Phil Collins cries, Billy Idol rocks for Hall of Fame

Phil Collins has given a tearful acceptance speech and received an electrifying tribute from Cynthia Erivo at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Oprah Winfrey inducted the late Luther Vandross at the ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday night, while the crowd yelled along with Billy Idol and Wu-Tang Clan crowded the stage for the rowdy celebration.

They were among 18 luminaries inducted at the class of 2026 ceremony that opened with a surprise performance by U2.

Queen Latifah, Oasis, MC Lyte, Sade and Joy Division/New Order and Iron Maiden were also inducted along with producer Rick Rubin, who received a long-bearded tribute from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

U2 was the night’s surprise opener, playing their new single Silencio while surrounded by dancers in riot squad gear with helmets and shields.

Run DMC and Aerosmith were the surprise closers with a loud jam of Walk This Way, their 1986 classic collaboration produced by Rubin.

Collins, whose mobility issues and other health problems kept him from performing, took the stage slowly using a pair of canes and cried at a huge ovation from a crowd that included his daughter, actor Lily Collins.

Collins was already in the hall as a member of Genesis, but now gets the solo honour.

He hasn’t been able to take the stage since 2022, but assured the crowd that “you haven’t heard the last of me”.

The crowd leapt to its feet and shouted along with White Wedding during the induction of Idol – one of the few artists ticket buyers knew for sure would show up and perform.

He was inducted along with his longtime guitarist Steve Stevens by No Doubt members Tony Kanal and Gwen Stefani, who joined Idol for a duet on Eyes Without a Face.

“I say to all the young people out there who can barely tune a guitar and work a sampler, ‘now it’s your turn’,” Idol said.

“And now, I’m gonna party with the Wu-Tang Clan.”

Winfrey, whose presence was unannounced, said with relish Vandross was “the maestro of the love song” and was once correctly named “the top artist that people make looove to”.

Vandross, an R&B singer with a velvet voice, was a definitive vocalist of the 1980s and ’90s. He died in 2005.

Wu-Tang Clan, the epic hip-hop collective from New York’s Staten Island, filled the stage with its 10 current members for a memorable acceptance speech and performance.

Trailblazing female rapper MC Lyte was the first artist inducted, with hip-hop star Remy Ma calling her “one of the first women in hip-hop to make sure there was room for the rest of us”.

Her contemporary and fellow groundbreaker Latifah was inducted later in the evening by Megan Thee Stallion, who said Latifah “taught us to recognise royalty within ourselves”.

Joy Division, a dark and seminal post-punk band, and New Order, formed by its members after singer Ian Curtis died in 1980, received a joint induction.

Iron Maiden, the quintessential British heavy metal band of the 1980s, opted to stay on tour in Australia.

Oasis, the youngest of the inductees, didn’t show up. Guitarist Noel Gallagher is playing a gig back home in Britain, and his little brother, Liam Gallagher, didn’t want to come.

Sade also skipped the induction.

The singer and her band were inducted by singer Andra Day and celebrated by Sienna Spiro, who sang the group’s beloved hit Smooth Operator.

After streaming the ceremony live for the past few years, the Rock Hall returned to its previous model, where the public won’t see it until an edited version airs on ABC and Disney+ on December 9.