Van Halen to Bail on Hall of Fame Ceremony

Adding a new twist to their troubled story of late, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Van Halen will apparently not be in attendance at their own induction ceremony on March 12.

Guitar World has learned that Velvet Revolver, originally slated to induct Van Halen, will be performing one of their songs in their absence.

Van Halen has not yet released any official statement about the cancellation.

Other inductees to be honored at the ceremony include:

R.E.M. (Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe) will be inducted by Eddie Vedder

Patti Smith will be inducted by Zach De La Rocha

The Ronettes (Estelle Bennett, Ronnie Spector, Nedra Talley) will be inducted by Keith Richards

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (Kid Creole, Cowboy, Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Mr. Ness, Raheim) will be inducted by Jay-Z

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on March 12, 2007 will also honor Ahmet Ertegun, legendary founder of Atlantic Records. There will be a special performance by Aretha Franklin. Ertegun, who was a crucial figure in the careers of artists ranging from Ray Charles to Aretha Franklin to the Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin, was instrumental in founding and was the Chairman of the Foundation. The Rock Hall Museum in Cleveland’s main exhibit hall is the Ahmet Ertegun Exhibition Hall.

The 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, R.E.M., the Ronettes, Patti Smith and Van Halen were chosen by the 600 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. Artists are eligible for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after their first recording is released.

In addition to being honored at the ceremony on March 12, 2007, each artist who is inducted is commemorated within the I.M. Pei-designed museum in Cleveland, Ohio. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame displays the signature of each inductee inscribed in glass. In addition, there is an exhibit of artifacts from this year’s inductees, and a multi-media film presentation with highlights from each artist’s career. The exhibit on this year’s inductees will open in March, 2007 and will run for one year.