The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will forgo their usual induction ceremony in 2020 but have announced plans for a virtual event to air on HBO on November 7th. The event was originally scheduled for May 2nd in Cleveland, OH and was rescheduled early on during the pandemic for November 7th. However, in light of the ongoing fight against COVID-19, organizers felt holding the event in November, even without an audience, was not ideal.
“To protect the health and safety of our Inductees, their families, crews and our attendees, we’ve made the decision that the scheduled live event is not possible,” John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation said in a statement. “Together with HBO and executive producer Joel Gallen, we will still create an exciting program honoring our 2020 inductees, by telling the stories of their incredible contributions to music and impact on a generation of artists that followed them.”
This year’s inductees include the Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, T-Rex, Whitney Houston, Notorious B.I.G. and industry members Jon Landau and Irving Azoff.
The cancelation of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony is just the latest in a string of events, festivals and tours forced to cancel, postpone or go online owing to the pandemic.