NEW YORK, New York -- The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted its seven newest members on Friday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The ceremony, which lasted for just over five hours, featured impressive performances by The Cure, Stevie Nicks and Def Leppard. Notable speeches were given by Trent Reznor, Harry Styles and Janet Jackson. Other moments weren’t so sweet. Here are the highs and lows of the 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Stevie Nicks gives powerful start Stevie Nicks became the first female musician to be inducted twice into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Friday night when she was inducted for her solo career. She kicked the entire night off, playing “Stand Back,” “Leather And Lace,” “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” and “Edge Of Seventeen.” Then, she launched into a rambling acceptance speech, talking about everything from her days in Fleetwood Mac to her current success. At the end, she made a joke about the scatterbrained speech. “If you ever need a keynote speaker, somebody to talk to a group of people, I am your girl,” said Nicks. Harry Styles and Stevie Nicks show off friendship Harry Styles and Stevie Nicks brought their friendship to the stage during Nicks’ performance of “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.” “I’d like to introduce to you somebody I’ve become really good friends with over the years,” Nicks said, before introducing Styles. “Tonight, standing in for Tom Petty, is Mr. Harry Styles.” Styles emerged wearing a bright blue suit and white shoes -- his first appearance of the night, since the singer had skipped the red carpet ahead of the show. The song, which followed Nicks’ performance of “Stand Back” and her and Don Henley’s warm performance of “Leather and Lace” was one of the most anticipated duets of the night. Radiohead’s induction was underwhelming Radiohead band members Ed O’Brien and Philip Selway were in Barclays Center to accept their Rock Hall induction, but the event was underwhelming without the presence of frontman Thom Yorke. Presenter David Byrne quipped a couple of jokes during his speech, and the band members provided some background during their acceptance speeches. However, the moment felt lacking for a band as influential as Radiohead, especially without a performance. Roxy Music reunion The Roxy Music performance was an exciting event for fans on Friday night. The semi-reunion with Bryan Ferry, Andy Mackay, and Phil Manzanera was the first time the band took the stage together since 2014. In total, the rock band shared five songs, including their hits “Love Is The Drug” and “Avalon.” Roxy Music’s influence on other acts was outlined by Duran Duran members Simon Le Ban and John Taylor, who inducted the band together. “They influenced the life choices of everyone who came into contact with them,” said Le Bon. “[Without] Roxy Music there really would be no Duran Duran.” Rock Hall Singles was a snooze Presenter Steven Van Zandt’s speech created confusion over how the Rock Hall makes decisions for its new Singles category when he said, “We don’t always choose the original versions. Instead, we chose the most iconic versions.” If that is true, why did they honor the Isley Brothers’ version of “Twist And Shout” instead of The Beatles’ catchy cover? Why did they honor The Shadows Of Knight’s version of “Gloria,” and not Van Morrison’s? With Van Zandt meandering through the six songs chosen in the honor, and the sound cutting out during the induction of The Shangri-Las’ “Leader Of The Pack,” the segment ended up being the biggest snoozer of the night. The Cure sounded as sharp as ever The best performance of the night was by The Cure. The British goth rockers cruised through “Shake Dog Shake,” “Just Like Heaven” and “Boys Don’t Cry” sounding in tip-top shape. It all made sense for a band that already has a summer schedule packed with festival headlining dates. The show followed a touching speech from Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, who talked about the band’s influence on his own musicality. “Immediately, this band struck a deep chord with me,” Reznor continued. “I’ve struggled my whole life feeling like I don’t fit in or belong anywhere. Hearing this, suddenly I felt connected.” Janet Jackson shines Janet Jackson didn’t perform, but she didn’t have to. Her star power was enough. The pop star’s moving speech went from her childhood to her present success. She didn’t shy away from talking about family, despite controversy surrounding her brother Michael. “In 1997, my brothers were recognized for their musical passion by being Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Jackson said. “I witnessed, along with the rest of the world, my family’s extraordinary impact on popular culture. Not just in America, but all around the globe. “As the youngest in the family, I was determined to make it on my own. But never in a million years, did I expect to follow in their footsteps. Tonight, your baby sister has made it.” At the end of her speech, Jackson called on the Rock Hall to induct more women in 2020. Janelle Monae, who inducted Jackson, shared her own appreciation for the musician. “Our fearless leader is one of the biggest selling artists in music history,” Monae said of Jackson. “This gifted singer, songwriter, producer, dancer, actress is an icon. She’s a bold visionary, a rule breaker, a risk taker and a boundless visual artist. Quite simply, there is only one Janet.” The Zombies’ sound suffered The Zombies had the longest wait of anyone to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame -- the band had been eligible since 1990. So, they deserved their moment. However, while the band’s induction was well-deserved, the performance was lacking. Colin Blunstone’s voice felt labored right from the beginning, making the opening rendition of “Time of the Season” unbearable. Even Argent’s brilliant keyboard work on the latter part of the song couldn’t save the day. But, considering that the song reached No. 1 in the United States exactly 50 years ago on the night of the induction ceremony, the band’s aged sound was somewhat understandable. Def Leppard brings the hits Def Leppard proved a proper headliner for the 2019 ceremony. Frontman Joe Elliott honored fans, family and his bandmates with a speech that spanned the band’s entire career. Def Leppard followed that up with a set list of its biggest songs, including “Rock of Ages,” “Photograph” and “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” which had fans standing on their feet as the five hour ceremony drew to a close.<doc-sep>Icons of Rock & Roll have gathered at the 2019 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and you can watch the red carpet live above. Some of the biggest stars in music are arriving at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and the carpet is hosted by television personality Carrie Keagan. This year’s inductees include Radiohead, Janet Jackson, Stevie Nicks and Def Leppard. RELATED: Michael Jackson To Remain In The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame The Cure confirmed earlier on Friday they will be performing at the event and will be inducted by Hall of Famer Trent Reznor. THE CURE ARE BEING INDUCTED INTO THE ROCK’N’ROLL HALL OF FAME TONIGHT AT THE BARCLAYS CENTRE NYC – THE BAND WILL BE PRESENTED WITH THE AWARD BY TRENT REZNOR AND WILL THEN PLAY A HANDFUL OF SONGS pic.twitter.com/pN4YNDdNF9 — The Cure (@thecure) March 29, 2019 Unfortunately, one person who reportedly will not be performing is Jackson. A source reportedly told PageSix, “she’s preparing for her ‘Metamorphosis’ residency in Vegas, so that’s been her focus.” RELATED: Janet Jackson Announces ‘Metamorphosis’ Las Vegas Residency Brian May of Queen made a special appearance on the red carpet with Def Leppard. “It is my honour to induct these boys,” said May. “I have known them for such a long time and I love them… They’re family to me. It had to be me. I wasn’t going to let anyone else do this.” You can watch the red carpet livestream above to see inductees The Zombies, Roxy Music and more.<doc-sep>When the news came out that Radiohead were entering the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, many fans thought they’d pull a Sex Pistols and simply not show up to the ceremony. “I don’t care,” guitarist Jonny Greenwood told Rolling Stone in 2017. “Maybe it’s a cultural thing that I really don’t understand.” Lead singer Thom Yorke felt the same way. “It wouldn’t be the first place,” he said, cutting himself off before finishing the sentence. “Don’t ask me things like that. I always put my foot in my mouth.” Bassist Colin Greenwood was the only one that found the idea of getting in exciting: “I’d be grateful if we got in,” he said. “Look at the others that have been inducted. I don’t know if everyone else will go, though.” But when the time actually came, none of the three showed up — not even Colin. (Thom Yorke said he had to be in Paris for a piano performance nine days after the ceremony.) But drummer Phil Selway and guitarist Ed O’Brien traveled to Brooklyn to accept their induction on behalf of the band. Here’s what they had to say after introductory remarks by David Byrne. Phil Selway: Thank you! So, first off, I think I’d just like to set the record straight. In the film, Thom said: Phil was the only drummer. I think what he meant was: Phil was the only drummer. So thank you. This is a real honor. And it’s particularly special that David Byrne has inducted us. As David said, we borrowed a band name from him 30 years ago and luckily for us he hasn’t asked for it back yet. I’d just like to say a little bit about what being in Radiohead means to me. It can be awkward and challenging sometimes. But I guess that’s what kept us all interested for the past three decades. I’m beyond proud of what the five of us have achieved together, and I know that Radiohead wouldn’t have become what it is without the five of us. I can easily place myself back in my first rehearsal with the band at the school we all went to, and that band is still very recognizable to me, whenever we play. We’ve learned all our musical chops together. Each new song has been like a lesson and our albums act as a chart of that learning process. We may not be the greatest musicians around and we’re certainly not the most media-friendly of bands. But we have become very adept at being Radiohead. And when that connects with people, it feels amazing. I’d never take any of this for granted, so thank you, thank you, so much. Ed O’Brien: I just want to say this is such a beautifully surreal evening for us and it’s very far from where we come from. But thank you for inviting us, inducting us into this Hall of Fame. It is a big fucking deal. I wish the others could be here because they would be feeling it. So thank you. Obviously a band like ourselves have a lot of thank-yous to make and I don’t want to spend the next 10 minutes name-checking everybody — although I’d love to — but you’d