The initial list of guest performers and presenters for the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony have been revealed. The lineup of celebrities who will welcome the latest class of Rock Hall inductees includes such big-name musicians and celebrities as Elton John, Iggy Pop, Beck, Missy Elliott, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Olivia Rodrigo, and David Letterman.
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As previously reported, the ceremony will take place on November 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Other confirmed performers and presenters at the event include Brandi Carlile, Doja Cat, Questlove, Twenty One Pilots, The Pretty Wreckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen, Teddy Swims, Maxwell, RAYE, rappers J.I.D. and Killer Mike, and R&B artist/producer Sleepy Brown.
The 2025 Rock Hall inductees in the Performer category are Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden, and The White Stripes. In addition, Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon will be honored in the Musical Influence category; producer Thom Bell and session musicians Nicky Hopkins and Carol Kaye will be inducted in the Musical Excellence category; and producer Lenny Waronker will be welcomed into the Hall along with receiving the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
The Rock Hall induction ceremony will stream live on Disney+ at 8 p.m. ET on November 8. The event also will be available to stream on-demand on Disney+ after the ceremony finishes. In addition, a primetime highlights will premiere on ABC on January 1, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET. The special also will be viewable on demand on Hulu starting January 2.
More About the Rock Hall Ceremony and the Performers & Presenters
John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, issued a statement about the artists and celebrities who will participate in what will be the 40th annual induction ceremony.
“Each year the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony brings together the most influential artists in music today to honor their heroes who have inspired their music and careers,” he said. “These artists come from around the world to create lifetime musical moments that will live on forever.”
It hasn’t been revealed yet which inductees will be saluted by the confirmed presenters and performers. That being said, a number of the guest participants have connections with some of the new inductees.
For example, Elton John worked with Bell on a 1979 EP titled The Thom Bell Sessions.
Carlile, meanwhile, released a 12-inch single for the 2020 Record Store Day event featuring two Soundgarden covers that she recorded with the band’s surviving members. In addition, Carlile and Momsen were among the performers at a 2019 tribute concert for late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell. Momsen and The Pretty Wreckless also appear on the upcoming Bad Company tribute album Can’t Get Enough.
Letterman was a good friend and huge fan of the late Zevon. Dave After it was announced that the singer/songwriter had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2002, Dave dedicated an entire episode of The Late Show to Zevon, who was interviewed and gave his final TV performances on the program.
About the 2025 Rock Hall Inductee Exhibit
Along with the news of the 2025 performers and presenters, the Rock Hall announced that an exhibit dedicated to this year’s inductees would open at the Cleveland museum on October 31.
Among the items featured in the exhibit will be Lauper’s handwritten lyrics to her hit “Time After Time”; the outfits Meg White and Jack White wore on the cover of The White Stripes’ Icky Thump album; a 1979 Gibson Les Paul electric guitar played by Cornell; and outfits worn by Outkast’s members in the “Hey Ya” music video.
(Courtesy of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)
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