REM AND PATTI SMITH INDUCTED INTO HALL BY VEDDER AND DE LA ROCHA

R.E.M. and their musical inspiration Patti Smith were both inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame last night (March 12) at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Patti Smith performed “Gimme Shelter,” “Because The Night,” and “Rock And Roll N**ger.” R.E.M. was joined by Eddie Vedder for “Man On The Moon,” but before that Stipe and company played “Begin The Begin” and “Gardening At Night.”

Eddie Vedder’s lengthy speech included remembrances of the individuals in R.E.M. and the coming together of the group. In their acceptance speech, R.E.M. talked about the opportunity of entering the hall and said they were thankful for the honor and the other inductees.

[Vedder] “There are things I hold and feel deeply about inside here (points to his heart) that Michael Stipe put in there himself. What’s really incredible about this is that this all happens without ever being able to understand a f–king word he’s saying. By some strange power invested in me, right now I induct R.E.M. into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. [Michael Stipe of R.E.M.] “The honor of being here is heightened four times over by the other inductees this year. We bought and I still own Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five’s record in 1979. Van Halen provided the soundtrack, somewhere in the early ’80s I think it was 1984, the song of the summer which is a hard thing to do with the song ‘Jump.’ The Ronettes I’ve been singing their songs as long as I can remember…and of course Patti Smith.”

Rage Against The Machine vocalist Zach De La Rocha explained how Patti Smith is a vital part of socially conscious rock. In her acceptance speech Patti Smith said that people shouldn’t get the wrong idea from her expression.

[De La Rocha] “Patti once said, ‘I stand in front of a microphone, and I’m not afraid,’ and she remains just that, fearless. Fearless throughout her losses, fearless as a mother, fearless when she put the Bush administration up on the firing line for this illegal war and pulled her poetic trigger. Fearless in prose, and fearless in life, it’s my honor and privilege to induct Patti Smith into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.” [Smith] “I’m very proud to be here, and I’m really very happy. And if it seems that I’m not, it’s just that so many people that I love have a different seat. They’re a bit higher up. I know that my mom and my dad and my brother and Fred and so many people that I love are with us.”

The Fred that Patti was referring to was Fred “Sonic” Smith, her late husband. To help close the festivities Smith, R.E.M. and Eddie Vedder performed an all-star rendition of “Now I Wanna Be Your Dog” and stayed on for the finale “People Have The Power” featuring all the inductees. Also entering the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame were the Ronettes, Van Halen, and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Although the show aired live on VH1, a merciful edited version will air on VH1 on March 17.