The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Replaces 2020 Induction Ceremony With Exclusive HBO Special

It’s been a mixed year of firsts for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but HBO will bring home the inductees in November.

Clear some dance space by the TV. The 35th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will air as an exclusive HBO special in place of a live performance. The special will honor this year’s inductees, which includes Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G., and T-Rex. This year’s Ahmet Ertegun Award, which honors songwriters, producers, disc jockeys, record executives, journalists and other industry professionals who have had a major influence on Rock & Roll, will go to Jon Landau and Irving Azoff. The program will be available on HBO and to stream on HBO Max on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 8:00 p.m.

It’s been a year of firsts for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, some of them unexpected. Four of the inductees were on the ballot for the first time this year. This was supposed to be the first time the inductions and the jams would be broadcast live in the history of the ceremony. But this year also marked the first time the ceremony was postponed, and now the first time it has been cancelled. 

The ceremony was originally scheduled for May 2 at Cleveland’s Public Auditorium. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation is changing the venue due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.   

 “To protect the health and safety of our Inductees, their families, crews and our attendees, we’ve made the decision that the scheduled live event is not possible,” Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation Chairman John Sykes said in a statement. “Together with HBO and executive producer Joel Gallen, we will still create an exciting program honoring our 2020 inductees, by telling the stories of their incredible contributions to music and impact on a generation of artists that followed them.”

The 2020 ceremony also marks the 25th Anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland is open. It will debut its 2020 Inductee exhibit on Aug. 14. The 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will move to the fall with the 36th Induction Ceremony returning to Cleveland. The Rock Hall has inducted nearly 900 individual artists over the past 34 years.The 35th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony will air on HBO and stream on HBO Max on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 8:00 p.m.