LOS ANGELES (AP) — Billy Idol, Oasis, Wu-Tang Clan, Phil Collins, Sade, Queen Latifah, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order and the late Luther Vandross will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday.
That’s been established since the announcement six months ago. But very little else has been revealed about who will show up, who will perform, who will induct them and who will give musical tributes to the new members.
A few answers are likely to trickle out this week, but the Rock Hall likes to keep most of the show a surprise.
For the second straight year, the ceremony that moves between Cleveland, New York and Los Angeles will be held at the Peacock Theater in downtown LA. After two years of streaming it live, the Rock Hall is returning to its previous model, where the public won’t see it until an edited version airs on ABC and Disney+ in December.
The list of 2026 honorees also includes MC Lyte, Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti and Gram Parsons, along with music producers Rick Rubin, Linda Creed, Arif Mardin and Jimmy Miller and variety show host Ed Sullivan.
Here’s a closer look at the nominees and what we know about the show.
Performer inductees
Eight of this year’s inductees came in through the main entrance — the performer category. A nominating committee put them up for a vote from more than 1,200 people including music industry figures and historians. Artists become eligible for the hall 25 years after their first music release, but it can take much longer for them to be nominated.
Phil Collins
The 75-year-old English singer, songwriter and drummer is already in the hall as a member of Genesis and now gets in again for a solo career that brought some of the biggest hits of the 1980s.
The eight-time Grammy winner got in with his first solo nomination and had been eligible since 2006.
Will he perform? No. Collins has said the health problems that have kept him off the stage since 2022 will keep him from performing Saturday. It’s not clear whether he’ll appear to accept the honor.
Key songs: “In the Air Tonight,” “Against All Odds,” “One More Night,” “You’ll Be in My Heart,”
Billy Idol
The 70-year-old punk-coded English rock singer had also been eligible for the hall since 2006, and voters put him in after his second nomination.
Will he perform? Yes. Idol, who toured the US in summer and had a residency in Las Vegas, plans to play and says he’s going to “bring it” when he does.
Key songs: “Dancing With Myself,” “White Wedding,” “Rebel Yell,” “Eyes Without a Face.”
Wu-Tang Clan
The epic hip-hop coalition from Staten Island — made up of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa and previously, the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard — got into the hall with their first nomination. They had been eligible since 2017.
They’ve been hip-hop innovators since their 1993 debut album, “Enter the Wu-Tang.”
Will they perform? Maybe. They toured together just last year on what was billed as a farewell tour.
Key songs: “C.R.E.A.M.” “Protect Ya Neck,” “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta F’ Wit,” “Gravel Pit.”
Oasis
The famously feuding brothers of Brit pop, Noel and Liam Gallagher, enter the hall with their second nomination. They’ve been eligible since 2019. At 54, Liam Gallagher is the youngest inductee of the class of 2026.
Will they perform? Maybe. The moment of their Rock Hall induction seems well-timed for the Gallaghers, who are getting along at least well enough to take the stage together. Last year, Oasis toured for the first time in 16 years, and recently announced that they’ll do it again next year. But it’s an open question whether they’ll bother to show up at the ceremony or will turn their sneer toward it.
Key Songs: “Wonderwall,” “Live Forever,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” “Champagne Supernova.”
Joy Division and New Order
The two British rock bands will get a rare joint nomination that makes sense given their members and circumstances.
Joy Division was a dark and seminal post-punk band formed in 1976. When their charismatic lead singer, Ian Curtis, died in 1980, the remaining members formed New Order, which went in the direction of electronic and dance music.
Will they perform? Maybe. Bassist and key member of both bands, Peter Hook, has been estranged from his mates for many years. Whether they’ll bury the hatchet for a moment is one of the night’s biggest questions.
They had been eligible since 2003 and got in with their third nomination.
Key songs: “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” “Disorder,” “Blue Monday,” “Bizarre Love Triangle.”
Iron Maiden
The scorching rock band who led the new wave of British heavy metal starting in the late 1970s got an induction that many thought was long overdue.
Will they perform? No. Iron Maiden are together and thriving, but so much so that they’re on tour in Australia and won’t be appearing to accept or to play.
Voters installed them on their third nomination. They’d been eligible since 2005.
Key songs: “The Trooper,” “Fear of the Dark,” “Run to the Hills,” “Aces High.”
Luther Vandross
The love songs of Luther Vandross, delivered with a voice of velvet, made him one of the definitive R&B singers of his era.
The solo career of the New Jersey-born Vandross began in the early 1980s, and he went on to win eight Grammys and have 11 consecutive platinum albums.
Iron Maiden
The scorching rock band who led the new wave of British heavy metal starting in the late 1970s got an induction that many thought was long overdue.
Will they perform? No. Iron Maiden are together and thriving, but so much so that they’re on tour in Australia and won’t be appearing to accept or to play.
Voters installed them on their third nomination. They’d been eligible since 2005.
Key songs: “The Trooper,” “Fear of the Dark,” “Run to the Hills,” “Aces High.”
Luther Vandross
The love songs of Luther Vandross, delivered with a voice of velvet, made him one of the definitive R&B singers of his era.
The solo career of the New Jersey-born Vandross began in the early 1980s, and he went on to win eight Grammys and have 11 consecutive platinum albums.
Key songs: “Hickory Wind,” “Love Hurts,” “Return of the Grievous Angel.”
Feature Image VIA AP
