For the first time, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will air live on TV. Compared to previous years when the special would air on HBO weeks after the ceremony, the 2023 event will broadcast live on Disney+. It takes place November 3 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center at 8 p.m. Eastern. A two-hour special will air January 1 on ABC with performances and highlights.
Elton John, St. Vincent, Brandi Carlile, Dave Matthews, H.E.R., Chris Stapleton, and New Edition have been announced as special guests. This year’s Rock Hall inductees are Kate Bush, Missy Elliott, Rage Against the Machine, Sheryl Crow, George Michael, Willie Nelson, and the Spinners. Other inductees in special categories include DJ Kool Herc, Chaka Khan, Link Wray, Al Kooper, Bernie Taupin, and Don Cornelius. Elliott, Crowe, Nelson, and Khan have been confirmed to perform at the ceremony.
Upon learning of her induction, Kate Bush released a statement saying she was “completely shocked” to receive the honor. Rage Against the Machine also made a rare statement as a band, thanking the Rock Hall and going back through their history leading up to this moment. Neither has been confirmed to attend the ceremony. Bush has famously never toured North America, while Rage’s reunion tour was cut short after Zach de la Rocha tore his left Achilles tendon.
This year’s ceremony will mark the first without Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner as part of the board of directors. Wenner would traditionally make a public statement at the start of the annual induction ceremony. He was voted out of the institution, which he helped co-found, following comments he made about Black and female musicians in an interview with David Marchese for The New York Times.
