Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Music’s A-listers will celebrate the newest group of luminaries entering the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday — though several of the inductees, including Sade and Oasis, have opted not to attend. They join British rocker Billy Idol, rhapsodic hip-hop transformers Wu-Tang Clan, versatile rock star Phil Collins, English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, post-punk and electronic dance music renegades Joy Division/New Order, and the velvet-voiced late Luther Vandross in the performer class of 2026.
The Cleveland-based Hall of Fame — which surveyed more than 1,000 musicians, historians, and industry members to choose the entrants — will honor the acts in a star-studded gala concert on Saturday at Los Angeles’s Peacock Theater. But who will show up and who will perform remains iffy. Often inductees perform themselves — the evening can serve as a way to reunite the long estranged — or fellow musicians take the stage to showcase an act’s legacy.
Several of the 2026 artists have already said they’ll skip. Sade — the group whose sensual, captivating rhythms have endured as fan favorites for decades with hits including “Smooth Operator” and “No Ordinary Love” — said they were bowing out in a statement on their website. “Sorry we can’t be there in person to celebrate with the other artists. Please know that our absence takes nothing away from how much this recognition means to us,” said the group, fronted by the singer Sade Adu.
Britpop’s one-time feuding brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis — who recently announced a 2027 world tour — also declined to make the trip. Noel Gallagher is scheduled to perform solo in London. Liam Gallagher had previously voiced disdain for the institution, and earlier this week said in an X reply to a fan: “It’s too far to be going for the night.” Iron Maiden said they will miss the ceremony as they’re on tour in Australia.
– ‘Tremendous honor’ –
The two British rock bands Joy Division and New Order will get a rare joint induction. New Order formed from the ashes of Joy Division after the original group’s lead singer, Ian Curtis, died in 1980. New Order went on to pioneer the future of alternative dance, with signature tracks including “Blue Monday,” “True Faith,” and “Bizarre Love Triangle.” But it’s unclear which members will attend, or if New Order will perform.
Collins — one of rock’s great drummers, whose signature hits include “In the Air Tonight” and “Sussudio” — has said health problems will keep him from taking the stage. Staten Island’s own Wu-Tang Clan — the ragtag group of New Yorkers who paired raw production with streetwise rhymes and martial arts influences to create cinematic hip-hop that changed the game — recently wrapped a tour they billed as their last. The Clan — known for songs like “C.R.E.A.M” and “Protect Ya Neck” — doesn’t always appear at events or even on tour as a full unit, but receiving an honor from the Rock Hall could be an apt moment for a reunion.
Ahead of Idol’s induction, Los Angeles named Friday, November 13 as “Billy Idol Day,” making it seemingly likely the rocker who came up in London’s punk scene and put out radio hits including “Dancing With Myself” will attend Saturday’s ceremony. When his induction was announced, Idol called it “a tremendous honor.” Eligible nominees into the Rock Hall must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to being nominated. The Rock Hall also inducts new members with awards doled out by committees. Five artists will receive an “early influence” honor: Queen Latifah, Celia Cruz, MC Lyte, Fela Kuti, and Gram Parsons.
© 2024 AFP
