2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony: Real-time updates

Sixth and final induction of the night

12:02 a.m. That's a wrap! The 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony has come to a close. Thank you for reading along with us.

12 a.m. Friday. Midnight! Who's still with us?!?! The induction ceremony has now hit four and a half hours.

11:58 p.m. Nearing the midnight hour, and we're still rocking into the night. The Moody Blues are now performing their fourth song of the evening -- Ride My See-Saw.

11:50 p.m. The Moody Blues aren't done yet. The band is now performing Nights In White Satin.

11:46 p.m. They're belting out Wildest Dreams.

11:40 p.m. The Moody Blues take a few minutes before performing live. Their first song: I'm Just A Singer.

11:36 p.m. "Thank you very much," Justin Hayward says. "It means a lot to me."

11:30 p.m. The induction ceremony has been going on for four hours now.

11:26 p.m. The Moody Blues go on stage to accept their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

11:25 p.m. "The Moody Blues have, and always will be, a kick ass rock band. ... They have sold 70 million albums worldwide and counting." -- Ann Wilson on The Moody Blues.

11:21 p.m. Ann Wilson of Heart is back on stage with the honor of inducting The Moody Blues. "The Moody Blues took me from childhood to adulthood."

11:18 p.m. The final induction of the night is here -- The Moody Blues. We're being treated to a highlight reel of their music.

Fifth induction of the night

11:09 p.m. The tribute for Nina Simone continues with Lauren Hill performing Ain't Got No, I Got Life.

11:02 p.m. Lauren Hill is next on the stage to perform in honor of Nina Simone.

10:58 p.m. Andra Day and The Roots perform I Put A Spell On You in Nina Simone's honor.

10:54 p.m. The Roots and Andra Day are on stage performing I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free on behalf of Nina Simone.

10:48 p.m. "To all the brothers out there, protect your sisters. I protected her when she was alive, and I will protect her now that she's sitting next to you. She's here today. She's soaring there. She's sitting next to you. She's sitting next to you." -- Sam Waymon on his sister, Nina Simone.

10:41 p.m. Nina Simone's brother, Sam Waymon, is welcomed on stage to accept her induction trophy. "To all the artists who are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, you deserve it."

10:38 p.m. "Her voice was so distinctive, warm and powerful. ... It was often the lack of confidence in herself that people could relate to." -- Mary J. Blige on Nina Simone.

10:35 p.m. Mary J. Blige takes the stage to induct Nina Simone. She asks the crowd to bear with her because she has a "very long speech."

10:30 p.m. Nina Simone is honored with her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A video showcasing her career is now playing. This also marks three hours since the induction ceremony began.

'In Memoriam' and Ann Wilson sings

10:22 p.m. The Cars are backstage in the press room talking about their induction. See what they had to say HERE.

10:20 p.m. Steven Van Zandt introduces the all-new "Singles Induction" in which rock 'n' roll hits earn their own designation in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Those singles being inducted are:

• Rocket 88
• Rumble
• The Twist
• Louie, Louie
• A Whiter Shade Of Pale
• Born To Be Wild

10:15 p.m. Ann Wilson and Jerry Cantrell are on stage performing Black Hole Sun.

10:12 p.m. The "In Memoriam" portion pays tribute to the musicians we lost this year. Tom Petty, Chester Bennington and Malcolm Young were among those honored.

10:08 p.m. The last time Cleveland hosted a Rock Hall induction ceremony was back in 2015. A highlight from that night was shown as Green Day performed.

Fourth induction of the night

10:03 p.m. On to their fourth song... The Cars jam to Just What I Needed.

9:57 p.m. For their third song... The Cars treat Cleveland to a performance of Moving In Stereo.

9:54 p.m. Their second song of the night is You Might Think.

9:49 p.m. The Cars take the stage to perform My Best Friend's Girl. Scott Shriner of Weezer joins them on bass guitar.

9:47 p.m. Ric Ocasek thanks his "loving family" before mentioning the time he spent living in Cleveland. "It was actually the first place I ever played music in front of people. It was at a hootenanny here, and I think it was about 20 blocks away. I've only moved this far up the street for all those years."

9:43 p.m. The crowd goes wild as lead singer Ric Ocasek takes the mic. He begins with comments about Benjamin Orr. "He would've been elated to be on this stage. ... We miss him and love him dearly."

9:36 p.m. Elliot Easton pays tribute to Benjamin Orr: "Cleveland is Ben's hometown, and they've always been very proud of him here! I know that wherever he is, he's so proud on this special occasion."

9:32 p.m. Induction night is moving along. We're more than two hours into the ceremony and two more inductees left to be honored.

9:31 p.m. Elliot Easton is the first to speak for the band.

9:30 p.m. The Cars are formally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They join together on stage as Magic echoes through Public Hall.

