Rock and Roll Hall of Fame includes Cher, Foreigner, Mary J. Blige, Ozzy and more: NPR

Cher, left, and Dua Lipa perform during the 39th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

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CLEVELAND — Pure pop rocked at Saturday’s Rock & Roll Hall Fame induction ceremony as Dua Lipa and Cher sang “Believe” before ceding the stage to a medley of rump-shakers by funk masters Kool & the Gang and rock classics by Kool & the Gang. Foreigner and Peter Frampton, and a powerful performance by gospel icon Dionne Warwick, brought the house down at 83.

Also among those joining this year for the five-hour concert: Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, Ozzy Osbourne, the Dave Matthews Band, and a posthumous tribute to Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Alexis Korner, John Mayall, Norman Whitfield and BIG. Mama Thornton.

“Where do I even begin? Cher is not just one person,” Zendaya said when introducing Cher. “Her name is as legendary as her legacy.” Zendaya noted that Cher, 78, is the only woman to have had a No. 1 hit on the Billboard chart. “Cher’s got the goods,” Zendaya said before the singer performed a rocking version of “If I Could Turn Back Time.”

In her speech, Cher said that she was inspired by Cinderella and thanked her mother for instilling it in her to always bounce back after defeat. “The one thing I got from my mom is never give up,” she said. “I never give up. I talk to women – we keep going.”

Julia Roberts helped found Dave Matthews Band, is a huge fan herself and appeared in the band’s video for their 2005 single, “Dream girl.” Roberts, who was wearing a band T-shirt, said the group’s appeal was “spontaneous abandon,” adding that the first time she danced with her husband was to a Dave Matthews Band song.

The jam band, with its mix of funk, folk rock, jazz, blues and pop, played “Ants Marching” — asking the audience to sing the chorus — “Crash” and “So Much to Say.” The arena was still full when they arrived on stage after midnight, and the crowd was singing and swaying.

Matthews embraced Roberts, handed out awards to his bandmates, and called the Class of 2024 impressive. “We are swimming in very deep water here,” he said. He thanked the current and former band members and the bar owner who gave them a home in Charlottesville, Virginia. When he thanked the fans, they responded.

Mary J. Blige speaks during the 39th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

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Dr. Dre hired Blige, who is credited with creating an entirely new category of music – hip-hop. The nine-time Grammy Award winner’s most famous song is “Family Affair” from her 2001 triple platinum album “No More Drama.” “When you listen to Mary, you understand that you’re not the only one experiencing heartache,” Dre said.

Wearing a shiny black hat, sparkly dress, gloves and tall black boots, Blige sang a medley of her hits, including “Love No Limit,” “Be Happy” and “Family Affair.” At the end of her set, a dancer brought a cape to wrap around her, in an echo of James Brown. She thanked her fans, her mother — a single mother raising children in the projects — Method Man and Dr. Dre, who helped her earn a Grammy and Emmy win. “Move with grace. “Trust the journey,” she advised. “You are worthy.”

Chuck D introduced Kool & the Gang, saying “This is a long overdue celebration.” The band has had 12 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including 1980’s chart-topping hit “Celebration” as well as “Cherish”, “Get Down On It”, “Jungle Boogie” and “Ladies Night” “And “Joanna”. They have been eligible for the Hall since 1994.

The Roots helped the band do a variety of songs that thrilled the crowd, led by Robert “Cole” Bell – guitarist, co-founder and last original member – and longtime singer James “JT” Taylor. Confetti shot into the arena and Taylor asked the audience to use their cell phone lights as he read out the names of 10 members who were crucial to the band’s success.

Robert “Kool” Bell of Kool & the Gang performs during the 39th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

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Warwick arrived at the ceremony just a few days after attending a memorial service for her friend and longtime collaborator, Cissy Houston, in Newark, New Jersey. Teyana Taylor called her “truly one of a kind” as well as chastising the teleprompter operator for not putting “Ms.” Before her name. Jennifer Hudson sang “I’ll Never Love This Way Again” and was joined by Warwick, who also sang “Walk On By.”

