Thoughts On The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction

On Saturday, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inducted its five new members for 2009: Bobby Womack, Little Anthony & The Imperials, Jeff Beck, Run-DMC and the evening’s headliners, Metallica. As I wrote in a previous post, it’s unforgivable that the Stooges (and many other bands for that matter) haven’t been inducted yet. However, whining doesn’t do any good at this point. Enough YouTube clips of the induction have surfaced that I feel compelled to comment on those artists who did get the honor of being Hall Of Fame rockers.

Of course, Metallica got the most attention of the night. With droves of screaming metal heads filling the balconies of the Hall Of Fame museum (which is in Cleveland), James Hetfield, Kirk Hammet, Lars Ulrich and both surviving bassists Jason Newsted and Rob Trujillo (R.I.P. Cliff Burton) made their way on stage to accept their award. The usual humble speeches were given, thanking everyone’s respective families, spouses and friends. A lot has been said about Metallica being the first true metal band inducted into the Hall, but looking at these five well-dressed, smiling gentlemen, I realized how far metal has evolved since it began. Decades ago, people called it the music of Satan. Now, just like every other type of controversial music before it, metal has been accepted by the mainstream. Amazing how these things happen, isn’t it?

They followed the speeches with a version of “Master Of Puppets” that was so sloppy and so fast, it threatened to collapse in on itself. They were obviously having the time of their lives on that stage, but the music suffered mightily, losing most of its precision and control. Playing with two bassists also muddied the sound of the song. Worst of all, the performance showed just how weak Hetfield’s voice sounds these days. His old bark has been worn away by years of performing and the rigors of life, now sounding strangely thin and strained. Thankfully, they played one more song, a loose-but-enjoyable “Enter Sandman”. It certainly wasn’t a fantastic performance, but the band sounded much more comfortable performing this time, finding a nice groove and staying there. Plus, they got the whole Hall Of Fame audience pumping their fists in the air in time to the music. How fucking badass is that?

The other highlights that have found their way onto YouTube include Eminem’s speech inducting Run-DMC and an all-star jam session honoring Jeff Beck. The former is particularly fascinating, especially since Eminem seems like the most appropriate choice to induct the hip-hop pioneers. Without Run-DMC bringing rap into the mainstream awareness, the idea of a *gasp!* white rapper would have probably never happened. Em seemed suitably humbled to even be there, honoring his heroes, all while dressed in their trademark black jacket and fedora. However, in contrast to his strong, reverential speech, the horribly overblown Jeff Beck jam was a textbook example of overkill. Featuring six guitarists and three bassists, the collected musicians (including all of Metallica, Beck himself, Ron Wood from the Stones, Jimmy Page, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and finally Flea) ran through a demented version of “Train Kept ‘A Rolling All Light Long”. Let’s at least hope the performers were having fun.

(Any clips of Run-DMC performing or the other inductees being honored haven’t found their way onto the internet yet.)

PS: During his speech, James Hetfield read a list of bands he felt should be inducted into the Hall Of Fame now that Metallica has broken down the door for hard rock and heavy metal, including very deserving acts like Thin Lizzy and Motorhead. However, the Stooges were not on that list. Shame on you, Hetfield.