The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Fans can watch Rock Hall’s 2020 inductions show Nov. 7 on HBO
Pandemic-necessitated format of this year’s Rock Hall inductions provides opportunity for more involvement
“It’s a wonderful moment that I believe will connect fans all over the world of these bands. We’re all going to pause and watch this together at this moment, which is really exciting.” — Rock Hall President and CEO Greg Harris
The downward spiral that has been 2020 gets a muchneeded reprieve this weekend with the delayed-and-reformatted Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony finally taking place virtually. ¶ The two-hour program airs at 8 p.m. Nov. 11 on HBO (streaming on HBO Max).
“It’s really been a mark on the calendar where it’s been something to look forward to,” Rock Hall President and CEO Greg Harris said. “There were moments where we were looking forward to being together here at Public Auditorium, but once it shifted, then it was out on the horizon as this other thing. Now, it’s here.
“It’s a wonderful moment that I believe will connect fans all over the world of these bands. We’re all going to pause and watch this together at this moment, which is really exciting.”
At this point, it’s better than nothing.
There’s also an argument to be made that while Cleveland is losing out on hosting the 35th annual affair — it’s novel coronavirus pandemic-dependent, but next year’s induction ceremony is slated to return to Public Auditorium in the fall — the virtual production will be one to remember. It begins with a virtual red-carpet event viewable at rockhall.com.
Celebrating Class of 2020 inductees Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G.
T.Rex, Irving Azoff and Jon Landau is a star-studded list of musicians and celebrities.
They include Luke Bryan, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Miley Cyrus, Billy Gibbons, Dave Grohl, Don Henley, Jennifer Hudson, Billy Idol, Iggy Pop, Alicia Keys, Adam Levine, Chris Martin, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brad Paisley, Bruce Springsteen, St. Vincent, Ringo Starr, Gwen Stefani, Charlize Theron and Nancy Wilson.
Despite the impressive lineup, it also confirms how COVID-19 has completely devastated the music-touring industry.
“It’s a product of that and also a product of this format,” Harris said. “Some of the artists could be grabbed conveniently in their home cities, as opposed to everybody traveling to New York City or Cleveland.
“It gives you a chance to reach more folks. You’re not all trying to sync calendars for one night out of the year.
These are recorded over the last couple of months, and carefully crafted and put together.”
Make no mistake, the 2020 Rock Hall Induction Ceremony will be unlike any other. Whereas inductees normally are inducted
followed by a jam session, this year’s event will feature music, but Harris stressed it won’t be live or a Zoom event.
Instead, the program will have more of a documentary flavor. For reference, fans may remember Ringo
Starr’s black-and-white induction intro video, which included Dave Grohl extolling the virtues of The Beatle drummer’s imaginative talents.
“The Ringo Starr video was an interesting … sort of an unusual moment to have that type of piece in the lead-in,” Harris said. “So there’s a chance to tell those (types) of stories, because what it speaks to is the impact and influence of this induction class.”
While it’s not quite in the same category as Bob Dylan going electric, it will be interesting to see whether future Rock Hall induction ceremonies incorporate the documentary-style exhibited this year.
“It’s funny — this moment that we’re in with COVID allows us all to be a little more innovative,” Harris said. “Some of that innovation will probably have a lasting impact.
“Inductions may continue to have more of this documentary element or maybe there’s a hybrid with the live shows and the documentary style, but that’s to be determined.”