This post was originally updated on November 3. We are recirculating it now timed to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame broadcast debut on New Year’s.Â
We’ve checked with our rock seismologist team lead by Mr. Schneebly and they’re all in agreement: The magnitude is pretty low. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has unveiled details for this year’s induction ceremony, which will take place Friday, November 3, in Brooklyn. The most notable change is that the event is no longer airing on HBO after several years on the network. Instead, it’ll broadcast live for the first time on Disney+ with a condensed special airing January 1 on ABC, a dual decision the Hall insists is a “testament to the diverse sounds and enduring power of rock and roll†and not because they’re both owned by the House of Mouse.
One of that house’s former main exports, the pop juggernaut Olivia Rodrigo, will serenade the new class with a performance, the Hall announced earlier this week. A mystery artist, described as “one of her heroes,†will join the singer onstage. The Hall, bless them, couldn’t keep the secret in an interview with the New York Times on November 1. “Olivia Rodrigo is coming in this year,†spilled John Sykes, the chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “Last year she got up and sang ‘You’re So Vain’ by Carly Simon. She’s going to play with Sheryl Crow this year. It’s this mutual admiration that connects the past with the present.â€
Double inductee Stevie Nicks will also take part in the celebration as a special guest, the Hall announced on October 24. She will be joined by Adam Levine, Carrie Underwood, Common, Ice-T, LL COOL J, Miguel, Queen Latifah, and Sia, who will join the ceremony as presenters and performers. Inductees Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Chaka Khan, and Willie Nelson will perform in celebration of their accolades. (That means, at the moment, Rage Against the Machine and Kate Bush aren’t confirmed to attend.) Elton John is coming back out of retirement to perform and toast his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, while Brandi Carlile, Dave Matthews, H.E.R., Chris Stapleton, St. Vincent, and New Edition are being teased as special guests. Last year, we got Dolly Parton and Rob Halford nuzzling to “Jolene†and a Boss and Cougar tribute to Jerry Lee Lewis. In 2021, Taylor Swift hauled her ass to Cleveland. But this seems equatable.