Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Whitney Houston to be inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Ladies, gents, and music lovers of all ages, it’s time to welcome the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2020!

On Wednesday (Jan. 15), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame formally announced this year’s inductees, and it’s definitely a diverse list.

In a surprising twist, a slew of first-time nominees earned positions in the hall of fame, including the Doobie Brothers, the Notorious B.I.G., T. Rex, and Whitney Houston.

For Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode, third time’s the charm as they also join the list of inductees for the 35th annual event.

The Dave Matthews Band won the fan ballot but sadly did not make the final cut once again confirming just because the fans like it, doesn’t mean the industry insiders do.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced the 2020 nominees in October with several return nominees. This year marked the sixth time Kraftwerk had been nominated, the fifth time for MC5, the fourth for Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, and the second for Judas Priest and Todd Rundgren.

Jon Landau (longtime industry manager who helped guide Bruce Springsteen’s career) and Irving Azoff (the Eagles’ personal manger) will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award at this year’s event.

The Ahmet Ertegun Award “honors songwriters, producers, disc jockeys, record executives, journalists, and other industry professionals who have had a major influence on rock and roll.”

For an artist to be eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, their first recording must have been released at least 25 years ago.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2020 Induction Ceremony will take place at Public Auditorium in Cleveland on May 2. The show will broadcast live on HBO at 8 p.m. ET.

Tickets will go on sale to the public on Feb. 27. Performances and special guests will be announced at a later date.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces its 2020 nominees

Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. Music lovers of all ages, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees are finally in!

On Tuesday (Oct. 15), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced the lengthy list of nominees for the 2020 class. As with past years, the musicians on the roster come from various music genres, which may lead to a debate or two among fans (there’s already some online “conversations,” but when doesn’t that happen?).

Motörhead, Depeche Mode, Soundgarden, Judas Priest, Nine Inch Nails, Pat Benatar, Whitney Houston, the Dave Matthews Band, and The Notorious B.I.G. are just some of the potential inductees.

The class of 2020 also marks the first time that the majority of the candidates are first-time nominees.

The first-time nominees include the Dave Matthews Band, the Doobie Brothers, Motörhead, the Notorious B.I.G., Pat Benatar, Soundgarden, T. Rex, Thin Lizzy, and Whitney Houston.

This will be the sixth time Kraftwerk has been nominated, the fifth time for MC5, the fourth for Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, the third for Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode, and the second for Judas Priest and Todd Rundgren.

All-in-all, a very diverse lineup.

It was reported that artists such as Aaliyah, Weezer, blink-182, and Daft Punk were eligible but were not nominated.

For an artist to be eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, their first recording must have been released at least 25 years ago.

While a lot of the voting power sits with industry insiders, fans are going to get a chance to put their two cents in.

Through Jan. 10, fans can go to Google and search “Vote Rock Hall 2020” or any nominee name plus “vote” to cast a ballot with Google. They can also head on over to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s website or the museum in Cleveland to chime in.

The top five artists chosen by the public will make up the “fans’ ballot” joining the industry insiders’ votes.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2020 Induction Ceremony will take place at Public Auditorium in Cleveland on May 2, 2020. The full list of nominees can be found below.

ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME 2020 NOMINEES:

Pat Benatar
Dave Matthews Band
Depeche Mode
The Doobie Brothers
Whitney Houston
Judas Priest
Kraftwerk
MC5
Motörhead
Nine Inch Nails
The Notorious B.I.G.
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
Todd Rundgren
Soundgarden
T.Rex
Thin Lizzy

Depeche Mode announces new album, world tour

Depeche Mode music lovers rejoice! On Tuesday (Oct. 11), the British band announced plans to release a brand new record in 2017. Taking to Facebook, the trio unveiled that the new record, their 14 studio album, will be titled Spirit and is set for a 2017 projected release date; the specific date has not been revealed.

“We’re working on the album with a new team: it’s produced by James Ford [of Simian Mobile Disco], and he’s helped us to make what we feel is a very incredible sounding record,” lead singer Dave Gahan explains of the new music. “He was able to really guide us.”

In support of the upcoming record, the band has also announced a massive world tour. The trek, which has been named the “European Global Spirit” tour, will kick off on May 5 at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden and wrap up a month-and-a-half later on July 23 at the Cluj Arenain in Cluj, Romania. Proceeds from the tour will raise money for the charity, charity:water.

