U2 rock into Hall of Fame

A star-studded crowd filled the ballroom of New York’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel to cheer on the class of 2005. In addition to U2, the list of inductees included the seminal punk-infused rockers The Pretenders, R&B legends The O’Jays, iconic blues guitarist Buddy Guy, and ’60s soul star Percy Sledge. In the non-performer categories, the honors went to talent promoter Frank Barsalona and Sire Records founder Seymour Stein.
What sets the Hall’s induction ceremony apart from other awards shows is the group’s disregard for the structure — and strictures — of similar events. Each of the honorees is inducted by another artist, whose remarks run the gamut from the pithy to the poetic, to the protracted. Rod Stewart introduced Sledge, whom he simply called “a great soul singer,” while, for Barsalona’s induction, rocker and actor Little Steven Van Zandt gave a rambling speech in character as a mafia boss, complete with “Sopranos” castmate James Gandolfini by his side.
Guitar legends Eric Clapton and B.B. King did the honors for Guy, citing him as the inspiration for generations of blues and rock guitarists, including Jimi Hendrix. Pop singer Justin Timberlake inducted the O’Jays, while B.B. King and Eric Clapton shared the honor of inducting Buddy Guy, Robbie Robertson ushered in The Pretenders, and Ice-T’s inducted his old boss, record honcho Stein.
Bruce Springsteen welcomed U2 into the Hall’s exclusive fraternity, returning the favor of 1999, when Bono performed the same office for him. Claiming kinship with the Dublin band as a fellow Irishman, The Boss gave a lengthy and eloquent speech that belied his reputation as a man of few words.
“[U2] are both a step forward and direct descendants of the great bands who believed that rock music could shake things up in the world,” he said. “They dared to have faith in their audience. They believed that if they played their best, it would bring out the best in you.”
Describing Bono as “a great front man,” Springsteen noted that he’d achieved this status “against all odds.”
“He’s not your mom’s standard, skinny, ex-junkie arty type,” the singer said, laughing. “He has the physique of . . . an ex-rugby player. . . . And one of the most endearingly naked Messianic complexes in rock and roll.”
Springsteen described The Edge as “one of the subtlest guitar heroes of all time.”
“He’s dedicated to ensemble playing, and he subsumes his guitar ego in the group,” Springsteen said. “But do not be fooled. Think Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Neil Young, Pete Townsend — guitarists who defined the sound of their band and their times.” He also credited Mullen’s “elegant drumming” and the “deep sureness” of Clayton’s bass as the elements that “hold the band down while propelling it forward.”
In his acceptance speech, Bono joked that the evening resembled an Irish wedding.
“Beautiful girls, in beautiful frocks, fights in the bathroom,” he joked. “That’s what rock and roll is: the sound of revenge. So choose your enemies wisely.”
But it was not a night to dwell on enemies, real or imagined. “When we look out into the audience, we don’t see enemies, we just see friends,” Bono said. “This country has taken this band into its bosom, all the way, from the very beginning.”
Regarding U2’s longevity, the singer recalled three “Kodak moments” that stood out in the band’s 29-year history: frank discussions in Mullen’s kitchen in 1976; an onstage fistfight with The Edge in 1982, and performing under a death threat in 1987.
“Larry Mullen cannot tell a lie,” Bono said. “And his brutal honesty is something we need in this band.” Fast-forwarding to 1982, Bono described the second Kodak moment.
“There’s a punk rock band onstage trying to play Bach,” Bono said. “A fight breaks out — it’s between the band.”
Things quickly got messy onstage, as the singer and the guitarist began trading punches in front of an astonished audience. Quickly finding himself on the losing end of the contest, Bono learned a valuable lesson: “Do not pick a fight with somebody who, for a living, lives off hand-to-eye coordination.”
The third memory was the most somber. While touring in support of “The Joshua Tree” in 1987, the band had been vocal in support of establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Bono had received a number of death threats. One threat was considered so serious that the FBI advised the band to cancel a planned concert in Arizona. U2 insisted on going through with the gig.
“I’m standing there, singing ‘Pride [In the Name of Love],’ ” recalled Bono. When he got to the third verse, in which the lyrics refer to King’s assassination, the singer closed his eyes, knowing that this was the most dangerous moment of the night.
“[I thought], I’m excited about meeting my maker, but not tonight,” he said. “When I looked up, I see Adam Clayton standing in front of me, holding his bass like only Adam Clayton can hold his bass.”
“Adam Clayton would have taken a bullet for me,” Bono said. “And I guess that’s what it’s like to be in a truly great rock and roll band.”
When the speeches were over, the band performed a set that included songs culled from their extensive songbook: “Until the End of the World”, “Pride”, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” and their most recent single, “Vertigo.”
In interviews after the show, Mullen expressed reservations about the band being inducted at such a relatively young age.
“To be absolutely honest, I would really have liked this maybe 10 years down the line,” the drummer said.
“It’s a great institution, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But to quote Groucho Marx, I’m not sure I’m ready to accept institutionalization.”