9:23 p.m. Brandon Flowers of The Killers is on stage honoring The Cars. It's important to note The Cars have deep roots in the rock 'n' roll city as Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr grew up in Northeast Ohio. Orr, who died in October 2000, is buried in Geauga County.

9:19 p.m. Here we go! The Cars are now being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Third induction of the night

9:15 p.m. Felicia Collins takes the stage to perform in honor of Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

9:12 p.m. Brittany Howard takes the stage to perform That's All in honor of Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

9:08 p.m. Sister Rosetta Tharpe is recognized as a video of her career is showcased.

Second induction of the night

9:05 p.m. Dire Straits wraps up their thank you comments. The band did not perform. Meanwhile... Bon Jovi hops backstage at Public Hall to speak with reporters in the press room. You can read what they had to say HERE.

8:57 p.m. Guy Fletcher: "When you've got a combination of things like the chemistry, the band and the songs that Mark brought to the table, it's kind of hard to get it wrong. ... We had such a great time, and I'm massively privileged to be a part of it." He then said there's "such a buzz" here in Cleveland while talking about being in town visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

8:54 p.m. Dire Straits take the stage as Walk Of Life plays. Since they had no special guest inducting them into the Rock Hall, band member John Illsley did it himself.

8:47 p.m. A video pops on screen showcasing the history of Dire Straits. Only three members of the band came to Cleveland for induction night as neither Mark Knopfler nor David Knopfler are here. David had mentioned on social media that the Rock Hall had "reneged" on its promise to pay for travel expenses.

First induction of the night

8:46 p.m. Bon Jovi wraps up their final performance and takes a big hand-in-hand bow amid a standing ovation. We're now on to the next inductee of the night.

8:41 p.m. Yes! Bon Jovi is rocking Cleveland with Livin' On A Prayer. Goosebumps. Who doesn't love this song?!?! We're in the press room jamming. For real.

8:33 p.m. The induction ceremony is already more than an hour in, and we still have five more inductees. Stick with us! We're here all night.

8:32 p.m. The band's second performance is It's My Life. Want to rock out? Here's the music video:

8:28 p.m. The band jams together as they perform You Give Love A Bad Name.

8:26 p.m. After speaking for 20 minutes, Jon Bon Jovi wraps up his comments. "Thank you for making this dream a reality." The band embraces in a hug as the crowd climbs to their feet.

8:25 p.m. Jon Bon Jovi honors his wife and kids saying they're his "greatest hits."

8:17 p.m. Jon Bon Jovi begins talking about the Slippery When Wet album. "Nothing would ever be the same. ... We started having consistent hits and we finally became a headliner."

8:08 p.m. Jon Bon Jovi said he has been writing his Rock Hall acceptance speech for quite some time. "It took a lot of people to get us here." He said he was first introduced to music when he was 7.

8:06 p.m. Jon Bon Jovi takes the mic as the crowd erupts. "First I want to thank Beth Stern for not only getting Howard here, but for getting him to stay here." He then joked that Howard is the only person who thinks he needed a passport to come to Cleveland.

8:05 p.m. David Bryan takes the mic and reflects on memories with the band. "We grew up nobody, but we did become somebody. ... Now in Cleveland to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!"

7:57 p.m. Richie Sambora takes the mic to express his gratitude for being inducted into the Rock Hall.

7:54 p.m. Stern officially inducts Bon Jovi into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They get on stage as Bad Medicine belts out in the theater.

7:52 p.m. Stern talks about his love of all of this year's inductees. He then expressed great gratitude to musicians for putting a smile on his face. "The dream has been realized."

7:51 p.m. Stern runs through the path Bon Jovi took to creating some of their greatest songs. "Other bands form their era have disappeared," he said.

7:48 p.m. Stern gets the crowd to sing Dead or Alive. Then he shouts, "Eat sh*t, Bob Dylan! Now that's music!"

7:42 p.m. Stern: "My friends. These boys are deserving. They are finally getting their due and it's about time."

7:40 p.m. Howard Stern takes the stage and the crowd goes wild. "The man who never leaves home, me, Howard Stern, is in Cleveland!"

7:32 p.m. The Killers take the stage singing Tom Petty's American Girl.

7:23 p.m. Let's rock! Greg Harris, the President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has taken the stage to introduce the 2018 induction ceremony.

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Red carpet arrivals

7:18 p.m. The red carpet arrivals wrapped up moments ago. Howard Stern was the last star to walk the red carpet, which wrapped up just moments ago.

6:30 p.m. Fans gather at the Rock Hall to watch the simulcast. See photos:

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HBO will air an edited version of the induction ceremony will air on Saturday, May 5 at 8 p.m.

This year's inductees were selected from 19 total nominees. Those not making the cut in 2018 include Kate Bush, Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, LL Cool J, Radiohead, MC5, the Meters, J. Geils Band, Judas Priest, Rage Against the Machine, the Zombies, Link Wray and Rufus featuring Chaka Khan.

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