U2 Finds What It’s Looking for at Rock Hall of Fame

U2, one of the few bands ever to maintain underground credibility while remaining popular enough to fill stadiums, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame here Monday by Bruce Springsteen, who praised the spiritually minded Irish group as one that “wanted to lay claim not only to this world but had their eyes on the next one too.”

Springsteen, whose idealistic and liberating style was a major influence on U2 singer Bono, said the band represented “both a step forward for rock and a direct descendant of the great bands who believed if they played their best they could bring out the best in you.”

In his turn at the microphone, the band’s guitarist, the Edge, said: “We are all guilty of taking ourselves too seriously.... But the reason we are here today is that rock ‘n’ roll, when it is great, it is amazing, it can change your life. It changed our lives.”

Also honored during the 20th annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel were the rock band the Pretenders, blues guitarist Buddy Guy, R&B; singer Percy Sledge and the R&B; vocal group the O’Jays.

Because artists aren’t eligible for the Hall of Fame until 25 years after their first recording, most of the inductees over the years have tended to be well past their creative and/or commercial peaks when being honored. But U2 -- Bono, the Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. -- is still enjoying its glory years. The band begins a world tour on March 28 in San Diego that is expected to gross more than $200 million.

The Pretenders’ singer-guitarist Chrissie Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers heard Neil Young laud the band as “one of the great rock ‘n’ roll bands ever” and an influence on his work with Crazy Horse.

Accepting the honor, Hynde saluted James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon, two early members of the group who died of drug-related causes. Young joined her and Chambers on a version of the group’s “My City Was Gone” that was so ferocious that Hynde seemed to be exorcising the sadness of their deaths two decades ago.

Joining B.B. King to induct Guy, Eric Clapton said the guitarist “was for me what Elvis was probably like for other people. My course was set and he was my pilot.” Presenter Rod Stewart described Sledge’s 1966 hit, “When a Man Loves a Woman” as “one of the best performances I’ve ever heard and I’m sure you’ve ever heard.”

Justin Timberlake inducted the O’Jays, whose recordings of such songs as “Back Stabbers” and “Love Train” helped define the “Philly Soul” sound of the ‘70s. “Anyone who’s ever written, produced or performed something soulful stands in the shadows of these giants,” Timberlake said.

Booking agent Frank Barsalona and record executive Seymour Stein received lifetime achievement awards.

After the speeches, the five inductees performed short, separate sets before joining with presenters in a finale. Highlights of the ceremony will be aired by VH1 at 9 p.m. Saturday.

Hall of Fame membership is voted on by approximately 1,000 record executives, musicians and critics. The Hall of Fame itself is in Cleveland, where it attracts about 500,000 visitors a year.