Bon Jovi, The Cars, Moody Blues, Dire Straits, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Nina Simone were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during a ceremony Saturday night in Cleveland.
The festivities kicked off with a performance by The Killers, who honoured Tom Petty with a cover of “American Girl,” followed by host Howard Stern introducing the all-original members of Bon Jovi as the first recipients.
“I’ve been writing a speech like this since I first strummed a broom and sang from the top of the stairs of my childhood home,” said frontman Jon Bon Jovi during his 20-minute speech. “I’ve written it many ways and many times. Some days, I write the ‘Thank you’ speech. Other days, I write the ‘F**k you’ speech. Writing it has been therapeutic in a lot of ways. I certainly see things differently tonight than I would have 10, 20, 30 years ago. In the end, it’s really all about time.”
To celebrate, Bon Jovi performed hits like “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “It’s My Life,” “When We Were Us,” and “Livin’ on a Prayer.”
Other performances included Alabama Shakes singer Brittany Howard inducting and honouring Sister Rosetta Tharpe with “That’s All,” Lauryn Hill honouring Nina Simone with “Feeling Good,” Cars singer Ric Ocasek singing “You’ll Never Forget Your First,” and The Moody Blues finishing off the night with “I’m Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band,” “Wildest Dreams,” “Knights in White Satin,” and “Ride My See Saw.”
The full Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will air on May 5.
Watch some of the highlights below: