Rock Hall Induction Ceremony 2026 Honors Phil Collins, Rick Rubin, Queen Latifah and More

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony always has a surprise or two up its sleeve. This year’s model was no exception: Last night at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the show opened with a galvanizing live appearance from U2. 

Fresh off releasing a new studio album, Carnaval de Luz, the Irish band first ran through a politically pointed version of recent single “Silencio.” The band performed the song while surrounded by an intimidating group of soldiers, who held clear shields that said SILENCIO and did intricate choreography; it was a clear commentary on the ongoing waves of violent U.S. immigration enforcement. U2 followed this up with a typically solid take of one of their most political songs, 1984’s “Pride (In The Name of Love).”

From there, however, the four-and-a-half-hour ceremony largely put politics to the side and emphasized music, via a mix of heartfelt (and well-informed) speeches and live performances. 

The people chosen to introduce this year’s inductees were particularly well-matched. One-time Clevelander Trent Reznor inducted Joy Division and New Order — a perfect choice, as Nine Inch Nails once covered the former’s “Dead Souls.” Reznor zeroed in on how influential the bands were on modern artists, and shared how he also took inspiration, noting he watched the Jonathan Demme-directed video for New Order’s “The Perfect Kiss” over and over.

Oprah Winfrey gave a warm intro for Luther Vandross, praising his music and sharing some of his personal advice (“Girl, use all your good dishes for yourself”). The comedians also shined: Chris Rock gave a jubilant, hilarious speech to induct rap troupe the Wu-Tang Clan, while the Bob Odenkirk provided a brief, hilarious intro to Oasis. 

On the inductee front, Peter Hook noted, "I'm on my own, but I'm not alone," as he profusely thanked fans as well as figures who helped his music career, such as the late talent booker Ruth Polsky. Queen Latifah’s speech was also especially lovely. After first sporting a fashionable crown that matched her tan outfit, she went on to thank her parents, collaborators and inspirations along the way, and ended with a Maya Angelou quote: “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

Queen Latifah and fellow inductee MC Lyte — who also gave a fantastic speech earlier in the night — provided one of the show’s first performance highlights in the form of a collaborative hits medley. MC Lyte tackled “Cold Rock a Party” and “Ruffneck,” while Queen Latifah “U.N.I.T.Y.” Their appearance ended, appropriately enough, with an empowering “Ladies Night” featuring Megan Thee Stallion and Remy Ma. 

Phil Collins attracted one of the biggest audience responses of the night, starting with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker giving an incredibly heartfelt speech. Onstage, Barker is known for his brash technique; however, at the podium he was earnest and reverent as he detailed how he modeled his drumkit after the drummer and, after Collins came onstage, was incredibly sweet to his idol. 
Collins himself was overcome with emotion, expressing gratitude for his musical life; thanking his “three ex-wives” for giving him five kids, including his night’s companion, the actress Lily Collins; and at the end exclaiming, “You haven’t seen the last of me yet!” Fittingly, Barker then sat behind the drumkit and backed up Cynthia Erivo, as the pair completely crushed “In The Air Tonight,” transforming the song into heavy catharsis courtesy of an incredible Erivo vocal performance.

RELATED: The Rock Hall Opened In 1995 With One of the Greatest Cleveland Concerts of All Time

Rick Rubin’s induction provided the night’s levity. First, Neil Young gave an extensive, dryly funny introduction to the producer. Reading off a notepad with scrawled remarks, he went decade-by-decade detailing Rubin’s career trajectory (“It was the ’90s. Our man was busy”) and tore off pages as he spoke. Rubin, meanwhile, then gave a one-line speech — “You can’t kill rock ‘n’ roll” — and walked offstage arm-in-arm with Young.

One of Rubin’s most successful clients, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, then emerged to perform a ramshackle version of “Give It Away” in amusing Rubin cosplay: All four members sported impressive long white beards, the producer’s trademark. (Amusingly, the camera often cut to Rubin in the crowd, nodding slowly with approval.)

In advance of the ceremony, multiple inductees — including Iron Maiden, Sade, and Oasis’s Noel and Liam Gallagher — announced they weren’t going to attend. Additionally, the ceremony had to figure out how to honor deceased inductees, such as Luther Vandross and Joy Division’s Ian Curtis.

Smartly, the artists chosen to honor these absent acts opted against simply replicating their music. (Understandably, the lone exception was Usher, who unleashed some fancy footwork and solid crooning on a Vandross medley.) Stephen Wilson Jr.’s reverb-heavy, gutbucket blues take on Oasis’s “Wonderwall” transformed the song into something solemn and even hymn-like, while Sienna Spiro showed off some powerful pipes on Sade’s “Smooth Operator.”

An all-star tribute to Iron Maiden was note-perfect: St. Vincent contributed ferocious banshee-scream lead vocals and guitar on “The Trooper,” backed by Rage Against the Machine’s Brad Wilk, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo, and John 5.

Peter Hook, meanwhile, joined hard rockers Deftones and Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry for another highlight: performances of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and New Order’s “The Perfect Kiss.” Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno is an avowed new wave fan, and he brought both gravitas an exuberance. Mayberry, meanwhile, elevated the New Order song with effervescence.

Admittedly, there were some occasional bumps along the way. The Wu-Tang Clan’s acceptance speech appeared to be cut short, drawing heavy boos from the crowd; however, the group rallied for a seven-song medley that encompassed classics such as “Protect Ya Neck” and “C.R.E.A.M.” At other times, the show lost momentum because it was being taped for TV rather than broadcast live; as a result, there were lulls as videos were shown while the stage production was being turned over. 

And not every collaboration succeeded. No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal were ideal to induct Billy Idol. In fact, the former beamed while recalling a fond childhood memory: hearing Billy Idol blaring from boomboxes at the beach. Unfortunately, when Stefani joined Idol onstage to sing the mellower “Eyes Without a Face” she sounded wobbly and the duo’s voices didn’t mesh. (Idol himself sounded great on his other song, a snarling “Rebel Yell.”) 

A show-closing surprise appearance by Run-DMC and Aerosmith — who were celebrating 40 years of their groundbreaking collaboration “Walk This Way” — also started off shaky due to what appeared to be Steven Tyler either having mic or voice trouble. However, once Run-DMC came onstage, the intensity and energy picked up — and the magic of the song remained intact. 

At the top of the show, John Sykes, the Chairman of the Board of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, mentioned that the Rock Hall’s induction ceremony was returning to Cleveland next year. Given the museum is gearing up to open an extensive expansion, it’ll be a fitting return.

All photos courtesy Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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