Rock & Roll State of Mind

Music has always been an integral part of my life, which is something I get from my dad; jamming along with Led Zeppelin sporting a bowl cut to dancing to Paula Abdul in stonewashed jeans - anything with a melody was on the table.

I've attended more concerts and festivals than I can even attempt to count (some I should probably forget, ahem, Billy Ray Cyrus WI State Fair 1994), but the one thing I've had on my list for years is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony held every Spring.

In January, halfway across the world at a hotel in Munich, I received notice that the pre-sale date for Rock Hall members had been determined and I would have a chance to finally nab tickets for the event being held in Brooklyn this year. After navigating the conference I was working, time zone challenges, technical difficulties, a panic attack, 12 tears and a thrown bottle of water - my efforts were fruitful. I was going, and I was taking my dad with me.

Cue Billy Joel

I've been fortunate enough to have been to NYC numerous times over the last 15 years, which meant we could take in the city at our own pace instead of pulling a Jessie Spano in order to cram in all 1200 tourist attractions in 48 hours. Naturally, we took a stroll past Electric Lady Studios - still haven't found a way in yet but that didn't stop us from trying. Prior to the trip I learned that the building found on Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti was located at 96-98 Saint Marks Place - just a few steps from Electric Lady! Much to our excitement, it looks nearly the same, only with a couple new tenants in the lower level - one being a tea shop aptly named "Physical Graffitea". GENIUS.

Early Friday, the day of the show, we were listening to a hopeful musician play his acoustic in Union Square when I noticed I had a text message from a local daytime radio personality. She had sought me out based on a comment dad had made on one of their Facebook posts about the HOF Induction Ceremony, and wanted to know if I'd be willing to chat with her! I obliged, of course, and my near 15 minutes of blathering (brevity is not my strong suit) was edited to a clean 60 seconds and aired at the end of her show.

Showtime

New York City has a plethora of options when it comes to transportation: cab, uber, Lyft, bus, bike, subway, or your own two feet - all of which require some consideration dependent on your needs and time. The quickest, cheapest and easiest route to Brooklyn from our hotel during the day on a Friday would have been the C train straight to the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn. No transfers needed. But, unfortunately I have neurotic tendencies. You say "straight shot on the C train", I say "walk 2 blocks to the C train, speed through a handful of stops, a jumper stalls the train at Canal St, the coroner is on a golf trip so the cop has to make our baklava (wait that's the plot of a Roseanne episode...), anyway we're stuck underground as the show starts and we miss it."

So we took a cab.

As we waited for the show to begin, I made friends with my neighbor from Pennsylvania. We'll call her Becky with the Binoculars. Becky spent the pre-show on the lookout for celebs taking their seats at the dinner tables on the floor, but could only point out Brian May of Queen, and Michael J Fox. I think Becky also needed bifocals.

Stevie Nicks

Shortly after 7pm, the lights went down and the excitement intensified; Stevie Nicks took the stage and set the bar really high for the rest of the night. After opening with Stand Back, the opening notes of Leather and Lace echoed throughout the arena and I knew what was about to happen. I was about to witness Don Henley and Stevie Nicks sing one of my all time favorite songs LIVE. In front of my face. And it was perfect. Ultimately the highlight of the entire FIVE HOUR show. After Don Henley exited the stage and my heart rate returned to normal, Harry Styles joined her for Stop Draggin' My Heart Around. He's no Tom Petty (RIP) but it was well done nonetheless. After closing out her set with Edge of Seventeen Harry presented her with the HOF award and she gave a very humble acceptance speech inclusive, of personal anecdotes from her five-decade-long career.

Radiohead and Roxy Music

A couple of Radiohead band members were on-hand (sans Thom Yorke) to accept their entry from David Byrne of the Talking Heads; Roxy Music (which I've dubbed the afterbirth of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars) performed a medley of songs from their catalog after being inducted by John Taylor and the always swoon-worthy Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran.

The Cure

Then, the sultry Trent Reznor of NIN hopped on stage to backhandedly insult the Rock Hall and its motives while simultaneously using the platform to poetically describe his life-long love affair with The Cure. What happened during their speech and subsequent set was probably the most surprising experience of the night for me.

I completely fell in love with Robert Smith.

The Cure is not new to me, nor is their bank of hits. But aside from laughing hysterically at the Wedding Singer reference, listening to their singles on the radio, and the best version of Lovesong - I've never devoted much energy to them. That definitely changed watching an incredibly awkward and uncomfortable, yet so gracious Robert Smith accept The Cure's induction. I was totally smitten, he was adorable. That seems like an odd adjective to describe a 60 year old man in a rock band, but it's truly the only thing that fits. I wanted to put him in my pocket.

Janet Jackson

One of the honorees I was most anticipating was Janet Jackson; my first cassette tape was Control and I've been hooked ever since. In October of 2001 her All for You tour stopped in Milwaukee and I was finally able to see her perform her massive list of hits and amazing choreography live and in front of my 18 year old, jaw-dropped-at-her-beauty face.

Janelle Monae entered the stage to induct Janet (Ms Jackson if ya nasty). To my visible disappointment she did not perform, only giving a short yet thankful speech. However, she did give a shoutout to Questlove of The Roots, who was in attendance, and whom I am a HUGE fan of. Bonus!

The Zombies

Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles brought on The Zombies, the group my dad was most excited for. Rod Argent, their immensely talented keyboardist, gave a lively speech which led to the band members taking their place amongst their instruments to kick off the short set with Time of the Season, a definite favorite of mine. Within the first few words, I realized how spoiled we are by the preservation of voice and aesthetic of so many of our veteran rockers, like Stevie Nicks who is SEVENTY. For perspective, I often think of my grandma who passed away at 70, and she looked like the Queen of England - I certainly couldn't imagine her twirling around in black lace and platforms.

The vocal performance by Colin Blunstone was...labored. Imagine if you will, Ethel Merman singing the line "what's your name, who's your daddy..." - it wasn't the soft, velvety voice from 1960's Colin...but it's what I would expect from a man who's been using his voice as an instrument for nearly 75 years. I guess I forgive you, Colin.

Def Leppard

Finally - Brian May of Queen, with his head of luscious salt and pepper curls, appeared to pay tribute to Def Leppard - which will eventually bring me to another surprising experience of the night.

I'm sure most people know of Def Leppard - not even the youngest generation has gotten away with never hearing Pour Some Sugar on Me. I don't know that I would have ever called myself a 'fan' of DL. I've heard all of their hits throughout my life, have even jammed to them live in concert at various festivals, but I definitely always categorized them as a cheesy 80s/90s band, never thinking there was much substance.

After Brian's recollection of his personal, and fairly heartwarming, history with Joe Elliot and Def Leppard - the band appeared. My expectation that they would be the flamboyant showmen they usually are on stage was totally off-base. Joe was completely authentic and humble as he spoke about the band's relationship, their music and the intense hardships they faced nearly three decades ago. Also, how can you NOT be super impressed by a drummer who kills it WITH ONE ARM. I definitely left that show having more respect for them as a band, and a much bigger fan.

Five hours later, after my ass had gone completely numb and I wasn't even sure if I had pissed myself or not, the show came to a close with most of the presenters and inductees together on stage with Ian Hunter from Mott the Hoople to perform All the Young Dudes, which would definitely be included in my highlight reel.

If music courses through your veins and affects your mind and body like a drug like it does for me, this is an experience you'll never forget.