Ramones, Talking Heads Hit Rock Hall

The Ramones, Talking Heads and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were among this year's crop of music legends formally admitted Monday night into rock's hallowed hall.

Joining them in the class of 2002 were soul survivor (and South Park Chef) Isaac Hayes, 1960s "Little Miss Dynamite" singer Brenda Lee, '60s rock 'n' roller Gene Pitney and the late guitar god Chet Atkins, who was admitted posthumously as an influential sideman.

The annual dinner party, held at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel Monday night, proved that punk music has come a long way uptown since its days in the bowels of the Bowery district at the Big Apple's famed club CBGB.

With their stripped-down anthems no more than two-and-a-half minutes in length, the Ramones launched the do-it-yourself ethos of the punk movement in the early '70s that defined a generation and influenced countless bands in the decades since.

One group that took a cue from the punk pioneers included Green Day, which covered three Ramones classics Monday night, including "Rockaway Beach" and "Blitzkrieg Bop."

Meantime, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder put everyone in the punk frame of mind when he came out on stage to introduce Dee Dee, Tommy, Johnny and Marky Ramone, while sporting a mohawk and swigging a bottle of wine.

"Yeah, I do have a mohawk, and no, I didn't get it for this exulted event. It stemmed from my frustration with bombings and world events and I took it out on my own hair," Vedder said before introducing the band.

The surviving members of the Ramones dedicated the occasion to their frontman, Joey Ramone, who died of lymphoma last Easter at age 49.

"It was very important to him that he be inducted and he knew it," Tommy Ramone told reporters backstage during the ceremony. "I give great thanks that we were inducted for Joey."

Following their induction by Jakob Dylan, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers took to the stage and played "American Girl" and their recent ode to relaxation, "Last Dance with Mary Jane."

Alicia Keys was on hand to induct Hayes, who opened the show with his theme from "Shaft," while Jewel hailed '60s singer Lee--who performed "I'm Sorry," "Sweet Nothin's" and "Dum Dum." Brian Setzer stepped out with a couple of Atkins tunes in honor of the virtuoso guitarist, who died of cancer last year, and Pitney belted out two of his hits, "Hello Mary Lou" and "Town Without Pity."

Famed record producer Jim Stewart was the only non-musical performer honored Monday night, for starting Memphis' Stax Records, which was responsible for such seminal '60s rhythm and blues and soul artists as Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Booker T and MG's and the Staple Singers.

One of night's most notable events came when Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis introduced the Talking Heads, as the group reunited on stage for the first time in nearly 18 years.

It was a triumphant return for a band that was not only contemporaries of the Ramones but also ushered in the '80s New Wave revolution with their melding of funk, blues and world music infused with a unique art-school sensibility.

Led by wiry frontman David Byrne (getting funky with his trademark white man-can't-dance routine), the Heads capped the evening with a rousing three-song set of "Pycho Killer," "Burning Down the House" and "Life During Wartime."

"This is a song completely inappropriate at this time, but then again, maybe it is appropriate," Byrne said before launching into "Life."

Appropriate or not, the night ended with the obligatory all-star jam, led by house bandleader Paul Shaffer and plagued by technical snafus. Nearly all of the inductees (with the exception of the Ramones) joined Talking Heads for their version of Al Green's soul classic, "Take Me to the River," which was followed by "He's a Rebel" and "Here Comes the Sun," a tribute to late Beatle George Harrison.

Meanwhile, Talking Heads fans who tune in Wednesday night to see VH1's broadcast of the Rock Hall induction can take heart. When asked backstage if they will ever get back together, the sometimes quarrelsome quartet didn't exactly rule it out.

"People perceived us as being angry at each other and acrimonious and stuff like that, and to a great extent, that's a false perception," said drummer Chris Franz. "On the other hand, we haven't played together for a really long time and I think we're all very grateful to have a happy night like this and to have a good vibe."

The group said any talk of a permanent reunion would happen later.