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Andre Chats with Todd Rundgren

What a thrill it was to chat with one of my musical heroes – Todd Rundgren – in advance of his show Saturday night at the Hard Rock AC.  He’ll…

Todd Rundgren

What a thrill it was to chat with one of my musical heroes - Todd Rundgren - in advance of his show Saturday night at the Hard Rock AC.  He'll also be at The Met next month with Daryl Hall, and at the NJ Balloon Festival on July 30! -Andre Gardner

Stream the interview with one of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's newest inductees:

In the nearly four decades history of Rock Hall induction ceremonies, there have been a number of no-shows by inductees. Some of them were due to health or other personal reasons. Others? Not so much.

Here are ten examples of no-shows in the history of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

But First, What To Expect From The 2024 Rock Hall Induction Ceremony

There will be very few no-shows at the 2024 Rock Hall induction ceremony. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. As previously reported, the 2024 ceremony will live stream on Disney+. An edited special will air on ABC at a later date, which will be available on Hulu the next day.

This year features a diverse slate of performers being inducted. They include Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & The Gang, Ozzy Osbourne, and A Tribe Called Quest. Other artists being honored with the Musical Excellence Award and the Musical Influence Award include Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick, Norman Whitfield, Alexis Korner, John Mayall, and Big Mama Thornton.

So far, the breakdown of presenters and additional performers is proving that the 2024 induction ceremony is setting itself up to be a banner year. Here's a breakdown of the guest lineup:

    The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia

    Jerry-Garcia_Rock-Hall-No-Show.jpgDaniel Boczarski/Getty Images

    When the Grateful Dead was inducted in 1994, Garcia apparently wasn’t too fond of the entire concept of the Hall of Fame, which is why he sat out the induction ceremony.  The rest of the band attended. Why is this notorious? The band brought a cardboard cut-out of Garcia to stand in his place. Hilarious!


    Ike & Tina Turner

    GettyImages-520972679.jpgLen Trievnor/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

    Tina Turner sat out the 1991 induction ceremony because she no longer wanted to be associated with abusive ex-husband, Ike Turner.  This is completely understandable and one of many reasons Tina should be inducted as a solo artist, but that’s another rant for another day.  Ike’s reason for not attending? He was in jail serving a four-year sentence for cocaine possession, which admittedly is a great excuse for not showing up somewhere.


    Grace Slick

    GettyImages-72331428.jpgMcCarthy/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

    So, what was Slick’s reason for skipping out on Jefferson Airplane’s induction in 1996?  She said, “All rock and rollers over age 50 look stupid and should retire.”  Whether you agree with her or not, you have to give the woman props for sticking to her words, because Slick has maintained a very low profile for many years now.


    Paul McCartney

    GettyImages-614935874.jpgKevin Winter/Getty Images

    When The Beatles were inducted into the Rock Hall in 1988, McCartney sat out the induction due some then-ongoing issues around songwriting royalties. In a statement, Macca said, "After 20 years, the Beatles still have some business differences, which I had hoped would have been settled by now. Unfortunately, they haven’t been, so I would feel like a complete hypocrite waving and smiling with them at a fake reunion." Of course, he would go on to attend his own solo induction in 1999 and induct John Lennon in 1994 and Ringo Starr in 2015 for their solo work.


    Three out of Five Members of Van Halen

    GettyImages-73558229.jpgPeter Kramer/Getty Images

    This one was just a hot mess! Van Halen was part of the Rock Hall’s 2007 class, and around that time there was a whole slew of drama going on in the band. (Surprise!) For starters, David Lee Roth was back in, but Michael Anthony was kicked out and replaced with Eddie Van Halen’s then 15-year-old son, Wolfgang. Oh, and Eddie needed to go to rehab. Once the dust settled, all who showed up to the ceremony were Anthony and Sammy Hagar.


    Roger Waters

    GettyImages-187194020.jpgJemal Countess/Getty Images

    Pink Floyd were part of the 1996 induction class, but there were still major tensions in the band due to a 1986 lawsuit in which Waters lost against David Gilmour and Nick Mason over the use of their band name. The band would eventually reunite in 2005 for the Live 8 benefit concert.


    Sex Pistols

    GettyImages-3278358.jpgGraham Wood/Evening Standard/Getty Images

    The punk icons refused to attend their induction in 2006 in protest of the exorbitant cost for acts to attend, which can be upwards of tens of thousands of dollars per table.  They did, however, send a note, which contained the intro, "Next to the Sex Pistols, rock and roll and that Hall of Fame is a piss stain." It was read out loud by 'Rolling Stone' founder/Rock Hall Board Member Jann Wenner to the delight of the crowd in attendance.


    Rod Stewart

    GettyImages-80006870.jpgLisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

    Rod Stewart is a two-time Rock Hall inductee, but he's missed both of his inductions. When he was inducted for his solo work in 1994, he opted to stay home with his children due to a major earthquake that hit Los Angles where they lived. When he was inducted as part of the Faces in 2012, he was planning on attending and performing with the band but the contracted strep-throat and couldn't speak. Apparently, some guys don't have all the luck.


    Axl Rose

    GettyImages-107323373.jpgRobert Cianflone/Getty Images

    Guns N' Roses were part of the 2012 induction class, but Axl wanted no part. In a statement shortly before the ceremony, Rose said, "I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor my anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of 'Guns N' Roses.'" Considering the crazy success of the GN'R's "Not In This Lifetime" reunion tour, this statement has aged awkwardly.


    David Bowie

    GettyImages-74413529-1.jpgBryan Bedder/Getty Images

    Leave it to David Bowie give the Rock Hall the coldest of shoulders and perhaps lay the groundwork for ghosting. Bowie was announced as part of the 1996 induction class, however, he was touring in Europe during the time of the ceremony. The strangest thing though was that he never released a statement about the induction or even acknowledged its existence. Cold blooded or badass? You decide!

    Andre is living the dream, rocking your afternoons with amazing Classic Rock on 102.9 MGK! He has been a music lover since age 3 when his brother Alan turned him onto The Beatles. For MGK, Andre writes about his love of music, including production, charts, and of course, the Beatles!

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