Rock 'n' roll held its first big summit last night in Cleveland - a historic, star-studded gathering that brought together the musical generations for a special night of music, fun and celebration at the Stadium.
Younger stars such as Bruce Springsteen, Melissa Etheridge and John Mellencamp performed with their musical heroes and paid tribute to the pioneers who blazed the rock 'n' roll trail in the 1950s and '60s. The pioneers themselves - Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Al Green, Aretha Franklin and more - were there, too, offering up their own classics in honor of the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
Berry, dressed in a regal white tuxedo, kicked the evening off with "Johnny B. Goode," backed by Springsteen and the E Street Band, who were performing in concert together for the first time in almost a decade.
Springsteen hung in the background, playing guitar while the duckwalking Berry, one of the fathers of rock 'n' roll, basked in the spotlight.
Theirs was one of several historic pairings and spine-tingling performances.
It was worth the price of admission just to hear soul great Al Green bring down the house with a stirring rendition of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come." The same goes for the chance to see New Orleans boogie-woogie piano master Dr. John pay homage to Fats Domino and Ray Charles with solo renditions of "Blueberry Hill" and "What'd I Say."
Or how about Franklin, the "Queen of Soul," dressed to the nines in a sequined blue gown, burning down the house with the house band Booker T. and the MGs and the Memphis Horns on scorching renditions of Otis Redding's "I Can't Turn You Loose" and her own big hits, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and "Freeway of Love"?
And then there was Springsteen and the E Street Band in a long set, paying tribute to Big Joe Turner and Bill Haley with "Shake, Rattle and Roll," Bo Diddley with a medley of "Bo Diddley" and their own "She's the One," and rockin' with the king of rock piano, Jerry Lee Lewis, on "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On."
Springsteen and the E Streeters treated long-starved fans to one more of their own tunes, a new live rendition of "Darkness on the Edge of Town." An overzealous young fan jumped onstage at the end of the song, grabbing Springsteen around the neck. As security guards rushed to rescue, Springsteen tried to call them off. "That's rock 'n' roll," he said.
The show, televised live around the world by the Home Box Office cable network, was mostly fast-paced and fun. The performers played on a two-sided circular stage that allowed one group to set up while the other was in the spotlight. There was also a third stage used for solo acoustic performances by Dr. John, Jackson Browne, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, and others.
With a few exceptions, the action was nonstop. Video clips of past rock hall induction ceremonies and classic rock performances were used to fill the gaps, along with other historical clips and tributes.
The pre-concert grapevine had everyone from Bob Dylan and Neil Young to Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton showing up for the gig.
As of midnight, Dylan was the only surprise guest, delivering an electrifying set that included such standards as "All Along the Watchtower," "Just Like a Woman" and "Highway 61 Revisited." Springsteen teamed up with Dylan on "Forever Young."
The night also featured plenty of interesting pairings and cool performances.
Mellencamp and his band delivered a rousing rendition of "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.," a musical tribute to the giants of '60s soul, including a few of the performers on hand for the concert, namely Martha Reeves and James Brown. Reeves, looking and sounding like she was ready to do a little of her own dancing in the streets, joined Mellencamp for a sultry take on Van Morrison's funky "Wild Night."
Rock's reigning female superstar, Etheridge, paid tribute to the pioneer girl groups of the 1960s, offering up smoky, rocking covers of the Ronettes' "Be My Baby," the Supremes' "Love Child" and the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack."
Hometown girl Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders scored with the crowd by opening her set with "My City Was Gone," which includes references to her home state and childhood home in Cuyahoga Falls.
Bon Jovi offered up an extended, Joe Cocker-esque version of the Beatles' "With A Little Help from My Friends," backed by Booker T. and the MGs and the Memphis Horns. Bon Jovi guitarist Ritchie Sambora gave the song a metallic edge, while Booker T. Jones and company provide the soul.
The group was then joined by a gray-haired Eric Burdon, lead vocalist of the Animals, who led them through a pair of the Animals' biggest '60s hits, "It's My Life" and "We Gotta Get Outta This Place."
The crowd of 57,000 got into the spirit of the evening, dancing on their seats and in the aisles and singing along to the songs.
The "Man in Black," rock and country hall of famer Johnny Cash, offered up a ride-the-rails rendition of "Folsom Prison Blues," then teamed with Mellencamp on "Ring of Fire." Browne kicked off his set with Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" and did a duet with Etheridge on the Everly Brothers' "Wake Up Little Susie."
One of the most electrifying combinations of the evening was delivered by alternative rockers Soul Asylum and punk pioneers Lou Reed and Iggy Pop. Pop joined the band on "Back Door Man," the Willie Dixon blues tune first performed by Howlin' Wolf and later popularized by the Doors. Soul Asylum gave the tune a hard, aggressive edge, and Pop, in top punk form, pranced around the stage like a punkish Mick Jagger.
Reed and Soul Asylum delivered that same in-your-face aggression on a rendition of Reed's great "Sweet Jane."
The show lost a little steam when Los Angeles singer Sheryl Crow took the stage, performing a rather tepid tribute to the Rolling Stones. Her laid-back covers of "Let it Bleed" and "Get Off of My Cloud" lacked spark and attitude.
But George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars got things moving again, getting down with Sly & the Family Stone bass player Larry Graham on funky, dance machine covers of hall of famer Sly's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" and "I Want to Take You Higher."
Hall of famers the Kinks followed, pushing the energy level even higher with a raucous take on their 1965 hit "All Day and All of the Night." Frontman Ray Davies performed the song in a Union Jack jacket, then switched to an American flag coat for a sing-along rendition of "Lola.'
Other highlights included Ann and Nancy Wilson on an acoustic version of Led Zeppelin's "Battle of Evermore," Robbie Robertson of the Band teaming up with Crow and Dr. John on the Band's "The Weight," and Bruce Hornsby's tribute to the late Jerry Garcia. Hornsby, who toured with the Dead several years ago, performed "Scarlet Begonias" and "I Know You Rider."
The show was still going strong well past midnight, with the crowd waiting for an all-star jam to cap it off.
Former WMMS deejay Kid Leo, now an executive for Sony Records in New York, started the evening's proceedings with a pre-concert cheer, paying tribute to the Clevelanders who rallied to bring the hall of fame to the city.
"This is the home of rock 'n' roll," he said. "Bar none, above all; Cleveland is the home of rock 'n' roll."
It certainly was last night in the Stadium.