We on Award Tour - 2006 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Aside from the Grammy’s, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is the most reliable awards show out there today, sorry VMA’s, it’s time to get Chris Rock back on the phone. This is obviously based on performances by the best of the best that get inducted each year and is very watchable no matter how much VH1 edits the show, chopping out performances and speeches.

Although in recent years I’ve worried about the show when the 80’s bands start becoming eligible, and with it’s twenty-five year eligibly rule, that came last year. But with last year being headlined by U2, this year was the true litmus test on how the Hall would treat the lean years. And without any marquee names releasing their first album in 1981 it looks like they went back and inducted some of the second and third tier acts that got lost in the shuffle the last decade or so. And you know it’s a bad year for the Hall when Bono or Bruce Springsteen don’t show up to induct anyone. Here are some more thoughts on this year’s festivities and inductees.

- The show starts off with a Wilson Pickett tribute led by Solomon Burke, granted not as good as the one at the Grammy’s. I hope this becomes a tradition where they do a medley of songs by any inductee that died that year. That would be more entertaining and better send off than the tradition Grammy’s “Those Have Passed” montage.

- Blondie is the first inducted with Shirley Manson of Garbage doing the duty. Unfortunately VH1 didn’t subtitle her like with Sherman Hemsley because I couldn’t understand a word she said except when she said in their career, Blondie did it with no ridiculous demand. Um, how about Debbie Harry refusing some of the original members from playing. That was extremely shady. Speaking of which, after seeing her perform it was easy to see Harry and her music really hasn’t stood the test of time.

- This year’s “Really? They Weren’t in Already” Award goes to Miles Davis. He should have easily been a first ballot inductee. If you don’t have Bitches Brew, then you just don’t like music. The best part of his induction was when Herbie Hancock told a story about, when backing with Miles, played the wrong not and Miles stopped for a second, then started playing again, turning Herbie’s wrong note into a right one.

- Lars and James of Metallica are next up to induct Black Sabbath including the clichéd “We would be here if it weren’t for…” And for some reason Sabbath themselves didn’t play even though they were all there instead Metallica went threw a couple of their songs including Iron Man. Is it wrong that I thought The Cardigans did a better version?

- Sting then came up to induct Herb Albert and Jerry Moss. Um, okay, next.

- Instead of a proper induction, Jann Wenner instead read the letter John Lydon of the Sex Pistols wrote on his thoughts of the Hall. Funny stuff, but they should have still should have given them an actual induction.

- Last in this year was Lynyrd Skynyrd, inducted by Kid Rock, thankfully sans Scott Stapp. The Hall really missed a golden opportunity by not have Neil Young, a multiple inductee and has inducted his fair share of artists, do the honors. With the induction of Lynyrd Skynyrd, it begs the question; can anyone above the Mason-Dixon Line name three of their songs? I have their Greatest Hits album, been two of their shows, and I can’t. Speaking of their live shows, either VH1 cut it down, or that was the shortest version of Free Bird ever at just over ten minutes. Usually that song clocks in at forty minutes in concert.

- Lastly, in lieu of the usual all star jam, at the end, there was the prerequisite New Orleans tribute that no award show could go without this time headed by Elvis Costello and Alan Toussaint. I like how Elvis saying he would not make an ant-war speech, actually made one. A nice Mardi Gras touch was added when the weird dude started throwing stuff into the audience. And the child of the 80’s cynic would ask why did they cover the song from Rain Man, but much like Costello, I won’t go there.

Just a quick programming note about the 9th Green, my usual Thursday Toss Up between Lost and Veronica Mars will be postponed due to my local UPN station showing the Cavs vs. the Bobcats game. Seriously, the Bobcats, it’s not like they are playing the Pistons or Kobe. But anyways. I’ll have my Toss Up as soon as I see the new Veronica Mars which will be no later than Sunday.