Special includes performance tributes to Tom Petty and Chris Cornell

Bon Jovi, The Cars, Nina Simone, The Moody Blues, Dire Straits and Sister Rosetta Tharpe are the inductees in the exclusive HBO special 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, debuting Saturday, May 5th from 8-11 pm ET/PT. This year’s ceremony boasted a star-studded array of guests and presenters, including May J. Blige, Jerry Cantrell, Felicia Collins, Andra Day, Brandon Flowers, Brittany Howard, Questlove, Paul Shaffer, Howard Stern, Steven Van Zandt and Ann Wilson.

The special will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and partners’ streaming portals.

The 33nd annual induction ceremony took place April 14th at The Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio. The HBO special spotlights some of the most memorable names in music through special reunions, touching tributes and heartfelt speeches from both presenters and inductees.

This year’s ceremony features:

  • The Cars
    Induction: Brandon Flowers
    Performance: The Cars perform “Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend’s Girl” and “You Might Think.”
  • Sister Rosetta Tharpe
    Induction: Brittany Howard
    Performance: Brittany Howard performs “That’s All” with Paul Shaffer, Felicia Collins and Questlove.
  • Dire Straits
    Induction: Dire Straits
  • Nina Simone
    Induction: Mary J. Blige
    Performance: Andra Day performs “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” and “I Put a Spell on You” with Questlove, The Roots and Paul Shaffer. Ms. Lauryn Hill performs “Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair,” “I Ain’t Got No, I Got Life” and “Feeling Good.”
  • The Moody Blues
    Induction: Ann Wilson
    Performance: The Moody Blues perform “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock And Roll Band),” “Nights in White Satin” and “Ride My See-Saw.”
  • Bon Jovi with Richie Sambora and Alec John Such
    Induction: Howard Stern
    Performance: Bon Jovi performs “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “When We Were Us” and “Living on a Prayer.”

The ceremony opens with “American Girl,” a tribute to Tom Petty performed by The Killers. Chris Cornell is remembered in a performance of “Black Hole Sun” by Ann Wilson and Jerry Cantrell.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was established by legendary record executive Ahmet Ertegun and a group of music business executives to honor the artists who have defined rock and roll and have inspired and continue to inspire a generation. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. is the nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum designed by I.M. Pei in Cleveland, Ohio that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives, as well as educational programs. For further information, visit rockhall.com.

This year’s special marks the seventh year HBO has presented the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The network also presented the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 25th and 30th anniversaries in 2009 and 2014, and a concert spectacular celebrating the opening of the museum in Cleveland in 1995.

2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is produced by Playtone and Line By Line Productions; executive producers, Jann Wenner, Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Joel Peresman; co-executive producer, Frank Garritano; supervising producer, Barbra Dannov; Alex Coletti produces and directs.