Will Rock ‘n’ Roll Legends Get Rollin’ Again?

Attention arena and stadium managers: You can start blocking out some dates. The Stones are talking about rolling again.

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, whose widely publicized feud has contributed to keeping the celebrated English rock band from touring since 1981, didn’t make a formal tour announcement Wednesday night as the Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame--along with Stevie Wonder, Dion, the Temptations and the late Otis Redding.

In fact, Jagger and Richards sat at separate tables in the Waldorf-Astoria ballroom as they heard another celebrated British rocker, the Who’s Pete Townshend, read an induction speech that was as much a roast as a toast:

“It won’t be easy for the Stones the next time around and if it wasn’t for the vast sums of money they can make, they might not bother (touring) at all. . . . At least, Mick probably wouldn’t. It’s lucky for us fans that he has such expensive tastes. . . .”

Walking on stage with Richards and guitarists Ron Wood and Mick Taylor to accept the Hall of Fame statuettes, Jagger looked at Townshend with mock anger before hugging the Who guitarist and then going to the microphone where he suggested he indeed may be ready to get back to work with the Stones.

“Jean Cocteau said Americans are a funny people,” Jagger said. “First you shock them, then they put you in a museum.”

Then he added dramatically, “But we’re not quite ready to hang up the number yet.”

However, the most convincing signs that a tour may be in the offing were the vitality of Jagger’s singing and Richard’s guitar playing during a 45-minute all-star jam which followed the induction ceremony.

Besides the evening’s honorees, nearly two-dozen other musicians joined the festivities on stage in what has become the record industry’s most exclusive party. Though the annual induction ceremony is videotaped for the Hall of Fame archives, the organization board of directors has repeatedly turned down requests to turn the event into an annual TV special.

This year’s jam also included Townshend, Paul Simon, Anita Baker, Bobby McFerrin, Lou Reed, Tina Turner, Little Richard, and Hall & Oates (all of whom gave induction nomination speeches), and Bruce Springsteen and Ben E. King (who were simply in the audience).

After Stevie Wonder kicked things off with a rollicking version of “Uptight,” one of the Motown star’s earliest hits, Richards led the army of guitarists through what is one of the most famous riffs in rock history: the opening of the Stones’ “Satisfaction.”

Over the next half hour, the unwieldy group of musicians went slipping and sliding with varying degrees of effectiveness through hits associated with various artists who had been honored. But Jagger--prancing about the stage with an energy and competitive flair more typical of a rock newcomer than a 25-year veteran--consistently brought an electricity and energy to the evening.

After taking off his jacket, the T-shirted singer got in a blistering vocal exchange with Little Richard on a couple of numbers including Larry Williams’ “Bony Maronie” before dueting with Tina Turner on the Stones’ “Honky Tonk Woman” and then moving out on his own on the Stones’ “Start Me Up.”

Though they didn’t leave the stage together, Jagger and Richards embraced briefly at one point--and Stones watchers in the crowd were optimistic.

A source close to the band, who asked not to be identified, said the situation is too volatile to predict with certainty, but the chance of a tour this year--most likely in the late summer--appears “good.”

Drummer Charlie Watts, who did not attend the dinner, was scheduled to arrive in New York on Thursday to meet with the other Stones--presumably including bassist Bill Wyman, who also did not attend the dinner--to discuss the band’s future. “One issue is whether there is time to do an album to coincide with the tour,” the source said. “In addition, there’s the personal question of whether everyone wants to devote all those months to going on the road, and that’s a five-way decision, not just something for Mick and Keith to decide.”

Bill Graham, a member of the Hall of Fame board of directors and producer of past Stones tours, saw the Jagger-Richards performance as a positive sign.

“You’ve got to be encouraged,” he said. About a Stones album he said, “They don’t need the album to draw the fans, but they may be more comfortable if they have ’89 music to play.”

Though there were plans for a tour after the group’s “Dirty Work” album in 1986, it didn’t develop. Instead, Jagger made a solo album and went on a solo tour of Japan. Tired of waiting, Richards recorded his own solo album and did a brief U.S. tour last year. Both parties blamed the other for the Stones inactivity, though both stated in recent weeks that their main priority reamains the Stones.

