18 Great Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Superjams

Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Jerry Lee Lewis, Neil Young and Billy Joel 

"This is the gentleman who started it all," said Keith Richards as he inducted Chuck Berry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's inaugural class. So naturally Berry was front and center for the night's closing jam, flanked by fellow rock architects Jerry Lee Lewis and Phil Everly, as well as the musicians they inspired. Richards, Billy Joel, Neil Young, John Fogerty and Steve Winwood are just a few who swarmed the stage for a chance to jam with their idol as he duckwalked to his seminal hit. The outcome is loud, chaotic, and possibly inebriated — just like rock should be.

Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Brian Wilson, Ringo Starr, Ronnie Wood, Les Paul, Neil Young and Jeff Beck 

The third annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony was a classic-rock perfect storm. Heavy hitters such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan and the Drifters were inductees, and everyone else who mattered was on hand to watch them receive the honor. The galaxy of talent converged at the end of the night for a 10-song jam session, climaxing with this Beatles classic. Billy Joel, Mick Jagger and Bruce Springsteen fill in for the absent Paul McCartney, and George Harrison throws in a mop-top headshake along with his back-up "woos."

The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner and Little Richard

Mick Jagger learned his stage moves from Tina Turner when she opened for the Stones back in 1966, but by the Eighties, they were two sides of the same sexy, swaggering coin. Though the pair could have recorded one of the best duet albums of the century, we have to make do with only a handful of live performances — including this combustible version of "Honky Tonk Women." Tina's smirk after belting "blew my mind" sums it up. The one flaw here? Not enough Little Richard.

Neil Young, Carlos Santana, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell, Johnny Cash, the Edge and Steve Cropper 

When the Rock Hall honored the Jimi Hendrix Experience, A-list ax men lined up to pay tribute to the fallen guitar god. Surviving band members Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding reunited onstage with Neil Young, who led them through a sprawling version of "All Along the Watchtower." Jimmy Page attacked his solo with fiery intensity, while Santana delivered liquid cool.

Booker T. Jones, the Edge, Keith Richards, Neil Young, Steve Cropper and "Duck" Dunn

Cropper, Dunn, and Jones were the soulful spine of Memphis' Stax Records, backing artists like Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes throughout the Sixties. But they found success in their own right by cranking out attitude-packed instrumentals as Booker T. and the MGs. Their 1962 favorite "Green Onions" was given a thorough workout at the Rock Hall, with Richards, Young and U2's the Edge serving as honorary MGs for the night. 

John Fogerty, Bruce Springsteen and Robbie Robertson 

The Boss and the Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman went head to head in '93 to see who had the greatest gravel-coated voice in rock. Although Fogerty has the home-court advantage on this swampy 1968 CCR B-side, we'll call it a draw. Honorable mention goes to Robbie Robertson's howling backing vocals, which take the song from the backwater to the backwoods.

Axl Rose and Bruce Springsteen 

The Rock Hall provides the rare opportunity for artists of all genres and generations to come together. Perhaps one of the most arresting instances occurred in 1994 when Axl Rose and Bruce Springsteen teamed up to honor the late John Lennon. A notoriously prickly performer, Rose actually seems to be enjoying himself onstage, trading warm smiles with the elder Springsteen. This would prove to be his last public performance until 2001.

Wilson Pickett, Bruce Springsteen, Little Stevie and Billy Joel

The soul titan got some help from the E Street Band on this rendition of his best-known number. Even though Springsteen was the inductee that night, Pickett (Rock Hall class of '91) couldn't resist offering some performance tips and good-natured teasing. "I'm glad you invited me up," he told the Boss. "For a long time I wanted to sing with you. I wanted to kick you in the ass!" A visibly humbled Springsteen gave as good as he got, resulting in a duet for the ages.

Paul McCartney, Bono, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt and Robbie Robertson

Sir Paul wasn't scheduled to perform when he was inducted as a solo artist, so Billy Joel once again stepped in to cover his vocal duties during the musical finale. But Macca couldn't stay away, appearing onstage mid-song to the surprise of many — particularly Joel, who appeared so taken aback that he flubbed the lyric. McCartney completed the number, with a little help from the greatest backing band this side of the Beatles.

Prince, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood and Dhani Harrison

No offense to Petty, Lynne and Winwood, but the first few minutes of this performance feel like a slightly stale retread of the star-studded version at 2002's Concert for George. Then Prince steps in with a soaring solo and changes everything. He shreds so hard that he nearly falls off the stage — and he still looks cool. Where was he for the Hendrix tribute back in '92?!

