Mellencamp and Springsteen to Take Part in Rock Hall Ceremony
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame chairman John Sykes has confirmed a slew of all-star participants for this year's induction ceremony, including John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen.
The event, which will take place on Saturday at Los Angeles' Microsoft Theater, will welcome Duran Duran, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics, Carly Simon, Eminem, Dolly Parton and Lionel Richie into the Hall via the performer class. Metal legends Judas Priest, meanwhile, will receive this year's Musical Excellence Award.
"The surprises are going to be fun, we can say that," Sykes told Forbes. "But there will be guests that are gonna be on as we've said it: Olivia Rodrigo, Alanis Morissette, Maren Morris, Zac Brown. There'll be a lot of guests. You'll just have to watch on HBO [on] Nov. 19. You have to see what exact songs they play." Sykes also said this year's inductees will be ushered into the Hall by an A-list group of inductors, who "range from some of the biggest artists in the history of music, from Bruce Springsteen to John Mellencamp, to the Edge, to Pink, to Sheryl Crow and others. So not only are the inductees legendary but so are the iconic inductors."
The chairman also addressed the somewhat controversial inclusion of Parton, who initially bowed out of her Rock Hall nomination for fear that she had not earned the right to induction. (She later said she would "accept gracefully" if inducted.) "When we heard from Dolly originally that she felt uncomfortable accepting the award because she wasn't a rock artist, we explained to her the history and the lineage of rock 'n' roll," Sykes said. "And she came around quickly to understand it, that there was a place for her.
"She just felt at the beginning that she wasn't a rock artist. And when she understood what the true meaning of rock 'n' roll is, then she embraced it and is going to not only attend the ceremony, but she's making a rock 'n' roll album and is going to debut a song, specifically from that record at the ceremony."
The entire Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2022 induction ceremony will air on HBO on Nov. 19.