Cher Kicks Off 2024 Rock Hall Ceremony with Joy and Defiance
The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony kicked off by honoring the iconic Cher.
Dua Lipa opened the show by strutting on stage and singing the mega-hit “Believe.” Just as the party was getting started, things went up a notch when Cher joined Dua Lipa on stage, and the two divas performed together.
Following the performance, Zendaya made her way onto the stage to deliver a speech about Cher, while wearing a Bob Mackie-inspired outfit and long, pin-straight black hair. The Emmy Award-winning actress was essentially cosplaying as the legendary pop star.
“It’s impossible to measure the influence that Cher has had and continues to have on every one of us, as you can see,” said Zendaya, as she gestured to her outfit. She highlighted Cher’s incredible career over the years, from music to acting and everywhere in between.
Zendaya hit the nail on the head when she said, “She does it all and really, really f—ing well.”
A video highlighting Cher’s life and career played and featured some incredible artists gushing about her. Among them were Pink, Cyndi Lauper, Shania Twain, and Tina Turner via archival footage.
Lauper, a very close friend of Cher, said, “One name; she don’t need two.” The late Turner said, “She was an icon then, and she remains an icon now.”
After the video, Cher returned to the stage and performed a joyous rendition of “If I Can Turn Back Time,” and plenty of big names were spotted in the crowd singing along to the classic tune.
As for Cher’s speech, she shot from the hip and playfully began, “It was easier getting divorced from two men than it was to get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.” In fact, she revealed the uber-successful executive David Geffen wrote a letter to the Rock Hall to get Cher in, and it clearly worked.
The overall theme of Cher’s speech, and her life in general, was about defying the odds. She closed by saying, “My life has been a roller coaster, and the one thing I’ve never done, I’ve never given up.”
Cher’s right about that. You don’t score No. 1 hits in the past seven decades by giving up.
