{"id":273894,"date":"2025-11-09T19:56:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T19:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/273894\/"},"modified":"2025-11-09T19:56:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T19:56:10","slug":"cyndi-lauper-salt-n-pepa-shake-rock-hall-of-fame-induction-with-epic-band-of-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/273894\/","title":{"rendered":"Cyndi Lauper, Salt-N-Pepa shake Rock Hall of Fame induction with epic ‘band of women’"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES \u2212 The girls weren\u2019t just having fun at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction;<\/a> they stole the stage.<\/p>\n

Toward the end of the 4\u00bd-hour-long ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 8, inductee Cyndi Lauper<\/a> skipped through a vibrant and touching set that included her LGBTQ+ anthem \u201cTrue Colors\u201d<\/a> and, with the British singer Raye, the eternally beautiful “Time After Time.”<\/p>\n

Then Lauper really started to romp in Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater, hitting \u201cGirls Just Want to Have Fun\u201d with a lineup of women that included Avril Lavigne on vocals. As the crowd roared, fellow inductees Salt-N-Pepa<\/a> rushed the stage to join the joyful anthem.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee what happens when you let the riff-raff in?\u201d Lauper said, accepting the honor after thanking her “badass band of women.”<\/p>\n

Salt-N-Pepa get candid in speech: ‘The industry doesn’t want to play fair’<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Cyndi<\/p>\n

Cyndi Lauper (second from left) with Sandra Denton, DJ Spinderella and Cheryl James of Salt-N-Pepa perform “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Los Angeles on Nov. 8, 2025.<\/p>\n

It was, unequivocally, ladies’ night, with Chappell Roan<\/a> presenting the award to Lauper (“My lifelong inspiration”) and Olivia Rodrigo<\/a> singing along vociferously from the audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that I stand on the shoulders of the women in the industry who came before me. And my shoulders are broad enough to have the women who come after me stand on mine,\u201d Lauper said during her speech, adding, \u201cThe little kid in me still believes that rock \u2018n\u2019 roll can save the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauper also proved her MVP status during the show\u2019s finale, a gut-bellowing version of fellow inductee Joe Cocker\u2019s \u201cWith a Little Help From My Friends” with Susan Tedeschi, Bryan Adams, Chris Robinson, Nathaniel Rateliff and Teddy Swims.<\/p>\n

See the best performance pics from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction<\/p>\n

1 of 15<\/p>\n

The 2025 class also included The White Stripes (Meg White was absent, but Jack White shared her comments), Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Outkast, Soundgarden and Cocker in the performer category.<\/p>\n

Salt-N-Pepa<\/a>, along with the late Warren Zevon, were recognized with the musical influence award. Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins and Carol Kaye landed musical excellence honors. Producer and record executive Lenny Waronker received the Ahmet Ertegun Award.<\/p>\n

Here are more highlights from the show, which aired live on Disney+. A streamlined version will air Jan. 1 on ABC and be available the next day on Hulu.<\/p>\n

\"Sandra<\/p>\n

Sandra Denton (Pepa) and Cheryl James (Salt) of Salt-N-Pepa perform onstage during the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.<\/p>\n

Salt-N-Pepa is fighting for the rap group’s master recordings<\/p>\n

Cheryl \u201cSalt\u201d James, along with Sandra \u201cPepa\u201d Denton, celebrated being the first female rap group inducted into the Rock Hall, alongside formerly estranged member DJ Deidra \u201cSpinderella\u201d Roper, the first female DJ inducted.<\/p>\n

In her speech, James said the group is fighting to reclaim its master recordings from Universal Music Group.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we celebrate this, kids can\u2019t even stream our music. It\u2019s been taken off every streaming platform because the industry still doesn\u2019t want to play fair,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The comments came after the triumvirate blasted through a fizzy set of pioneering hip-hop. \u201cShoop\u201d and \u201cLet\u2019s Talk About Sex\u201d preceded an En Vogue cameo for \u201cWhatta Man,\u201d while Kid \u2018N Play bounced through the women’s 1986 breakthrough hit, “Push It.”<\/p>\n

Brandi Carlile rocks with Soundgarden\"Brandi<\/p>\n

Brandi Carlile (left) and Soundgarden’s Hiro Yamamoto perform onstage during the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.<\/p>\n

Brandi Carlile performed “Black Hole Sun” with the surviving members of Soundgarden: Matt Cameron, Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd and founding bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Taylor Momsen performed “Rusty Cage” in the lead vocal spot famously held by founding force Chris Cornell, who died in 2017 at 52.<\/p>\n

Cornell\u2019s daughter, Toni, also performed “Fell on Black Days” with Nancy Wilson.<\/p>\n

Superfan Jim Carrey introduced the band, noting that he insisted on Soundgarden as his musical guest when hosting “SNL” in 1996. After the show, Carrey was gifted with Cornell’s guitar, which was his “most prized possession.”<\/p>\n

Outkast reunites for a Rock Hall speech, but only Big Boi performs\"Big<\/p>\n

Big Boi (left) and Andre 3000 of Outkast share a fist bump onstage during the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.<\/p>\n

Donald Glover introduced Outkast, saying the famed Atlanta rap duo taught him how to deal with critics: “You don’t have to scream, you don’t have to yell, you just have to be undeniable.”<\/p>\n

Outkast stood together onstage, but they did not perform together. Andre 3000\u00a0gave a rambling speech that ended on a raw note when talking about their humble start.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started in a little room,” he said, pausing with emotion. “Great things start in little rooms.”<\/p>\n

Wearing a gray fur coat and shorts, Big Boi went through the duo’s hits onstage with support from Tyler, the Creator, JID, Doja Cat, Janelle Monae and Killer Mike.<\/p>\n

David Letterman brings back Warren Zevon’s guitar\"David<\/p>\n

David Letterman holds Warren Zevon’s guitar during the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.<\/p>\n

Zevon, who died in 2003 at 56, was introduced by his TV champion David Letterman, who booked the singer as the guest musical host frequently on \u201cThe Late Show With David Letterman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my own version of \u201920 Feet from Stardom,\u2019 \u201c said Letterman. \u201cWarren Zevon is in my own Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He has his own wing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Letterman recalled the last time Zevon appeared on the show, following the singer’s lung cancer diagnosis. After the show, Zevon presented the “sobbing” Letterman with his guitar.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 22 years, I have taken care of the guitar,” said Letterman. \u201cAnd by God, it\u2019s going back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

He handed the precious instrument to guitarist Dave Keuning before The Killers played Zevon\u2019s \u201cLawyers, Guns and Money.”<\/p>\n

Elton John pays tribute to Brian Wilson with ‘God Only Knows’<\/p>\n

Elton John paid tribute to Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson<\/a>, who died in June at age 82, with a performance of “God Only Knows.”<\/p>\n

“He was my idol,” John said of his first meeting with Wilson. “I can’t think of anyone I would rather pay tribute to than Brian Wilson and his family with his incredible song.”<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cyndi Lauper, Salt-N-Pepa shake Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES \u2212 The girls weren\u2019t just having fun at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273895,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[64,63,147781,57972,106357,22371,23446,134,136,147787,154393,38781,106356],"class_list":["post-273894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-avril-lavigne","tag-brian-wilson","tag-chris-cornell","tag-cyndi-lauper","tag-david-letterman","tag-entertainment","tag-music","tag-nancy-wilson","tag-rock-roll-hall-of-fame","tag-salt-n-pepa","tag-soundgarden"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}