On Saturday, Nov. 5, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted musicians Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Duran Duran, Eminem, the Eurythmics, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

The Hall of Fame also honored additional artists, including Judas Priest and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis for the Musical Excellence Award, Harry Belafonte and Elizabeth Cotten for the Early Influence Award and Allen Grubman, Jimmy Iovine and Sylvia Robinson for the Ahmet Ertegun Award. 

If Parton sharing the stage with Judas Priest and Eminem doesn’t illicit a big, stupid grin on your face, the numerous other highlights surely will. 

Duran Duran Honors Former Band Member Andy Taylor

The ‘80s classic band Duran Duran performed a handful of their classic hits, namely “Girls on Film” and “Ordinary World,” before lead singer Simon Le Bon read a letter from the band’s former guitarist Andy Taylor, explaining his absence. Taylor announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer four years ago.

“[Taylor] truly deserves the honor,” said Ren Pang, junior. “We should continue to focus on his achievements and impact rather than his current diagnosis.”

Though Taylor was not there that night, his impact on the band, Duran Duran fans and the music industry was clear, leaving not a dry eye in the house.

Lionel Richie and Dave Grohl Duet “Easy”

Dave Grohl, frontman of the Foo Fighters, and Richie shared the stage for a portion of his performance to sing “Easy,” a single from the Commodores, Richie’s former band. About one minute into the song, Grohl appeared from the side of the stage, joining Richie in rock mastery.

“It was cool to see how his dedication to playing guitar has led him to this moment,” said Helena Tragas, junior. 

The two rock legends in their velvet suit jackets and black t-shirts were certainly not strangers that night, smiling and laughing with each other on center stage. Their obvious respect for each other alone would make this list. 

Ceremony Finishes with “Jolene”

Ending the night, almost all inductees joined Parton on stage for the finale, “Jolene.” Heavy metal band Judas Priest’s frontman Rob Halford stood next to Parton in matching leather ensembles, a long overdue merging of the two genres.

“It was a well thought out cohesion of multiple styles, blending together for a beautiful composition,” said Miette Morris, junior. 

Earlier in the year, Parton had asked to be taken out of consideration for the award, but would accept the induction if voted in. She debuted her new single “Rockin” at the ceremony and promised a new rock album with hopes of another Judas Priest feature.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be broadcasted on HBO and HBO Max on Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. ET, with the full version being available for streaming on HBO Max the same day.