Pension transfers – Newspaper Kommersant No. 205 (7406) dated 11/07/2022

The 37th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. They were Eminem, Pat Benatar, Dolly Parton, Carly Simon, Lionel Richie, as well as The Eurythmics and Duran Duran. Special awards were given to producer Jimmy Iovine, songwriting duo Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam, singer and activist Harry Belafonte, rap producer and promoter Sylvia Robinson, blues legend Elizabeth Cotten, pop star advocate Allen Grubman and metal band Judas Priest. Tells Boris Barabanov.

The main intrigue of the ceremony of introducing new members to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is always revealed in advance. The list of the main characters of the evening is published long before the red carpet is laid out. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is located in Cleveland, but for the ceremony they choose places where it is easier to get to the most expensive guests. For many years the ceremony was held in New York, last year she briefly returned to Cleveland, and now, for the first time since 2013, she was held in Los Angeles, at the Microsoft Theater.

Despite the fact that the names of the recruits are announced long before the festive evening, it is still worth following the events at the ceremony. It is here that the stars reveal their plans and make loud statements, sometimes going far beyond the musical theme.

This fall, everyone is talking about the “cancellation” of Kanye West. After a series of anti-Semitic statements, Balenciaga and Adidas stopped working with the artist, and Twitter and Instagram blocked his accounts. In the latest news, according to CNN sources, Kanye West’s 2018 album “Ye” was being considered for “Hitler” as a working title. Thus, the whole world is actually watching live as the career of the most significant rapper of our time collapses.

The ceremony at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame added fuel to the fire. In a speech honoring lawyer Allen Grubman, country artist John Mellencamp urged all artists to speak out against anti-Semitism and “any form of hate”: “I don’t care if you’re Jewish, black, white, or whatever. I will say one thing: silence is a sign of consent, silence is complicity. Mellencamp did not name West, but the audience understood what he was talking about.

Another country music star, Dolly Parton, announced during a YouTube broadcast from the red carpet of the ceremony that she was going to record a rock album. This news was a continuation of a rather scandalous situation in March this year, when the singer demanded to remove her name from the list for voting for new members of the Hall of Fame, since she does not consider herself a rock artist. The organizers of the ceremony told her that the lists of nominees, in fact, have long included pop stars, country singers, and rappers. As a result, Dolly Parton did not just come to the Microsoft Theater, but announced that she would record her husband’s favorite rock hits, with whom she had been together for 56 years, and, quite possibly, would ask for the cooperation of one of the rockers present. At the end of the ceremony, she was already jamming with Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford.

Alice Cooper, giving a speech in honor of Judas Priest, said that their sound has become defining for the entire style of heavy metal. As for the voice of Rob Halford, there is no such emotion that he could not express. Judas Priest confirmed this with their performance, which, to the delight of all the metalheads of the planet, was attended by the band’s former guitarist Kay Kay Downing.

Before singing “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'”, “Breaking The Law” and “Living After Midnight”, Rob Halford saw fit to say, “I’m gay in a metal band. We see ourselves as a community where there is room for everyone regardless of appearance, sexual identity or creed. We welcome everyone.”

Lionel Richie said similarly: “Rock and roll is not about skin color. This feeling. This is vibe. If we open up the vibe, this hall will get bigger and bigger and bigger.” During the live performance of the black singer, the guitar solo was played by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters.

Other highlights from the ceremony included an inspirational speech by Robert Downey Jr. who greeted Duran Duran. The actor was shaved bald, but the fans did not have to worry about his health. The bald head is part of the actor’s image in the new HBO series The Sympathizer.

The predictable delight of the public caused the reunion of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. One of the most notable stars of the “Billie Eilish Generation” Olivia Rodrigo performed Carly Simon’s hit “You’re So Vain”. The age difference between them is 60 years. And the highlight of the show was Eminem’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was introduced by Dr. Dre, and then, after the opening of “My Name Is”, Eminem brought Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler on stage to perform “Sing for the Moment” with the chorus from Aerosmith’s “Dream On”. However, the climax was ahead. She became “River” with the participation of Ed Sheeran.

Eminem was the only new member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame whose career began after the 1980s. The rest of the heroes of the evening have been on stage for 40 years and more. Alice Cooper successfully spoke about this on the red carpet: “As my mother used to say, retired is expired”, that is, “pensioners are written off” or, in a more free translation, “let’s sleep off in the cemetery.”