Julia Roberts inducted the Dave Matthews Band into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, and shared, “The first time I ever danced with my husband was almost 25 years ago to a Dave Matthews Band song.”
“That was a winning combination as I have been swooning over my husband and this band ever since,” the “Pretty Woman” star added, also encouraging the Matthews’ fans at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, to “clap for swooning.”
“We’re not just fans. We are lifelong fans,” she declared as the crowd stood up and cheered.
Roberts credited the band for changing her life, and said she was “deeply honored to be a part of heralding these men.”
Fellow inductees Kool & The Gang may have one-upped Dave Matthews and his group in the fan department.
Viral video sensation Ace Morris, 3, and his parents flew from Michigan to cheer on the artists.
The young music lover was decked out in a bedazzled blazer, and was dancing and singling along from his seat to “Celebration.”
The excited kid also kept waving and saying hi when he saw Robert “Kool” Bell on the monitor.
Another inductee, Cher, even had him chuckling. The kid joined the crowd in cracking up when she said recording her hit song, “Believe” was “kind of bitch in the beginning.”
Unfortunately, he had to split before he could see honorees Mary J. Blige and A Tribe Called Quest because, after all, he’s “still on toddler time,” his mom said. (And the show was five hours),
Dua Lipa opened the show by performing “Believe”, before Cher joined her onstage.
Hollywood star Zendaya inducted the legendary singer in an outfit inspired by one of Cher’s iconic Bob Mackie numbers.
Cher, who previously snubbed the rock hall, said “it was easier getting divorced from two men than it was getting inducted.”
Cher also thanked her younger boyfriend, producer Alexander “AE” Edwards, and his son Slash Electric, who were sitting in the audience.
The evening was filled with emotionional moments.
Q-Tip, for example, held back tears honoring his late A Tribe Called Quest founding member, Phife Dawg, who passed away in 2016. The hip hop group accepted the honor with his parents on stage and family in the audience.
Comedian Dave Chappelle inducted the hip-hop pioneers and was also sentimental about the influence they played in bringing him back into the spotlight. “What you did for me… changed my life,” he said.
In 2016, “That night, you shared your platform with me and invited me to be on ‘Saturday Night Live’ with you… it brought me back to the television after 12 years in the cold,” he said.
Chappelle, of course, brought jokes, too, including making fun of the ceremony’s faulty mic, which had the crowd yelling throughout the evening.
Queen Latifah, Common and Busta Rhymes were a few of the hip hop legends to also honor the group by performing songs like “Check The Rhime.”
The crowd was delighted to see Ozzy Osburne onstage again amid his ongoing health issues, including undergoing spinal surgery.
Rock’s prince of darkness appeared on a throne to accept his award from Jack Black.
Billy Idol, Jelly Roll, Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan and Wolfgang Van Halen were among the rockers who also celebrated Osbourne onstage.
Sammy Hagar introduced inductees Foreigner. The band’s founder, Mick Jones, was unable to attend, so his daughter Annabelle Dexter-Jones spoke on his behalf.
Demi Lovato and Kelly Clarkson honored the band with Clarkson performing the band’s iconic ballad, “I Want to Know What Love Is.”
Big Mama Thornton, Alexis Korner, John Mayall, Normal Whitfield, MC 5 and Jimmy Buffett were inducted posthumously.
A “nervous” Matthews honored Buffett with an acoustic version of “A Pirate Looks at Forty.”
James Taylor was joined onstage by Kenny Chesney and Mac McAnally to perform “Come Monday.”
Blige, Dionne Warwick, Peter Frampton, and Suzanne de Passe — who was honored with the Ahmet Ertegun award — rounded out the other living inductees.
Teyana Taylor, who is portraying Warwick in an upcoming biopic, introduced the “That’s What Friends Are For” singer.
Warwick and Hudson then performed “I Know, I’ll Never Love This Way Again,” and Warwick also sang “Walk On By.”
Peter Frampton wowed the crowd with his famous talk box. He was joined by Keith Urban during his performance of “Do You Feel Like I Do.”
Roger Daltrey introduced Frampton, telling the crowd, “It’s about bloody time!”
Meanwhile, Blige gave the crowd a taste of her upcoming, “The For My Fans,” tour by performing a medley of hits including “Family Affair,” and “Love No Limit,” with Ella Mai and Lucky Dae joining her onstage.
The night ended with Matthews jamming as the crowd exited.
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