Warwick said this year was the third time she has been nominated for the hall. “I’m so happy to be here,” she said. “I’ll say this and get off the stage: Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Dave Chappelle helped introduce A Tribe Called Quest — Q-Tip, Jarobi, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and the late Phife Dawg — the only hip-hop group to find success this year. Chappelle said the group fused “jazz and soul in a way that hip-hop had never seen before” and they also proved that it could be “cool and not necessarily gangster.” Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes, Common, The Roots, and De La Soul were on hand to perform a variety of hits from Tribe, including “Bonita Applebum” and “Scenario.” and “Can I Kick It?”

Sammy Hagar presented the film Foreigner, and thanked their fans for their persistence in demanding inclusion. The English-American rock band — which had hits like “Cold as Ice” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You” — topped the charts in the 1970s and 1980s, but never made it to the Hall — let alone the ballot — until last year. Despite being qualified for over 20 years.

Hagar noted that Foreigner is currently touring without any original members. “That’s how good the songs are,” he said. “Who deserves this more than a foreigner?” Demi Lovato and Slash joined the foreign tour for “Feels Like the First Time,” and Hagar then took the lead on “Hot Blooded.” Kelly Clarkson was thrilled with “I Wanna Know What Love Is” but the scene erupted when original singer Lou Gramm joined in. Gram thanked guitarist Mick Jones, who missed New York due to Parkinson’s disease.

The induction ceremony was held Saturday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, where the hall has promised to return every few years. A TV special with highlights will air on ABC on January 1.

Jack Black, left, and Ozzy Osbourne appear during the 39th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

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Roger Daltrey of The Who recruited Frampton. “It’s bloody time!” He said. “Peter has had an absolutely amazing career. It’s probably easier to name the people he hasn’t worked with than the people he has worked with,” Daltrey said.

Frampton made his way into the Hall largely on the strength of his 1976 live double album “Frampton Comes Alive!”, bolstered by the hits “Show Me the Way” and “Baby, I Love Your Way.” Daltrey noted that Frampton always played with a big smile.

A smiling Frampton — who played at last year’s concert honoring Sheryl Crow — brought out Keith Urban to trade licks on “Do You Feel Like I Do” and showed why he’s considered one of rock’s great guitarists. He delivered his famous talking box effect and the crowd cheered. “I’m really a lucky guy to have such an amazing career,” he said, thanking David Bowie for reviving his career after it had imploded.

Dave Matthews — before his band was tempted — helped honor Buffett with an acoustic version of the late singer-songwriter’s song “A Pirate Looks at Forty.” Then James Taylor came out to describe Buffett — who popularized soft rock on the beach with the escapism song “Margaritaville” — as “larger than life but at the same time just right in size and always authentic.” Taylor, Kenny Chesney, and Mac McNally then performed Buffett’s song “Come Monday.”

Actor-musician Jack Black toasted Osbourne, saying that “heaven opened up above me” when he first listened to the “Blizzard of Ozz” album. Black called Osbourne “the Jack Nicholson of rock” and joked that his reality TV show “Osbourne” was perhaps “the most evil thing he’s ever done.”

Sitting on the throne, Osbourne credited the late guitarist Randy Rhoads and his wife, Sharon, for their career and life. This is the second time Ozzy has been inducted into the hall, the first time being in 2006 with metal band Black Sabbath, a tribute band to the Prince of Darkness – including Jelly Roll, Billy Idol, Maynard James Keenan, Wolfgang Van Halen and Steve. Stevens, Robert Trujillo and Chad Smith – played “Crazy Train”, “Mama, I’m Coming Home” and “No More Tears”.

The In Memoriam section included tributes to, among others, Kris Kristofferson, Cissy Houston, David Sanborn, and Liam Payne. The Dave Matthews Band performed “Burning Down the House” as fans walked out.