Go Backstage at the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

On Oct. 30 in Cleveland, a seriously A-list group of musicians came together to celebrate the latest additions to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Watch the ceremony and concert on Nov. 20 on HBO

01 of 15

Carole King

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Kevin Mazur/Getty

Taylor Swift kicked off the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony in Cleveland on Oct. 30 with a rendition of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" in tribute to inductee King, who originally co-wrote and performed the song.

In addition to Swift, Jennifer Hudson performed at the iconic musician's induction. King herself also graced the stage with a performance of "You've Got a Friend."

The star-studded ceremony airs on Saturday, Nov. 20, on HBO.

02 of 15

Dr. Dre & Eminem

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Kevin Mazur/Getty

The longtime collaborators reunited backstage at Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage Field House. Dre introduced inductee LL Cool J, and Em made a surprise appearance during LL's set.

03 of 15

Christina Aguilera

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Kevin Mazur/Getty

Xtina was part of the celebration of Tina Turner, wearing a T-shirt with the legend's face on it to belt "River Deep Mountain High."

04 of 15

JAY-Z & Drew Barrymore

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Kevin Mazur/Getty

Barrymore came out to introduce the Go-Go's, while Hova was feted as an inductee.

05 of 15

H.E.R. & Keith Urban

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Urban stepped in with H.E.R. last-minute to honor Tina Turner with "It's Only Love," after scheduled performer Bryan Adams had to pull out due to a positive COVID-19 test.

06 of 15

Angela Bassett

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Michael Loccisano/Getty

The esteemed actress helped induct Tina Turner, telling the crowd, "What brings us here tonight is Tina's journey to independence. For Tina, hope triumphed over hate, faith over fear, and ambition eclipsed adversity."

07 of 15

Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman, Carole King & Taylor Swift

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Kevin Mazur/Getty

Kidman joined her husband, Swift and honoree King backstage.

08 of 15

LL Cool J

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
DUSTIN FRANZ/AFP/Getty

The rapper celebrated his induction with some namesake bling — and his brand new hardware.

09 of 15

Dave Grohl & Sir Paul McCartney

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Kevin Mazur/Getty

To be a fly on the wall! The rockers had an animated chat before McCartney induced Grohl's band, The Foo Fighters.

10 of 15

Lionel Richie & Clarence Avant

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Kevin Mazur/Getty

Richie presented the 90-year-old music exec with the Ahmet Ertegun Award after a one-minute standing ovation, calling him the "Black godfather" and touching on his support of Black artists within the music industry. "He was the one that brought us to some understanding to what the music business is all about," Richie said. "He taught us how to make things happen when the record companies didn't understand what we were about. He made the record companies understand who we were."

11 of 15

Sir Paul McCartney

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

"I mean, it's not just any Hall of Fame, it's the f---ing Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," Beatles legend McCartney said as he inducted The Foo Fighters, paralleling the ups and downs of his career with those of frontman Grohl. Later on, he joined the band for a rousing performance of "Get Back."

12 of 15

Jennifer Lopez

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Kevin Mazur/Getty

Lopez popped in on LL Cool J's performance, joining him for a rendition of their hit 2002 duet "All I Have."

13 of 15

The Go-Go's & Sir Paul McCartney

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Kevin Mazur/Getty

Rock royalty met pop royalty backstage, as McCartney hung with (from left) Belinda Carlisle, Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine, Gina Schock and Jane Wiedlin.

14 of 15

Drew Barrymore

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Kevin Mazur/Getty

Introducing The Go-Go's, the actress got lots of laughs when she slathered on face cream and wrapped herself in towels recalling the Beauty and the Beat album cover. "I spent hours looking at ... the back side, all of them in the bathtub, the coolest girls in the world taking a spa day in cool girl heaven. This is a true love letter from their biggest fan."

15 of 15

LL Cool & & JAY-Z

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

The rap legends and inductees had a laugh together backstage.

Related Articles