David Byrne + the Roots Pay Tribute to David Bowie at 2016 Rock Hall Induction Ceremony
The 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn last night (April 8), and the Cleveland institution officially welcomed N.W.A., Deep Purple, Cheap Trick, Chicago and Steve Miller into its ranks.
The ceremony opened with a surprise tribute to David Bowie, who passed away at the beginning of the year. David Byrne, who inducted Bowie into the Rock Hall in 1996, performed “Fame” with the Roots and Kimbra. The latter two were supposed to perform the song during the recent Bowie tribute concerts in New York, but they backed out after a disagreement over equipment. The rehearsals didn’t go to waste, though; you can watch clips from their performance at the bottom of the page.
The Black Keys were also on hand to induct Steve Miller into the Rock Hall.
“A lot of Millers coming from Milwaukee, but only one of them wrote ‘Fly Like an Eagle,’ because cans of beer can’t write songs,” drummer Patrick Carney joked (via Rolling Stone).
“Steve Miller is a virtuoso guitar player,” frontman Dan Auerbach said. “He’s a visionary and a true musician is always focused on music. We’re here today celebrating Mr. Steve Miller because he is one of the most iconic and lasting songwriters of a generation. If you listen to the radio, you listen to Steve Miller.”
Likewise, Kendrick Lamar introduced newly minted inductees and fellow Compton rappers N.W.A.
“The fact that a famous group can look just like one of us and dress like one of us, talk like one of us, proved to every single kid in the ghetto that you can be successful,” Lamar said (via Rolling Stone). “A lot of people said it was too gangster. It was too much for them. But for me, it was honest.”
David Byrne, the Roots and Kimbra, “Fame”
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