Earlier this year, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame announced that it had postponed its induction ceremony to November 7, after it was originally set to take place at Cleveland’s Public Hall on May 2. However, in light of the ongoing pandemic, the Rock Hall has been forced to change its plans again. Now, there won’t be a live ceremony at all, as it will be replaced with a pre-recorded HBO special airing during the rescheduled date, November 7.
Due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, the live 2020 HOF Induction Ceremony concert on 11/7 is cancelled. In place of the live event, we’ll broadcast an exclusive special about the #RockHall2020 Inductees on @HBO & HBO Max November 7, 2020 at 8pm. More details: https://t.co/BEun54az4b pic.twitter.com/6qGPq3g9rw
— Rock Hall (@rockhall) July 8, 2020
John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation, said in a statement, “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. 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 Hall Of Fame class includes Nine Inch Nails, Whitney Houston, the Doobie Brothers, the Notorious B.I.G., T-Rex, and Depeche Mode.
This comes as Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor was warming up to the idea of the hall of fame. After previously being critical of the institution, he said of his project being inducted, “When I look back at how Nine Inch Nails are received, it always seems like we fall between the cracks or we’re not in this category or ‘that thing.’ I don’t know if it’s a defense mechanism, but I just assumed we’d stay in that category, so I’m pleasantly surprised to see us acknowledged. It feels pretty good.”