Missy Elliott's performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame awards show was a testament to her talent and vision. She had the entire audience out of their seats for a visually and musically explosive medley of her greatest hits, including "Get Ur Freak On," "The Rain," and the closer, "Lose Control." The show was livestreamed on Disney+ for the first time and is available for playback now. Serious music fans will probably want to watch the whole thing, as this year's prospects initially seemed unpromising considering the absence of inductees Kate Bush and Rage Against the Machine. Other performances include Sheryl Crow, Chaka Khan, tributes to pioneering hip-hop DJ Kool Herc, Zelig-like musician Al Kooper, and "Soul Train" founder Don Cornelius. George Michael was inducted by Andrew Ridgely, his childhood friend and former bandmate in Wham!. A trio of performances followed, with Miguel starting with a strong "Careless Whisper," Adam Levine's mediocre "Faith," and Carrie Underwood's stunning version of "One More Try." The tribute video featured some hilarious quotes from Michael, particularly when he said the two records he first owned as a child were by the Supremes and Tom Jones, noting that his music was somewhere between the two. In the 1970s, American FM radio stations were filled with R&B artists, including the Spinners. New Edition performed three of their biggest hits, featuring Bobby Brown on "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love." Kate Bush was inducted by Outkast's Big Boi, who joked about feeling like the White House press secretary for her. The tribute video featured clips of Bush, testimonials from Peter Gabriel, and David Gilmour, who discovered her from a teenager. St. Vincent showcased the difficulty of singing these songs, demonstrating her bravery without trying to mimic Bush's intensity. Willie Nelson, a 90-year-old songwriter with a catalog that cannot match his, wrote his first song in 1940, recorded "Crazy" by Patsy Cline in 1961, and released 72 albums. He has made it all this way while being a marijuana smoker of magnitude. Nelson took the stage and played three songs, accompanied by Chris Stapleton, Sheryl Crow, and Matthews. His voice was slightly unsteady, but he gave a gracious thank-you speech and peeled off two solos on his legendary battered nylon-string guitar. Rage Against the Machine, which had a long-standing presence since 2000, reunited for tours during the Obama administration and a recent reunion due to singer Zack de la Rocha's knee injury. Their explosive influence was vividly detailed in the electrifying tribute video, Ice-T's introductory speech, and guitarist Tom Morello's acceptance speech. Morello noted that the often-feuding bandmembers have different perspectives on various things, including being inducted, but paid tribute not only to them but also the group's fans and the presidents of Chile and Finland. His speech concluded by exhorting people to make a difference.
