Yes, a couple of A-list honorees were conspicuous by their absence. But there was more than enough auxiliary superstar power at the 27th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony to light up the self-proclaimed rock ‘n’ roll capital of the world.
Some 7,000 fans packed Public Auditorium for the sold-out event. The mood in the hall was electric.
Enshrined alongside the Faces — Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Ian “Mac” McLagan, Kenney Jones and the late Ronnie Lane — was the band that gave birth to them: the Small Faces. The latter group included McLagan, Jones, Lane and the late Steve Marriott.
Marriott died in a house fire in 1991. Lane died in 1997, after a long battle with multiple sclerosis.
“God bless ’em!” McLagan said at the podium.
Stewart and Wood are now two-time Hall of Famers. Stewart was inducted as a solo artist in 1994. He stayed home then, too, to be with his family after an earthquake. Wood got in with the Rolling Stones in 1989.
Stewart’s absence negated a plan for the surviving Faces to play together for the first time in nearly two decades.
But Wood, McLagan and Jones rose to the occasion, with Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall filling in commendably at the last minute on lead vocals. Their crowd-pleasing set climaxed with a rollicking “Stay with Me,” which had fans on their feet and singing along.
Marriott and Stewart are “two of the greatest white soul singers in the history of rock ‘n’ roll,” declared Steven Van Zandt, who introduced the Small Faces and the Faces.
HBO will air a 2 1/2-hour edited version of the 2012 inductions at 9 p.m. Saturday, May 5.
With thanks to
John Soeder
Pop Music Critic
The Plain Dealer
To read John’s full review and see video footage of The Faces speaking to the press go to https://www.cleveland.com/rockhall/index.ssf/2012/04/rock_and_roll_hall_of_fame_ind_16.html
And don’t forget to get your exclusive HOF poster from SMILER before they all go!
https://www.rodstewartfanclub.com/about_smiler/info/badge.php
