Soundgarden, Outkast, and Cyndi Lauper were among those inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday night.
The show, held at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, kicked off with a tribute to Sly Stone, who passed in June, and performers included Stevie Wonder, Questlove, Jennifer Hudson, Flea, Beck, Maxwell, and Leon Thomas.
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Bad Company was the first inductee of the night. Mick Fleetwood presented the band, and performers included the band’s Simon Kirke, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, Chris Robinson, and Bryan Adams. Songs performed were “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “Can’t Get Enough.” Singer Paul Rodgers was not in attendance, but he sent a video message.
Salt-N-Pepa were inducted next by Missy Elliott, who was inducted herself in 2023. The group, Cheryl James, Sandra Denton, and DJ Spinderella were joined by En Vogue, Hurby ‘Luv Bug’ Azor for performances of “Shoop,” “Let’s Talk About Sex,” “Whatta Man,” and “Push It.”
Warren Zevon was inducted by former late-night talk show host David Letterman, who presented a guitar Zevon gave Letterman after Zevon’s final “Late Show” appearance. The induction was followed by a performance by The Killers of Zevon’s “Lawyers, Guns and Money.”
The White Stripes were inducted by Iggy Pop. Lead singer Jack White attended, but drummer Meg White did not. Jack did not perform; however, Olivia Rodrigo and Feist performed “We’re Going to Be Friends,” while Twenty One Pilots performed “Seven Nation Army.”
Outkast was inducted by Donald Glover. While Andre 3000 did not perform, Big Boi joined J.I.D for “ATLiens” followed by Doja Cat taking on “Ms. Jackson.Tyler the Creator performed “B.O.B.” while Janelle Monáe performed “Hey Ya.” Sleepy Brown joined in for “The Way You Move” and the performances concluded with “The Whole World.”
Soundgarden was inducted by Jim Carrey and Lillian Jean Cornell, the daughter of the band’s late singer, Chris Cornell. The band’s surviving members, Matt Cameron, Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd, and Hiro Yamamoto, were joined by Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell and Taylor Momsen for “Rusty Cage.” Brandi Carlile then took over vocals on “Black Hole Sun.”
Following Soundgarden, Cornell’s other daughter, Toni, paid tribute to her father with her rendition of “Fell on Black Days” with Nancy Wilson.
Cyndi Lauper was inducted by Chappell Roan. Lauper then went on stage to perform “True Colors,” “Time After Time” with RAYE, and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” with Avril Lavigne.
Chubby Checker was also inducted and while he didn’t attend the ceremony, he did record a thank you video during a concert.
The final inductee of the night was Joe Cocker, who who was inducted by Bryan Adams. Tedeschi Trucks Band and Nathaniel Rateliff performed Cocker’s “The Letter” and Teddy Swims joined them for a rendition of “Feelin’ Alright.” The show closed with a performance of “With A Letter Help from My Friends,” which Adams, Lauper, and Robinson joined on stage for.
Nicky Hopkins, Carol Kaye, and Thom Bell received the Musical Excellence Award and Lenny Waronker received the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
The show had a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, who died in July, which kicked off the in memoriam segment. Afterwards, Elton John paid tribute to the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, who died in June, by singing “God Only Knows.”
The ceremony aired live on Disney+ and will be available to stream. ABC will also air a special on the induction ceremony on Jan. 1, 2026, and will be available to stream on Hulu the following day.
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