be bored. I want to thank our families, who encourage us to go on these musical adventures. Our kids, our wives, our partners. They let us go swan around the world doing our thing. I want to thank everybody who’s ever been touched by our music. For everyone who comes to the shows and participated — it’s not just us on stage, it’s everybody. We’ve had some amazing, glorious nights with you. I’d also like to thank everybody who’s worked with us. We’re a very blessed band. We’ve worked with some incredibly talented, inspiring people who not only do the best for music but the best for us as human beings, and that’s a really important part of Radiohead. But my biggest thank you is for my brothers, Thom, Colin and Johnny. All musicians know and fans know: It’s an incredible journey. It’s truly extraordinary. We’re not doing run-of-the-mill stuff. It’s amazing. We’ve been doing it for 34 years and are still doing it. I want to thank them for their integrity, their authenticity, their commitment. None of these things you should take for granted. I also want to thank them for the musicians they are. That thing when we play together; that collective sound that we make. Some of the nights we have in the rehearsal studio where they’re like transcendental moments. I thank them for that. But most of all I want to thank them for this deep, deep friendship. We could’ve done this without this love for one another but there’s such a deep, deep bond and it’s a beautiful thing. So thank you. I love you.<doc-sep>
The story of the night at the 34th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction was not about who played at the Barclays Center ceremony on Friday night, but who didn’t. Janet Jackson and Radiohead—two of the seven 2019 inductees, both of whom could have sold out the arena on their own — didn’t even perform. At least Jackson showed up to give an empowering speech about taking control of her family name and owning it for herself despite the long shadow cast by her older brothers, who were inducted as the Jackson 5 in 1997. “As the youngest in the family, I was determined to make it on my own…but never in a million years did I expect to follow in their footsteps,” Jackson said in one of the best speeches of the night (which followed a rousing induction by a Rhythm Nation-styled Janelle Monáe). “Tonight your baby sister has made it.” But Thom Yorke, frontman of Radiohead, didn’t even bother to show up, leaving speech honors to drummer Philip Selway and guitarist Ed O’Brien. Yorke, who cited previous commitments as the reason for his no-show at the RRHoF induction, has said that he’s “always been very blasé about that stuff.” Still, there were others who were not so blasé about getting into the Rock & Roll of Fame on Friday night. In fact, ’80s mope rockers the Cure seemed positively giddy about getting into the hallowed hall, delivering the most joyous set of the night, which included such ’80s gems as “A Forest,” “Lovesong” and “Just Like Heaven.” An emotional Robert Smith, still rocking the mascara after all these years, looked just about ready to give the lie to “Boys Don’t Cry” — which would conclude their performance — during his induction speech for the band. Opening the night, Stevie Nicks made history as the first woman inducted twice into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, getting in for her solo work after previously being enshrined with Fleetwood Mac. She kicked off the proceedings with “Stand Back,” wearing the original black cape from the 1983 video. Before bringing out surprise duet partner Don Henley for “Leather and Lace,” Nicks revealed that “this is a song I originally wrote for Merle Haggard and Jessi Colter, but they didn’t stay married, so I took the song.” Then she welcomed Harry Styles — the One Direction alum with the most promising solo career — to do the Tom Petty part on “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” her debut solo single from 1981’s “Bella Donna” album. “She is forever current, she is forever Stevie,” said a blue-velvet-suited Styles, underlining the cross-generational appeal of Nicks as he inducted her into the RRHoF. Next, David Byrne inducted Radiohead, saying that, “I was surprised and very flattered that Radiohead had named themselves after a song I’d written,” referring to the 1986 Talking Heads song “Radio Head.” Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon and John Taylor — getting the kind of screams from the crowd that made you wonder why their band hasn’t gotten their Hall of Fame props yet — paid tribute to Roxy Music. “The name Bryan Ferry has become a synonym for cool,” said Taylor of Roxy Music’s still-suave frontman. “Without Roxy Music, there would be no Duran Duran.” The Zombies, a ’60s British Invasion band that finally got in on their fourth nomination, were happy just to be there as they performed hits such as “Time of the Season” and “She’s Not There.” But although it would have been great to see another woman — namely, Miss Jackson If You’re Nasty — close the night after Nicks opened it, the final honoree was Def Leppard, inducted by Queen’s Brian May. While frontman and co-founder Joe Elliott laughed about “our misguided fashion sense over they years,” they proved that, though big hair and muscle shirts may not wear as well as they used to back in the day, their hard-rock riffs on ’80s classics such as “Photograph” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me” never go out of style. And hey, at least Def Leppard was present and proud to crank them out.