Last night the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inducted the CLASS OF 2026 at Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. U2 were surprise performers kicking off this year’s ceremony performing "Silencio" and "Pride (In the Name of Love).”
Producer Rick Rubin – who was honored with the Musical Excellence Award, inducted by Neil Young, summed it up best with:
“You Can’t Kill Rock And Roll.”
Red Hot Chili Peppers took the stage all dressed as Rubin wearing matching fake white beards as they played their song "Give It Away".
Phil Collins, now a two-time inductee, was inducted by Travis Barker. Battling ongoing health struggles, Collins attended the event using canes and received an emotional standing ovation. Phil assured the crowd that this isn’t the last we will hear from him. Barker and Cynthia Erivo performed “In The Air Tonight.”
Other highlights included Gwen Stefani inducting Billy Idol. Stefani has called Idol her teenage idol – the pair performed "Eyes Without a Face."
Jack Black inducted Iron Maiden. Since the band were away on a world tour, members of Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, and St. Vincent performed "The Trooper".
Trent Reznor inducted Joy Division/New Order – calling the bands “two of the most influential groups.” Only the bassist for both bands, Peter Hook, appeared at the ceremony. He performed Joy Division's “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and New Order's “Bizarre Love Triangle” with Deftones and singer Lauren Mayberry of the band Chvrches.
(Our very own Matt Pinfield with Peter Hook last night.)
Chris Rock also paid tribute to inductees Wu-Tang Clan. The group’s leader RZA said, “We took Staten Island to the world.”
Oasis and Sade were also inducted but did not attend the event. Liam Gallagher said (regarding his absence) something along the lines of: “It’s Christmas time, I’ve got sh*% to do.” Lol Stephen Wilson Jr. performed a twangy version of “Wonderwall.”
Oprah Winfrey inducted Luther Vandross, calling him “the maestro of the love song.”
The full 2026 induction ceremony was not live-streamed. An edited primetime special featuring all of the performances and highlights will air on December 8th from 5-8pm PT on ABC. It will be available to stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
Congrats, all…
- Julie xox
