The Red Hot Chili Peppers paid tribute to producer Rick Rubin at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony by dressing up as Rubin.
The band performed their Rubin-produced 1991 hit Give It Away while wearing fake white beards and long white wigs during the ceremony, held on Saturday November 14 at the Peacock Theater in LA
Neil Young, who worked with Rubin on his 2022 album World Record, introduced the producer onstage. “The music is all that’s allowed in,” Young said. “The people that make the music are cared for because they’re recognised.”
Rubin’s own acceptance speech was short and to the point. “You can’t kill rock and roll,” he said as he accepted the Musical Excellence Award. “Thank you.”
As well as Young and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rubin’s stellar CV includes albums by The Beastie Boys, U2, Foo Fighters, Tom Petty and countless more. At the end of their one-song set, RHCP frontman Anthony Kiedis said: “We love you, Rick Rubin.”
The 2026 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony was marked by a number of high-profile no-shows, with inductees Iron Maiden and Oasis snubbing the event. Instead, Jack Black honoured the former, and also took part in an all-star supergroup featuring members of Metallica, Rage Against The Machine and St Vincent, while Oasis were inducted by Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk, with alt-country singer Stephen J Wilson performing an acoustic version of Oasis’ 1995 hit Wonderwall at the ceremony.
“I would have been worried if they had come,” Odenkirk quipped during his speech, before describing their music as “delicate compositions embroidered with inscrutably complex melodies… I’m kidding! Fucking bangers! They make you sing along before you even finish hearing them, even for the first time.”
Other absentees were Joy Division/New Order members Barney Sumner and Stephen Morris, plus New Order’s Gillian Gilbert. Instead, former bassist Peter Hook, who has an acrimonious relationship with his ex-bandmates, accepted the honour alone.
Joy Division and New Order were inducted by longtime fan Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, who called them “two of the most influential groups of the last 50 years”.
“I’m on my own, but I’m not alone,” said Hook. “I want to thank the fans for all their wonderful and priceless efforts in making this happen and putting me here tonight. This award is for them.”
Earlier, Hook performed Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart and New Order’s Bizarre Love Triangle alongside Deftones and Chvrches singer Lauren Mayberry, with Deftones singer Chino Moreno taking lead vocals on the former and Mayberry singing the latter.
The night also featured a surprise performance from U2, who opened the night by playing Silencio, from their new album Carnival de Luz, and their 1984 classic Pride In The Name Of Love.
This year’s other inductees included Billy Idol, Wu Tang Clan, Queen Latifah and Luther Vandross.
An edited version of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony is broadcast on December 8 on ABC in the US, with the ceremony then streaming on Disney+ on December 9.
