Cher, with guitarist Joel Hoekstra, performing “If I Could Turn Back Time” at her Rock Hall Class of 2024 induction
Cher was finally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Saturday night (October 19) as part of its giant Class of 2024. The star opened the evening at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse with a duet of her 1998 global #1 smash, “Believe,” with one of music’s biggest contemporary names, Dua Lipa.
We’re LIVE with the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony! @dualipa, @cher, and @theroots kick things off the with their AMAZING performance of Cher’s smash hit “Believe.” Tune in NOW on Disney+ to watch LIVE. #RockHall2024 pic.twitter.com/2vFQydTm0f
— Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (@rockhall) October 20, 2024
@cher, @dualipa, and @Zendaya link up back stage at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony! Tune in on @DisneyPlus NOW to see more iconic moments. #RockHall2024 pic.twitter.com/7eWkHc1Zvm
— Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (@rockhall) October 20, 2024
After actress-singer Zendaya delivered the presentation speech, Cher returned to the stage for a rocking performance of her 1989 hit “If I Could Turn Back Time.”
2024 Inductee @cher serenades the crowd with her classic hit “If I Could Turn Back Time.” Tune in NOW on Disney+ to watch the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. #RockHall2024 pic.twitter.com/0toJEZnZd9
— Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (@rockhall) October 20, 2024
When it came to her acceptance, Cher—who famously slammed the institution last year (“I wouldn’t be in it now if they gave me a million dollars”), but relented this past May when she said “I’m going to have some words to say”—offered a relatively tame induction speech.
Though she opened by saying her words were “going to be a crap shoot,” she ended up avoiding any controversy. She barely mentioned Sonny Bono, her first husband and singing partner on such ’60s hits as “I Got You Babe” and “The Beat Goes On.” [The duo have not been inducted.]
Early on, she thanked music impresario David Geffen who established her dormant solo career in the late ’80s. She also praised her mother’s advice: “If you’re down in your life, you get up again.”
Cher noted that when she and Bono split, “I had nothing. I had my car and my clothes.” She went to Las Vegas when it was a graveyard for contemporary acts and had a fortuitous backstage visit from film director Francis Ford Coppola who told her she should be an actress.
A role in a play led to her being cast in 1983’s Silkwood with Meryl Streep, and ultimately an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1987’s Moonstruck. “People have [repeatedly] told me that I’m finished. I’m through,” she said defiantly. Nearly a decade later, she was on top of the music world again with “Believe.”
The 78 year-old is the only artist to have a #1 single on a Billboard chart in each of the past seven decades. “Life has been a roller coaster. I never give up,” she said, avoiding any controversy with the Rock Hall’s voters who ultimately selected her.
Cher is hitting the road for a book tour. On October 10, she announced dates to plug her upcoming Cher: The Memoir Part One. The title, from Harper Collins’ Dey Street Books, arrives November 8. The star has announced an In-conversation series of five dates, spanning from November 20 – December 4 at a variety of venues on both U.S. coasts as well as London, U.K.
Cher In-conversation Book Tour 2024
Nov 20 – New York, NY – Temple Emanu-El / Streicker Cultural Center Tickets
Nov 22 – Englewood, NJ – Bergen PAC Tickets
Nov 25 – London, UK – The Lyceum Theatre Tickets
Dec 02 – Beverly Hills, CA – Saban Theatre Tickets
Dec 04 – San Francisco, CA – Golden Gate Theatre Tickets
From the book’s announcement: The extraordinary life of Cher can be told by only one person . . . Cher herself. After more than seventy years of fighting to live her life on her own terms, Cher finally reveals her true story in intimate detail, in a two-part memoir.
As a dyslexic child who dreamed of becoming famous, Cher was raised in often-chaotic circumstances, surrounded by singers, actors, and a mother who inspired her in spite of their difficult relationship.
With her trademark honesty and humor, Cher: The Memoir traces how this diamond in the rough succeeded with no plan and little confidence to become the trailblazing superstar the world has been unable to ignore for more than half a century.
The book follows her extraordinary beginnings through childhood to meeting and marrying Sonny Bono. The duo became famous beyond their wildest dreams, from humble beginnings singing backup in Phil Spector’s studio through to pop stardom as Sonny and Cher, and then on to the television show that made them household names. But as time passed, fame changed the dynamic of their relationship and Cher evolved from a wide-eyed teenager into a woman. She started fighting for herself, breaking away from Sonny’s control – and realizing that things were not as they seemed.
Cher: The Memoir reveals the daughter, the sister, the wife, the lover, the mother, and the superstar. It is a life too immense for only one book. It brings us to the brink of her next chapter, as she begins to chart her own path, finally claiming her rightful place in the world and becoming. It’s available for pre-order in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.
Related: Humorist Will Durst wrote a Cher feature/review for Best Classic Bands in 2019
2 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationShe is a prime example of why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has become a joke. Meanwhile rock acts like The Guess Who and Steppenwolf remain locked out.
The Hall is a joke. No Paul Rodgers, are you kidding me?