Rock Hall 2022: Who to Expect at the Induction

The 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is just days away. While we already know who will be inducted, part of the fun of the ceremony is seeing who is appearing as presenters and as special guest performers.

The Rock Hall has yet to confirm the entire presenter/performer lineup, but certain people have been talking to the press. Rock Hall Chairman John Sykes told Forbes, "The surprises are going to be fun, we can say that. But there will be guests that are gonna be on as we've said it. Olivia Rodrigo, Alanis Morissette, Maren Morris, Zac Brown. There'll be a lot of guests. You'll just have to watch on HBO November 19. You have to see what exact songs they play."

Sykes continued, "And the inductors range from some of the biggest artists in the history of music, from Bruce Springsteen, to John Mellencamp, to The Edge, to Pink, to Sheryl Crow and others. So not only are the inductees legendary but so are the iconic inductors."

The Rock Hall Chairman doesn't specify what these names will be doing. However, Jimmy Iovine, who is being honored with the Ahmet Ertegun Award, told Variety that Bruce Springsteen will be inducting him.

As previously reported, fans will get to watch an edited version of the ceremony on Saturday, November 19 at 8 PM ET on HBO. The event will also be simulcast on HBO Max. The ceremony, itself, will take place on Saturday, November 5 at 7 PM PST/10 PM EST at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is always a bit of a crapshoot. Some years, everything goes off without a hitch. Other years, though, it all hits the fan, and it is drama with a capital "D."

It's rather funny when things go off the rails, because the Rock Hall induction ceremony honorees have all been announced. Comedian John Mulaney referred to the Rock Hall induction ceremony as "the only truly fun award show."

In a February 2018 appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Mulaney explained that the Rock Hall induction is the award show he’d most like to host. Why?  He said, "Think of it like a wedding if every speech was given by the bride’s ex-boyfriend. Every band comes in with some old grievance, and all their speeches are filled with bile from 30 years before."

Sure, Mulaney is being a little hyperbolic, but there have been some very uncomfortable speeches and moments in the past at the Rock Hall induction ceremony, so he kind of has a point.

With that in mind, here are eight of the biggest drama moments in Rock Hall induction history.

The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Saturday, October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. As previously reported, the 2024 ceremony will live stream on Disney+. An edited special will air on ABC at a later date, which will be available on Hulu the next day.

This year features a diverse slate of performers being inducted. They include Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & The Gang, Ozzy Osbourne, and A Tribe Called Quest. Other artists being honored with the Musical Excellence Award and the Musical Influence Award include Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick, Norman Whitfield, Alexis Korner, John Mayall, and Big Mama Thornton.

So far, the breakdown of presenters and additional performers is proving that 2024 induction ceremony is setting itself up to be a banner year. Here's a breakdown of the guest lineup:

Good lord…who could forget this one?! KISS’ induction was long overdue, but they certainly made up for the late honor with a whole boatload of drama. From controversy around only the original four members being inducted to whether or not the band would perform to the all-out war of words in the press, it’s amazing the band were inducted without a hitch.

This one was awkward. When Blondie was inducted in 2006, past group members Frank Infante, Jimmy Destri, Nigel Harrison and Gary Valentine were invited to attend the ceremony, but Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and Clem Burke wouldn’t let them perform. During the band’s acceptance speeches, all the performance controversy came to a head thanks to Infante’s time at the mic.

Another awkward moment! CCR was part of the 1993 induction class, and when it came time to perform, John Fogerty refused to so with former bandmates Doug Clifford and Stu Cook. Per Fogerty’s book Fortunate Son:  My Life, My Music, he said it was due to Clifford and Cook’s roll in an ongoing dispute with their record label.

Many artists take issue with the Rock Hall in how they operate the induction ceremony, but no other artist has taken the system to task quite like Steve Miller in 2016.  With the exception of how he spoke to a publicist who was only trying to do her job, this might be one of the most rock and roll moments in Rock Hall induction history.

The Sex Pistols were a no-show when they were inducted into the Rock Hall in 2006, but they did send a letter, which was read by Rolling Stone founder/Rock Hall co-founder Jann Wenner. (Spoiler:  The letter’s badass.)

What a mess this induction was!  VH was inducted in 2007, and around that time, the following things happened:  Michael Anthony was fired and replaced with Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang; EVH was receiving treatment for alcohol/drug addiction; and David Lee Roth was rejoining the band for a reunion tour. Long story short: The only members to attend the induction was Anthony and Sammy Hagar. Velvet Revolver ended up performing in tribute to VH, with Anthony and Hagar performing “Why Can’t This Be Love” with the house band.

After Chicago was announced as part of the 2016 Rock Hall induction class, an epic back-and-forth began regarding whether or not Peter Cetera would actually attend and perform at the induction ceremony.  In the end, Cetera opted to sit out the ceremony, which surely disappointed many of Chicago’s fans who hoped to see the founding singer/bassist reunite with the band since quitting back in 1985.

In hindsight, GN’R’s Rock Hall induction in 2012 is now even more awkward since Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan reunited for the “Not In This Lifetime…” tour.  At the time, Rose declined the ceremony invite and wrote a letter stating, “Let sleeping dogs lie or lying dogs sleep or whatever. Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn't owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another's, or in this case several others', expense."  Guitarist Izzy Stradlin also sat out the ceremony but considering his reclusive ways, that wasn’t terribly shocking.