First Look: HBO Rock Hall 2017 Induction Trailer

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2017 Inductee of ELO performs onstage at the 32nd Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center on April 7, 2017 in New York City. The event will broadcast on HBO Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 8:00 pm ET/PT
Photo by Kevin Kane/WireImage for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Plenty of fan videos have been posted to YouTube of speeches and performances from the April 7 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame‘s Class of 2017 induction ceremony. HBO has released the first official trailer for their upcoming broadcast. The special will premiere on Saturday, April 29 at 8 p.m.

The clips from those in attendance are great to watch and certainly gave those at home instant gratification. We’ve been able to see the complete speeches from Journey’s Steve Perry and the Electric Light Orchestra’s Jeff Lynne. We were treated to Rick Wakeman’s bawdy jokes–who knew?–during Yes’ induction. Dhani Harrison gave a touching and sometimes humorous speech when he introduced ELO.

And, of course, there were the performances including the reunited-for-one-night Yes and the all-star jam.

HBO’s official trailer ups the ante, of course, in terms of production. It’s no secret that the pay-TV network’s licensing fee to the Rock Hall essentially demands that the talent level, in terms of inductees, speechmakers and other attendees, will be top notch.

ELO co-founder Roy Wood shared his post-induction feelings…

It was an honour to be inducted into @rockhall & meet up with Jeff to have a laugh and a catch up. #rockandrollhalloffame pic.twitter.com/ADn7cshQxq

— Roy Wood (@DrRoyWood) April 16, 2017

It should come as no surprise that acts previously ignored by the Hall voters, like Chicago, Steve Miller, Journey, Yes and ELO–all of which had massively successful careers but were often ignored by critics–have been voted in recently, to ensure a solid lineup of classic rock greats for HBO’s special. Guest presenters / performers like Pharrell Williams, Alicia Keys, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Snoop Dogg add to the something-for-everyone nature of the broadcast.

Watch the official trailer for HBO’s upcoming broadcast

Others in the Class of 2017 were Pearl Jam, Joan Baez and Tupac Shakur. In addition, Nile Rodgers, an 11-time nominee as a member of Chic, was inducted in the Musical Excellence category.