“If you don’t know charity:water, you should,” guitarist Martin Gore begins. “They’re an amazing organization whose goal is to bring clean, safe drinking water to everybody on the planet. On the last tour, with our fans’ help, we were able to raise over $1.4 million for charity:water. Those funds specifically brought clean water to people in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Rwanda.”

Before Spirit is set to hit stores next year, the band will release a compilation titled Video Singles Collection. The collection features the group’s entire videography from 1981 to 2013. The compilation is set to hit stores on Nov. 11.

For now, the complete list of tour dates can be found below. Spirit is the follow-up to the group’s 2013 release, Delta Machine.

DEPECHE MODE’S EUROPEAN GLOBAL SPIRIT TOUR:

May 5 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Friends Arena
May 7 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome
May 9 – Antwerp, Belgium @ Sportpaleis
May 12 – Nice, France @ Stade Charles-Ehrmann
May 14- Ljubljana, Slovenia @ Dvorana Stožice
May 17 – Athens, Greece @ Terra Vibe Park
May 20 – Bratislava, Slovakia @ Štadión Pasienky
May 22 – Budapest, Hungary @ Groupama Aréna
May 24 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Eden Aréna
May 27 – Leipzig, Germany @ Festwiese
May 29 – Lille, France @ Stade Pierre-Mauroy
May 31 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Telia Parken
June 3 – London, United Kingdom @ London Stadium
June 5 – Cologne, Germany @ RheinEnergieStadion
June 9 – Munich, Germany @ Olympiastadion
June 11 – Hannover, Germany @ HDI Arena
June 18 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Letzigrund Stadion
June 20 – Frankfurt, Germany @ Commerzbank-Arena
June 22 – Berlin, Germany @ Olympiastadion
June 25 – Rome, Italy @ Stadio Olimpico
June 27 – Milan, Italy @ Stadio San Siro
June 29 – Bologna, Italy @ Stadio Rentao Dall’Ara
July 1 – Paris, France @ Stade de France
July 4 – Gelsenkirchen, Germany @ Veltins-Arena
July 6 – Bilbao, Spain @ BBK Live Festival
July 8 – Lisbon, Portugal @ NOS Alive Festival
July 13 – St. Petersburg, Russia @ SKK
July 15 – Moscow, Russia @ Otkritie Arena
July 17 – Minsk, Belarus @ Minsk-Arena
July 19 – Kiev, Ukraine @ Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex
July 21 – Warsaw, Poland @ PGE Narodowy
July 23 – Cluj-Napoca, Romania @ Cluj Arena

Depeche Mode Announce North American Tour

It must be the year of comebacks because it’s been confirmed that Depeche Mode are the latest band to head out on a North American tour this yer.

The tour is in support of their upcoming 13th album, The Delta Machine which is due to hit stores on March 26.

In a news release lead singer, Dave Gahan said, “I’m really looking forward to getting out there and performing. There are so many die-hard Depeche Mode fans who have been with us every step of this journey that I can’t wait to see. I also hope that we gain some new fans with the release of Delta Machine, and I look forward to exposing them to a great Depeche Mode live performance.”

Touring is set to begin in late August and run all the way through to early October. The full list of The Delta Machine Tour  stops can be seen below.

TOUR DATES:

Thursday, Aug. 22 Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre

Saturday, Aug. 24 Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre

Tuesday, Aug. 27 St. Paul, MN @ Minnesota State Fair

Sunday, Sep. 1 Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre

Tuesday, Sep. 3 Montreal, QB @ Bell Centre

Friday, Sep. 6 Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center

Sunday, Sep. 8 Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater

Tuesday, Sep. 10 Washington DC @ Jiffy Lube Live

Thursday, Sep. 12 Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood

Saturday, Sep. 14 Tampa, FL @ Florida State Fairgrounds

Sunday, Sep. 15 Ft Lauderdale, FL @ BB&T Center

Wednesday, Sep. 18 Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Friday, Sep. 20 Dallas, TX Gexa @ Energy Pavilion

Sunday, Sep. 22 San Diego, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre

Tuesday, Sep. 24 Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl

Thursday, Sep. 26 Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre

Saturday, Sep. 28 Los Angeles, CA @ STAPLES Center

Sunday, Sep. 29 Los Angeles, CA @ STAPLES Center

Tuesday, Oct. 8 Phoenix, AZ @ Desert Sky Pavilion

Pre-sales begin on April 1 and will go through to April 5 via Amazon, Facebook and Live Nation’s mobile app. For those who miss the pre-sale, tickets go on sale for the general public on April 6.