By Danica Ward
Staff Writer
Pop culture’s biggest stars gathered once again for the annual Rock & Rock Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
On Nov. 9, 13 musical artists were newly inducted into the famous Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with performances and a ceremony held at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater.
The artists inducted for 2025 included rap groups Outkast and Salt-N-Pepa, rock bands Bad Company and Soundgarden and singer/songwriter Cyndi Lauper, among others.
In addition to these stars, multiple session musicians and producers were also inducted. Inducted via video tribute, the inductees were Carol Kaye, Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins and Lenny Waronker.
A plethora of A-list celebrities also gathered for the occasion, some of whom either inducted this year’s nominees, or performed a tribute to them.
The Killers paid tribute to singer-songwriter Warren Zevon by performing his song “Lawyers, Guns and Money.” Zevon was also inducted by former late-night host David Letterman, who expressed his gratitude saying, “I want to thank the people who invited me to be part of this, to represent Warren Zevon, to represent his family, and to represent the people who love Warren’s music. Thank you very much for that.”
Iggy Pop inducted rock duo The White Stripes, with member Jack White also appearing for an acceptance speech. The duo was honored with multiple performances, from Twenty One Pilots performing a rendition of their hit “Seven Nation Army” to Olivia Rodrigo and Feist coming together to sing “We’re Going to Be Friends.”
The powerful duo of Twenty One Pilots took the stage dressed in black and white with a red background, each also wearing a shroud. At the end of their performance, which included a piano breakdown, Tyler Joseph called out to Jack White, saying “Thank you Jack for inspiring us all.”
Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac, Nancy Wilson of Heart and Joe Perry of Aerosmith also combined to honor English rock band Bad Company. Both Chappell Roan and Avril Lavigne made appearances to induct and perform with inductee Cyndi Lauper.
In her introductory speech, Roan stated “[t]onight, we honor a woman who redefined what a pop star could look like, sound like, sing like and be.”
Childish Gambino, Janelle Monae and Doja Cat also appeared to honor rap duo Outkast, known for their songs “Hey Ya” and “Ms. Jackson.”
Rap trio Salt-N-Pepa was inducted by rap icon Missy Elliott, and performed a medley of their biggest hits with help from En Vogue.
Singer Brian Adams inducted English singer Joe Cocker, and joined a larger group of artists for a rendition of “With A Little Help from My Friends.” 1950s pioneer Chubby Checker was also inducted, and appeared via video.
Finally, rock legends Soundgarden were inducted into the Hall of Fame by actor Jim Carrey, with surviving members performing with Taylor Momsen, Brandi Carlisle, Nancy Wilson and the late Chris Cornell’s daughter, Toni. Cornell, the lead singer, died in 2017 by suicide.
Overall, the night was full of fun performances, heartfelt acceptances and an all-around showing of musical greatness.
