Due to the pandemic, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced that their yearly ceremony celebrating the 2020 inductees will be replaced with an HBO special airing on November 7th.
Originally scheduled for May 2nd in Cleveland, the momentous music event will not be held this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Luckily, HBO has swooped in to still honor the 2020 inductees in a socially distanced and virtual way.
The 2020 inductees are Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G., T-Rex, Jon Landau and Irving Azoff. The special will include interviews with inductees as well as other artists and archival material of the musicians.
The Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, Jason Sykes spoke about the decision to honor the new inductees in this way:
"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 Hall of Fame's website offers alternative ways to celebrate the new members:
"In addition to the 2020 Inductee exhibit, you can also celebrate 35 years of Induction with an special digital and physical photography exhibit, All Access: Photography by Kevin Mazer, listen to career-defining playlists for Inductees on the Rock Hall's Spotify channel, and shop the Rock Hall's online store for a great selection of Inductee merchandise.
While the ceremony will not occur, the museum is currently open to the public following strict health and safety guidelines.
Fans can watch the special on HBO and HBO MAX on November 7th, 2020 at 8 p.m. EST and the Hall of Fame looks forward to continuing in-person ceremonies next year!
