Pearl Jam, Tupac Inducted Into Rock Hall of Fame

Journey and Joan Baez are also in the 2017 class
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 8, 2017 7:14 AM CDT
Pearl Jam, Tupac Inducted Into Rock Hall of Fame
Inductees Neal Schon, left, and Steve Perry from the band Journey appear at the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.   (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Seattle rockers Pearl Jam, the late rapper Tupac Shakur, and 1970s hitmakers Journey were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Friday night. Joan Baez, Electric Light Orchestra, and Yes were also part of the 2017 class inducted at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, which kicked off with a tribute to Chuck Berry, the AP reports. The new inductees closed the multi-hour event with a group performance, and before that Pearl Jam electrified with a performance of its well-known songs. David Letterman inducted the band, and brought a small guitar and letter onstage that he said lead singer Eddie Vedder gave to his son days before his late-night show ended in 2015.

Snoop Dogg inducted Shakur, a former label mate and friend. He said he was at the ceremony to make sure the rapper, actor and poet is remembered as a "strong black man that stood for his." Dogg also said it was Shakur who first gave him weed. He said to laughs from the audience: "That's right—Tupac got Snoop Dogg smoking blunts." Like Shakur and Pearl Jam, Baez and ELO were all elected in their first year as nominees. Baez, one of folk's most iconic voices, said it felt "cool" to be inducted. Steve Perry, estranged from the band for many years, did not perform with the current Journey members, but he attended the ceremony and embraced guitarist and co-founder Neal Schon onstage. HBO will air the event on April 29. (More Rock and Roll Hall of Fame stories.)

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