8 Highlights From the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

On Saturday night in Los Angeles, music fans dressed in their best formalwear — or repping T-shirts from their favorite bands — converged on the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles for the 40th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Clocking in at a bit less than four-and-a-half hours, the event was one of the shortest ceremonies in recent memory, but the night packed in plenty of lovely, poignant moments.

In no particular order, here are a few of our favorites.

Salt-N-Pepa Bring the House Down. Anyone who’s seen Salt-N-Pepa live in recent years knows the group is still an incredible force onstage. And while the pioneering hip-hop trio were inducted into the Rock Hall as a musical influence — ushered in by an ecstatic Missy Elliott, no less — they gave one of the best performances of the night. The ladies boasted a full production that included a band, a fleet of dancers and guests: Funky divas En Vogue joined to sing “Whatta Man” while Kid ‘n Play and Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor added pizzazz to “Push It.” The trio’s subsequent speeches were just as galvanizing, as they shared they are fighting to get their masters back — and Spinderella noted she is the first female DJ inducted into the Rock Hall.

Cyndi Lauper Empowers. The legendary vocalist and activist used her Rock Hall performance to inspire. She opened her three-song set with “True Colors” and, at one point, raised her fist high as the Progress Pride flag unfurled behind her. Raye joined her for a moving “Time After Time” and then Avril Lavigne, Gina Schock of the Go-Go’s and Salt-N-Pepa added sparks to the effervescent “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.” Lauper’s speech also radiated optimism and empowerment, as she praised the artists who are following in her footsteps: “My shoulders are broad enough to have the women who come after me stand on mine.”

Outkast Get Their Due. Big Boi and André 3000 reunited on the red carpet and for their acceptance speech, inviting family, friends and collaborators onstage for their big moment. André noted he was going to “freestyle” his remarks and in the process expressed one of the loveliest sentiments of the night, shouting out Jack White and citing the White Stripes’ song “Little Room.” “We started in a little room,” he said, and started getting choked up. “Little rooms. Great things start in little rooms.”

The duo didn’t reunite for a performance—although Big Boi did a few songs, including a groovy “The Way You Move” with Sleepy Brown—but the medley of Outkast songs illuminated the duo’s enduring influence. Tyler, the Creator lit up the stage with an incendiary cover of “B.O.B.” and Janelle Monae gave “Hey Ya!” an avant-garde makeover before heading into the crowd and ending the performance laying on a table, legs kicking in the air.

Jack White Revisits His Colorful Origins. After a kinetic induction speech by Detroit legend Iggy Pop — who at one point led the crowd in a “Seven Nation Army” riff chant — Jack White gave a heartfelt speech that included remarks from Meg White, who was absent. (However, he noted that he had spoken to her in recent days about the speech, so she was absolutely there in spirit.) White, wearing a red suit jacket and white tie for the occasion, sounded nostalgic as he recalled the duo’s humble Motor City origins and name checked many of their influences (i.e., the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Dex Romweber and Flat Duo Jets, the Damned). White didn’t perform; instead, Feist and super-fan Olivia Rodrigo dueted on a delicate, acoustic “We’re Going to Be Friends” and Columbus’s own Twenty One Pilots bashed through “Seven Nation Army.”

Soundgarden Reunites. The one musical reunion of the night involved the surviving members of grunge-metal icons Soundgarden, who honored both their career and the memory of their late vocalist, Chris Cornell. Although their entire induction was incredibly bittersweet, the band (and guests) sounded incredible revisiting a pair of classics. Taylor Momsen roared through “Rusty Cage” with help from Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, while Brandi Carlile wailed on “Black Hole Sun” alongside Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell and original Soundgarden bassist Hiro Yamamoto.

David Letterman Memorializes Warren Zevon. With his usual brand of humor (“My name is Dave ‘Call Me the Breeze’ Letterman”), former late-night TV host David Letterman gave the best speech of the night inducting his old friend Warren Zevon. As he wrapped up the monologue — which was funny, sad, and fond in equal measures — he told a touching story about Zevon giftng him a guitar after the last time Warren appeared on his TV show. Letterman brought this guitar to Los Angeles and it had a prominent place onstage — until he handed it to the Killers’ Dave Keuning, who “put it back into service,” as Dave put it, for the band’s rousing cover of Zevon’s “Lawyers, Guns and Money.”

Two Lovely Musical Tributes To Music Superstars. The night opened with a surprise all-star tribute to Sly Stone that was led by Stevie Wonder and also included Beck, Flea, Questlove and several guest vocalists — highlighted by Jennifer Hudson crushing “Higher” with verve and aplomb. Later in the night, after the annual “in memoriam” section, Elton John sang a tender, intimate version of the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” in honor of Brian Wilson, backed by a small band that included Don Was on upright bass.

A Satisfying, Show-Closing Joe Cocker Tribute. Tucked away at the very end of the night was the induction of the late vocal legend Joe Cocker. The Tedeschi Trucks Band teamed up with Nathaniel Rateliff and Teddy Swims for the honor; the latter more than did justice to “Feelin’ Alright,” bringing a smoky, warm vibe to the song. This culminated in a final jam on Cocker’s sprawling re-do of the Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends” that included these performers, as well as Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson and Cyndi Lauper. This version was next level — infused with a transcendent spirit of gospel, soul and rock ‘n’ roll.