Prince Reigns at Rock Hall

Tue., Mar. 16, 2004 12:15 AM PST by Sarah Hall

The forecast called for purple rain at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Monday, where inductee Prince's electrifying performance was a highlight of the ceremony that also honored Jackson Browne, Bob Seger, ZZ Top and the late George Harrison, among others.

The diminutive funk rocker was the opening act of the night, performing a tingling trio of his hits from the 1980s: "Let's Go Crazy," "Sign O' the Times" and "Kiss."

He was cited as an inspiration by inductors OutKast and Alicia Keys.

"There are many kings," Keys said in her speech. "But there is only one Prince."

Prince spoke reflectively about the span of his career.

"I embarked on a journey more fascinating than I could ever imagine, but a word to the wise to the young artists--without spiritual guidance too much freedom can lead to spiritual decline," Prince said at the ceremony.

Politically motivated singer-songwriter Browne performed "The Pretender" and "Running on Empty," and was described as a "bona fide rock 'n' roll sex star" by Bruce Springsteen, who used to open for Browne in the early '70s and noted that Browne "had more women in his audience than an Indigo Girls show."

"I want to thank you for allowing me to put my personal politics in my songs," Browne said. "Music is a very empowering thing. I'm thankful for having had a lifetime doing it. Thank you for this job."

Motor City rocker Bob Seger took the stage with the Silver Bullet Band for the first time in nine years to perform "Turn the Page" and "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll."

Kid Rock, who inducted Seger, called him "the most overlooked musician of our time."

"Bob Seger's music not only influenced me, it taught me to be proud of where I come from," he said. "I still am. He set the bar for all of us who came from the Midwest."

Texas rockers ZZ Top were inducted by a rambling Keith Richards and performed their classics "Le Grange" and "Tush."

Other inductees included British band Traffic and '50s crooners the Dells.

Harrison became the third Beatle after Paul McCartney and John Lennon to be honored for his solo work. Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne of the Traveling Wilburys took the stage to perform "Handle Me with Care" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," accompanied by Steve Winwood and Harrison's son Dhani. Prince chimed in on the latter number with an extended guitar solo.

"He just loved playing music with his friends," Petty said of Harrison.

Steve Winwood also took the stage with Traffic to perform the psychedelic hit "Dear Mr. Fantasy." Inductor Dave Matthews commented on the hallucinatory undertones of the British band's trademark sound, saying, "As a little kid, I thought they wrote really great music about cartoon characters. When I was in my early 20s, I realized they were seeing cartoon characters, probably!"

The Dells performed their classic "Oh What a Night," and said they hoped their successes would pave the way for future vocal groups.

Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner was honored with a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to the music world, and commended by Mick Jagger as "one of the first music critics who understood what we as artists felt.

"Jann almost single-handedly pioneered the idea of rock 'n' roll as a vibrant art form," Jagger stated. Wenner's other contributions, quipped Jagger, included "creating the very long article."

The evening ended with an all-star jam that drew the inductees to the stage en masse. Highlights of the awards show will air on VH1 this Sunday.