B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton

The best part of the Rock Hall induction ceremonies is watching rock greats perform with their heroes. Eric Clapton helped induct his friend Buddy Guy in 2005 alongside fellow blues legend B.B. King. The trio shared killer guitar licks and camaraderie during this seven-minute version of Guy's barnburner. The admiration in Slowhand's eyes says it all.

Metallica, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Ronnie Wood, Joe Perry and Flea

"This is rhythm guitar player heaven," joked James Hetfield, gesturing to the nimble-fingered luminaries surrounding him on the stage. "I don't have to compete with this!" With that, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck took it back to their days in the Yardbirds with Tiny Bradshaw's immortal jump blues. A broken string unfortunately crippled Page during the solo battle, but Beck, Joe Petty and Kirk Hammett made up for it.

Slash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ronnie Wood, Billie Joe Armstrong, Kenny Jones and George Clinton 

Axl Rose was a no-show when Guns N' Roses were honored in 2012, but Slash rocked full speed ahead without him. The top-hatted one took center stage alongside RHCP and friends, and together they took things higher with a Stevie Wonder classic. Audience member George Clinton (and his dreads) provided an extra dose of funk, but poor Billie Joe Armstrong was stuck with a decidedly un-funky acoustic guitar.

Chuck D, Reverend Run, Rush, Ann and Nancy Wilson, Dave Grohl, John Fogerty, Gary Clark Jr., Tom Morello, Taylor Hawkins and Chris Cornell 

"The blues gave birth to rock & roll," Chuck D and Rev Run proclaim in the rap that opens this stunningly diverse jam. By going very old school with a Robert Johnson tune, the Rock Hall vividly demonstrated that so many rock offshoots — including prog, metal, grunge and hip hop — indeed have a shared origin. In this performance, we hear the blues as a crossroads from which pop music traveled in many different directions.

Stevie Nicks, Carrie Underwood, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow and Glenn Frey

Linda Ronstadt was absent from her 2014 induction due to her worsening battle with Parkinson's disease, but a group of legendary ladies were on hand to ensure that her name remained in the spotlight. Stevie Nicks, Carrie Underwood and Sheryl Crow were among the artists who paid tribute to the singer's influence, performing Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy" and the Everly Brothers' "When Will I Be Loved" in the style of Ronstadt's Seventies folk-rock covers. The sole male voice in the chorus? The late, great Glenn Frey, who backed Ronstadt in the pre-Eagles days.

Ringo Starr with Paul McCartney, Green Day, Miley Cyrus, Stevie Wonder, Patti Smith and more.

Ringo Starr became the final Beatle to enter the Hall of Fame as a solo act in 2015 when he was given the Award For Musical Excellence by Paul McCartney. “As all the other drummers say, he just is something so special,” McCartney said. “When he’s playing behind you, you see these other bands, they’re looking around at the drummer, like, is he going to speed up, is he going to slow down? You don’t have to look with Ringo.” At the end of the night, Ringo played “With a Little Help From My Friends” with McCartney, Green Day, Miley Cyrus, Beck, Joe Walsh, Joan Jett, Patti Smith, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Gary Clark Jr., Dave Grohl and many others. 

Steve Miller with Cheap Trick, Deep Purple Chicago, Steve Van Zandt and more.

The 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will go down in history as the night that Steve Miller unloaded on the institution in a backstage tirade to the press, but even Miller couldn’t hold back a grin at the end of the evening when he joined Cheap Trick and all the other performers of the evening on “Ain’t That a Shame.” Cheap Trick had been playing the Fats Domino song in their live set for decades, but on this evening they got to play it with Deep Purple, Chicago, Steve Van Zandt, Sheryl Crow and Rob Thomas. It also probably marked the final time the group will ever play in public with former drummer Bun E. Carlos. Relations grew toxic when he left the group in 2010, but for this single evening they buried the hatchet. 

Pearl Jam with Dhani Harrison, plus members of Journey, Yes and Rush.

Neil Young bailed on inducting Pearl Jam into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shortly before the ceremony, citing illness, but that didn’t stop the group from wrapping up the epic evening with his 1989 classic “Rockin’ in the Free World.” The incredible rendition featured Journey’s Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon, Yes’ Trevor Rabin, Dhani Harrison, and Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. Only at the Hall of Fame could such a thing happen. It also marked the only time that two Pearl Jam members (Matt Cameron and Dave Krusen) shared a single drum kit.