Rush And Heart Join The Rock And Rock Hall Of Fame

On Thursday in LA, at the 28th annual induction ceremony, Rush was introduced by Hall of Fame Chairman Jann Wenner whose mere mention of the words "from Toronto" generated a rousing two-minute-long standing ovation for Rush. Then Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters welcomed them into the Hall of Fame and performed Rush songs while wearing the band's 70s-era notorious kimonos.

A moved Neil Peart told the crowd "We've been saying for a long time that this wasn't a big deal. It turns out, it kind of is."

The band first became eligible in 1998, but were repeatedly left off the ballot list, much to the dismay of vocal fans. They gained entry after their first appearance on the ballot. 

During the five-hour concert, Peart, lead singer Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson launched into a rollicking version of Tom Sawyer to the delight of the more than 7,000 fervent attendees.

Seattle's Chris Cornell of Soundgarden inducted Heart, who came out of the Seattle/Vancouver music scene in the late 60s. Of their contribution to rock he said, "Somehow it never occurred to us that Ann and Nancy Wilson were women." 

For Heart, the induction was as much about feminism as it is about music.

"Our long and winding road has always been about the magical power of love and the enduring strength of family," Nancy Wilson told the AP. "We came from an era when women normally did not rock and women were not expected to be leaders."

Wilson, her sister, Ann, and their band mates rocked out with killer performances of Crazy for You, Dreamboat Annie and Barracuda, where they were joined by Pearl Jam's Mike McCready and Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell. According to Rolling Stone, "Ann Wilson absolutely nailed the kind of high notes that male hard rock singers of her generation tend to avoid even trying any more."

The show will air May 18th on HBO.