George Rose/Getty Images
If you happened to catch The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert on HBO in November, you might be itching for more. After all, it was a rip-roaring, four-hour event with an artist roster conceived in classic rock heaven.
Well, don't expect that kind of talent constellation at tonight's 2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (Fuse, 8:30 p.m. ET). But with five new groups/artists (along with six music industry figures) gaining entrance to the club, you'll get a glimpse at who else might be hitting the stage for the 30th anniversary concert, anyway.
And don't get me wrong: Some great acts are performing. Out of the five artist inductees—The Hollies, The Stooges, Jimmy Cliff, Genesis and ABBA—three will take the stage to play tonight. (Genesis and ABBA won't have all band members present, so neither will play as a group.)
And there's a random mix of other artists helping to put on the show, from country-pop icon Faith Hill; to 60's-era, girl group crooner Ronnie Spector; to mellow rocker Chris Isaak. Others set to play: The Animals' Eric Burdon, J Geils Band's Peter Wolf, Train's Pat Monahan, Maroon 5's Adam Levine and Jesse Carmichael, and Fefe Dobson. Producers haven't divulged who's singing what, but naturally they'll all pay tribute to the inductees.
Speaking of said newbies, this year's honorees are light on females, as usual. Only two women—Frida Lyngstad and Agnetha Faltskog of ABBA—are among the artists being inducted tonight. Out of the roughly 200 artist inductees currently in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Lyngstad and Faltskog have put the number of women up to…merely 29. (For the record, this fact pertains to the artists, and not the executives, writers and other music industry figures who get in.) At least female recording artists fared better than they did last year, when no women got in.
Here's a quick look at this year's artist inductees and the people who will honor them:
The Swedish pop group ABBA will be inducted by Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb (of the BeeGees).
Two members of the quartet, which split up in the early eighties, will attend the ceremony: Benny Andersson and ex-wife Lyngstad. But only Andersson will perform—possibly along with Faith Hill, who's doing ABBA tunes, according to Rolling Stone.
Genesis will be inducted by Trey Anastasio (of Phish).
The British rock group was fronted by Peter Gabriel until 1975, when Phil Collins took over lead vocals. Gabriel's skipping tonight's ceremony—he's preparing for an upcoming tour--but Collins and his bandmates should be there.
Jamaican reggae icon Jimmy Cliff will be inducted by Wyclef Jean.
After Bob Marley, he's the second reggae artist to get in.
The British pop-rock group The Hollies will be inducted by Steve Van Zandt.
"I'm already in the Hall of Fame with Crosby, Still and Nash, of course, of which I'm grateful, but this is really an honor for my first band," Graham Nash told Rolling Stone.
Seminal punk rock band The Stooges will be inducted by Billie Joe Armstrong (of Green Day).
Since they'd been nominated seven times without success, lead singer Iggy Pop said, "My first thought was, 'Okay — now what are they going to do to kick us out?'" The band will play what Iggy describes as "our two big hits."
Which artists are you looking forward to seeing at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony?
