By: David Schultz

A visit to any Hall of Fame is usually akin to visiting a museum. The inductees enshrined, if they are still alive, are far past their prime and watching them practice their craft in the present day would be depressing. We like Old Timers’ Day because we can cheer our favorites one more time; we don’t cherish watching them exhibit severely diminished skills. Musicians are different: they generally get better with age. Gather the living members of the baseball Hall of Fame together and have them sign memorabilia and talk of the old days. Gather the living members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame together and you have the makings of a phenomenal night of music. If you’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, then you have the makings for two nights of legendary performances.

By all accounts, Thursday night’s show, the first of two historic nights captured for posterity by HBO, should have been an efficiently run four hour affair. In practice, six hours after the lights dimmed, the final notes of Jackie Wilson’s “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher” as played by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Billy Joel, John Fogerty, Sam Moore, Darlene Love, Tom Morello, Jackson Browne and Peter Wolf faded into the New York night, capping of a tireless night of classic rock.

With the exception of an opening welcome from Tom Hanks, there was very little exposition. If you didn’t know why the performers on the stage were important or why the songs they performed were relevant, you probably shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Before each set, a nicely produced video montage containing images and music from many of the Hall’s inductees provided context for the upcoming set. Crosby, Still & Nash represented the laid-back eloquence of West coast rock; Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel stood up for the suave legacy of New York pop songcraft; Stevie Wonder stepped up for Motown and Bruce Springsteen spoke for the populist singers who give voice to the working man, the next of kin in a family tree that includes Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan.

As he was one of the few living stars from the 50s that could walk on stage under his own power and play without a band to cover him, 74-year-old Jerry Lee Lewis opened the night with a slightly shaky but fully engaging solo version of “Whole Lot Of Shakin’ Goin’ On.” From there, the show used a blueprint that always made the Jammy Awards a memorable event: bring out a core band to anchor a set and let them work with a variety of guests.

Crosby, Stills & Nash opened with a run through “Woodstock,” “Marrakesh Express” and “Almost Cut My Hair” before bringing out Bonnie Raitt for “Love Has No Pride” and an acoustic version of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Midnight Rider.” Jackson Browne took lead on “The Pretender” and then James Taylor got the crowd swooning with “Mexico,” staying on for a romp through Stills’ “Love The One You’re With.” After tipping their hat to Buffalo Springfield, the mini No Nukes reunion concluded with “Teach Your Children.”

The ever nonplussed Paul Simon began his set with “Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes” and, were he playing before a younger crowd, would have had them all on their feet for “Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard,” “You Can Call Me Al” an “Late In The Evening.” Dion emerged for a quick jaunt through “The Wanderer” and David Crosby and Graham Nash returned for an acoustic take on George Harrison’s “Here Comes The Sun.” Simon and his large band left the stage so Little Anthony & The Imperials could do a proper a capella version of “Two Kinds Of People” and when they returned, Art Garfunkel came with them. Kicking off a mini set with “The Sounds Of Silence,” the beloved duo inserted Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away” into “Mrs. Robinson” and washed the Garden in nostalgia with “The Boxer.” When Simon stepped back and Garfunkel belted out the final verse of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” they delivered the first of the night’s multitude of spine tingling moments. After that, their “encore” of “Cecilia” proved slightly anticlimactic.

Stevie Wonder’s set began with a host of technical problems, leaving the energized legend to improvise while he waited for his microphone and keyboards to come online. Instead of opening with “Uptight,” as seemed to be the plan, Wonder offered a quick version of Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind” before ripping into some vintage Little Stevie material complete with his inimitable harmonica. Smokey Robinson ambled forth for “The Tracks Of My Tears” and B.B. King brought the blues with “The Thrill Is Gone.” John Legend’s appearance was greeted with a skepticism that quickly dissipated once he launched into Marvin Gaye’s “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology).” Legend remained on stage for a bouncy run through Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel.” As the song progressed, Wonder seemed to lose his way, as if forgetting the words. When he reached up to wipe his eyes, it became clear he was emotionally choked up over the loss of his friend. His hokey attempt at a call-and-response chant that served to name check Jackson, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix and quote Biblical verse can be forgiven, cause when he blazed through “Living For The City” and “Boogie On Reggae Woman,” Wonder reminded everyone that he was and can still be quite a badass when he wants to be. The finale of his set, which saw Sting sit in on a version of “Higher Ground,” that segued in and out of The Police's “Roxanne” and Jeff Beck bringing the night's first true burst of guitar virtuosity on "Superstition” was icing on the cake.

By the time Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band launched into “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out,” the clock approached midnight. If anyone was lagging, Springsteen had them on their feet and in the palm of his hand. With the exception of Bono, no one can immediately capture a live audience and keep them enthralled like The Boss. Even when playing a set consisting primarily of covers, it's still Springsteen and it's still unforgettable. Sam Moore fronted the band for “Hold On, I’m Coming” and “Soul Man,” John Fogerty held sway with “Proud Mary,” “Fortunate Son” and Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” and Darlene Love, a nominee for the Class of 2010, dazzled with “A Fine Fine Boy” and “Da Doo Ron Ron.” Despite all the star power of Springsteen’s set, Tom Morello stole the show. During “The Ghost Of Tom Joad” and The Clash’s “London Calling,” the Rage Against The Machine guitarist did things with his guitar that should have set off the smoke alarms. If HBO doesn’t include Morello’s pyrotechnics when they edit this together, they are doing everyone a disservice. Springsteen didn’t forget his own material, offering powerful versions of “Jungleland” and “Badlands," but for the most part, he seemed happy to be the ringleader of the revue.

Nearing 1:00 a.m., Springsteen seemed to leave enough time for “Born To Run” but there were other plans afoot. Informing the crowd of an impending New Jersey/Long Island summit, he brought out Billy Joel to the giddy delight of the still-amped audience. The two swapping verses on “You May Be Right,” “Only The Good Die Young” and “New York State Of Mind” would have been enough but Springsteen always has to take it that one step further, so of course, they traded verses on “Born To Run.”

Chuck Berry knew what he was talking about all those years ago, "Hail, Hail Rock & Roll!"

Labels: Bruce Springsteen, Crosby Still and Nash, John Fogerty, Paul Simon, Rock Hall of Fame, Simon and Garkunkel, Stevie Wonder, Tom Morello