Eminem, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Eurythmics… The Rock Hall of Fame ceremony honors amazing artists

Rapper Eminem, country star Dolly Parton and synthpop pioneers Eurythmics entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday November 5 with a bang, the American pantheon of rock and popular music.

“I’m a rock star now“, launched the queen of country while getting on stage, fist in the air, sporting, at 76, a specially rock outfit: a tight black jumpsuit adorned with chains. She explained that she had initially refused this honor, not considering herself a rocker.”I hadn’t realized that in fact, it represents much more than that“, she said, before launching into a rock song written for the occasion.“I’ve still got rock and roll down in my country soul / and I’ll be rockin’ it til the cows come home” (“Got rock and roll in my country soul, and I’ll keep rockin’ ’til the cows come home“, she screamed, accompanying herself on a crystal-encrusted electric guitar for an impressive solo. Artists like P!nk and Brandi Carlile had previously joined her on stage to play some of her classics, including 9 to 5.

In a completely different style, rapper Eminem took the stage to the sound of his provocative My Name Is, before embarking on a medley of hits and more recent hits, with guests like Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and composer Ed Sheeran. His mentor Dr. Dre, introducing the artist, said he asked him what he wanted him to say about him at the ceremony. Response from the rapper known for his rarely politically correct remarks: “First of all I want you to tell everyone that I have a really big penis.“. The superstar – his album The Marshall Mathersreleased in 2000, is one of the biggest sellers of all time – built his career on his talent but also on lyrics that have sometimes caused controversy.

On a more serious note, Eminem, who enters the Hall of Fame at just 50 years old, the minimum age required, also spoke of his difficult start in life, with a complicated childhood and addiction problems. And he especially thanked dozens of other rappers. “They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well it took a whole genre of music and culture to raise me“, he launched. “I didn’t finish school, my education was hip hop, and those people were my teachers. (…) It’s their evening as much as mine“.

The Hall of Fame class of 2022 also welcomed pop and soul star Lionel Ritchie, also cataloged in a genre called soft rock. “Rock and roll is not a color, it’s a feeling, a vibration. If we let this vibration spread, the room will grow and grow“, he said to applause, before launching into a concert including many of his hits like Easy (Like Sunday Morning).

Eurythmics, the British duo made up of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, also offered the public some of their hits, including the classic Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)as well as the British group Duran Duran, with in particular Girls On Film and Hungry Like The Wolf. And Bruce Springsteen, who was there to introduce producer Jimmy Iovine, joined John Mellencamp on stage to pay tribute to rock pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis, who died in October at 87 and entered the Hall of Fame in 1986, to interpret Great Balls of Fire.