The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

.....held their induction ceremony in Cleveland on Saturday . . . and as expected, AXL ROSE didn't show. The ceremony was five-and-a-half hours long.  It wasn't televised live.  HBO will cut it down to a two-and-a-half hour show, which will premiere on May 5th.

GREEN DAY started things off by performing their song "Letterbomb".  They were there to induct GUNS N' ROSES.  Singer BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG got the crowd fired up by shouting, quote, "Stand up . . . this is [effing] rock 'n' roll!  This is not [an effing] party . . . this is a celebration, [mothereffers]."

Billie Joe called "Appetite for Destruction", quote, "the best debut album in the history of rock 'n' roll."  And added, quote, "The thing that set them apart from everyone else was guts, heart and soul.  Most important, they told the truth."

After introducing the members that were there, he said, quote, "Let's see, who am I missing?"  That brought LOUD BOOS from the crowd . . . but Billie said, quote, "Shut up.  [Axl] was the greatest frontman to ever step in front of a microphone." Axl wasn't the only classic member of Guns that didn't make it.  Original guitarist IZZY STRADLIN and keyboardist DIZZY REED also weren't there.

Drummer MATT SORUM was there . . . and he joked about coming in to replace original drummer STEVEN ADLER, who was kicked out for doing too many drugs.  He said, quote, "I said, 'In Guns N' Roses, how the [eff] is that possible?!'  Steven Adler deserves an award for THAT."  Steven was there, along with SLASH and DUFF MCKAGAN.  They teamed up for a three-song set that included "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City".

MYLES KENNEDY from ALTER BRIDGE sang . . . and onetime guitarist GILBY CLARKE was also onstage, even though he wasn't inducted with Guns.  Billie Joe from Green Day joined them for "Mr. Brownstone".  It's the first time in nearly 20 years that Slash, Duff and Steven performed together.

Guns N' Roses Doesn’t Mention Axl, But Chris Rock Does:

CHRIS ROCK, who was there to induct the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, took a shot at Axl, and his chronic lateness.  He joked, quote, "A lot of people are upset that Axl didn't come tonight.  But let's face it . . ."Even if he was coming, he wouldn't be here by now.  Where the [eff] is Axl?"

How Chris Rock Fell in Love with the Chili Peppers:   Chris told an amusing story about how he became such a huge Chili Peppers fan.  He said he was in Philadelphia to see a GRANDMASTER FLASH show, but he went into the wrong club.

He explained, quote, "My friends and I were like, 'What the [eff] is this [crap]?  There's a lot of white people in here.  They came out and I couldn't understand [an effing] word they said, and they had socks on their [genitals]!  "I had never been to a white show before, so I thought all white groups put socks on their [genitals].  Years later, they're one of the biggest groups in the world and getting inducted into the [Rock Hall].  They have black ties on their [genitals] tonight."

The Other, Non-Axl Absences:

The Guns no-shows weren't the only people missing.  FACES was supposed to reunite for their first performance together since 1993 . . . but it didn't happen because ROD STEWART came down with the flu and stayed home.   So, Faces performed a set with SIMPLY RED singer MICK HUCKNALL, who's recently served as their singer.  It included "Ooh La La" and "Stay with Me".

The BEASTIE BOYS were without ADAM YAUCH, a.k.a. "MCA", who's recovering from cancer, and wasn't able to make it.  AD ROCK and MIKE D were in the house.

There wasn't a proper Beastie Boys performance . . . but Kid Rock, Travie McCoy from Gym Class Hereos, and Black Thought from The Roots put on matching green tracksuits and performed a Beastie Boys medley that included "Sabotage" and "No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn".

The All-Star Jam Ending:

The ceremony finished up with a Chili Peppers set that included "By the Way".   The Peppers then led an all-star jam of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" to close it out.  They were joined onstage by:  Ron Wood and Kenney Jones of Faces, Slash, George Clinton, Funkadelic guitarist Michael Hampton, and Billie Joe Armstrong.