The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Greatest Moments: Watch History Being Made

For more on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary, check out the latest issue of Rolling Stone, on newsstands now.

When the first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held in 1986, it was going to be nothing more than than a dinner in the Waldorf-Astoria ballroom with music from Paul Shaffer and his band during the evening. "We didn't want people to feel as if they had to sing for their supper, but we had brought in instruments just in case," Shaffer remembers in our new issue.

But by the end of that first ceremony, the likes of Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry were on stage performing — starting a tradition that would produce explosive sessions like the 1992 all-star jam to induct Jimi Hendrix featuring Johnny Cash, Keith Richards, John Fogerty and onstage reunions like the Byrds in 1991 and Cream in 1993.

In addition to the music, the ceremonies were a platform for Paul McCartney's heartfelt speech to induct John Lennon, Mike Love's crazy acceptance when the Beach Boys were inducted and other once-in-a-lifetime tributes. 

In our current issue celebrating Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's milestone anniversary, we collected the most star-studded jams, powerful speeches and action-packed reunions over the past 25 years — read on to see these historic moments.