In a press reception area before the induction dinner, Townshend--whose own band has also been the subject of numerous reunion rumors recently--said, “I think the debate between Mick and Keith is the same debate we’re (the Who) having: Are we capable of doing anything new of consequence?”

Wednesday’s performance suggested they possess the confidence to test themselves once more.

Though the Stones’ induction created the most buzz in the hotel ballroom, there were several other moments of drama during the evening.

Among them: Springsteen’s tender tribute to Roy Orbison, singing an especially passionate version of the late Hall of Fame member’s ballad “Crying” and Tina Turner’s galvanizing version of “River Deep, Mountain High,” the song she recorded in the late ‘60s with record producer Phil Spector, who was inducted Wednesday night as a non-performing member of the Hall of Fame.

The reclusive Spector, whose “wall of sound” production on such classic ‘60s records as the Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ ” was among the most distinctive and acclaimed in rock history, also added to the evening’s color.

In a rare public appearance, Spector, a Los Angeles resident sometimes called the “Howard Hughes of Rock,” showed up on stage with three bodyguards and made a few nervous jokes about confusing the induction with the George Bush inauguration before making his exit.

If the musical jam is the highlight of the annual event, the induction and acceptance speeches have proven to be another strong emotional component. On Wednesday, Little Richard stirred the crowd by singing some Otis Redding songs during his induction speech for the late soul singer, and Steve Wonder spoke eloquently about the power of music to unify and inspire after he asked audience members to close their eyes so that they could experience life--as he does--with their ears.

Perhaps the most moving tribute, however, was also most unexpected: hometown hero Lou Reed’s homage to another hometown hero Dion DiMucci, whose late ‘50s and early ‘60s hits included “Runaround Sue” and “The Wanderer.”

Wearing a suit and tie rather than his trademark black leather jacket, Reed--whose reputation as a quintessential New York tough guy was built through such songs as “Walk on the Wild Side”--spoke with the affection of a longtime fan.

“Dion’s voice was unlike any I had heard before,” he said recalling first hearing a Dion record. “(He) could do all the turns, stretch those syllables so effortlessly, soar so high he could reach the sky and dance there among the stars forever . . . a voice that stood on its own, remarkably and unmistakably from New York . . . Bronx soul.

“It was the kind of voice you never forget. Over the years that voice has stayed with me as it has, I’m sure, stayed with you. And whenever I hear it, I am flooded with memories of what once was and what could be.”

In some ways, that’s the spirit behind the Hall of Fame. In choosing musicians to honor, the judges haven’t simply gone for the most popular, but the most influential and accomplished. Candidates are eligible for inclusion in the Hall 25 years after the release of their first record. This year’s ceremony brought to 35 the number of artists honored. Wonder--at 38--is the youngest artist ever inducted.

The judges--approximately 150 musicians, record executives and critics--also have been especially sensitive to pre-rock influences, devoting more than an hour Wednesday to honoring blues singer Bessie Smith, the vocal quartet the Ink Spots and the gospel group the Soul Stirrers, who were inducted in a special category designed to salute early influences on rock ‘n’ roll.

Now that the induction process is moving well, the challenge is to get the Hall of Fame itself built. Construction is expected to begin next year in Cleveland, though only $14.5 million of the needed $48 million reportedly has been raised so far by the Ohio organizers.

About the cultural progress of the Hall of Fame, though, founder Ahmet Ertegun, chairman of Atlantic records said Wednesday at the beginning of the 4-hour ceremony, “We have awakened in the rock world a sense of history, a sense of the importance of the music made by the predecessors of today’s young artists.”

On a similar note, while reflecting on the recent death of Orbison, Jann Wenner, executive vice president of the Hall of Fame and editor-publisher of Rolling Stone magazine, said he’s personally pleased that the Hall of Fame is also refocusing attention on some more contemporary artists.

“One purpose of the Hall of Fame is to bring recognition and attention to artists whose work may have been ignored or forgotten in recent years,” Wenner told the estimated 1,100 at the dinner who paid up to $1,250 per ticket. “After his induction in the Hall of Fame 2 years ago, Roy (began once again) to experience the success he so richly deserved. . . . Despite everything he had already accomplished, Roy still had much to give. His talent was as undiminished as his spirit.”