Le Bon, Benatar and even Judas Priest singer Rob Halford sang verses.
“We have a star-studded stage here,” said Parton. “I feel like an urban hillbilly.”
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https://www.local10.com/entertainment/2022/11/06/cool-sophisticated-duran-duran-enter-rock-hall-of-fame/ Duran Duran stumbles, Dolly Parton tumbles down the rock hall