Rock is “More than music, more than fashion,” Joan Jett told the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 30th annual induction audience. “It’s a subculture of rebellion, frustration, alienation and the glue that set several generations free.”
The rocker, who was the evening’s first honoree, celebrated with a star-studded lineup of inductors that included Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, Fall Out Boy and Miley Cyrus, who noted that Jett is “what Superwoman really should be.” Bill Withers, who joined Wonder and John Legend for “Lean On Me” in his first public performance in years, called it “the largest AA meeting in the Western Hemisphere.”
Other notable moments: Patti Smith’s teary speech where she said Lou Reed’s “consciousness infiltrated and illuminated our cultural voice” and Leon Bridges’ performance of The “5” Royales’ “Dedicated to the One I Love.” Fittingly, the night ended with Paul McCartney joining Ringo Starr, the fourth and final Beatle to enter the Hall twice, on “With a Little Help From My Friends.”