Alice Cooper takes a bow — and wears a live boa — at the induction ceremony. (Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage)
Alice Cooper groped his snake (a real boa), Elton John wiped a tear and Neil Diamond dropped a couple of F-bombs at one of the strangest induction ceremonies the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has presented in its 26 years.
The five-hour event Monday at the Waldorf-Astoria bordered on the surreal when Diamond and Cooper belted “Da Doo Ron Ron” arm in arm.
Other memorable musical moments included a guest appearance by Bruce Springsteen during inductee Darlene Love’s set, along with a stunningly beautiful guitar solo by John Mayer, who accompanied inductee Leon Russell on Russell’s ballad “A Song for You.”
But the night was more about speeches — about three hours’ worth — than music, with Love and Diamond expressing thoughts on joining the hall after at least two decades of eligibility, each in their own way.
Love, who referred to “the gatekeepers” who always kept her out, was reduced to tears. “In July, I’ll turn 73,” Love said. “This is the best gift I could ever have. I’ve given 50 years of my life to music. It has culminated in this moment.”
After a sardonic induction speech for Diamond by Paul Simon, who repeatedly asked, “What took so long?” the “Solitary Man” singer hit the stage dressed neatly in black.
Diamond thanked the fans for their support. But to the music-industry types in the crowd, he said: “I want to thank all of you, even if you didn’t vote for me,” adding that he was getting back to his world tour — “I’m flying to Sydney f – – – ing Australia, ’cause they love me there.”
But Diamond shook it off for his performance, rousing the stuffy, tux-clad house with hits including “Cherry, Cherry” and “Sweet Caroline.”
During a “Caroline” singalong, Diamond hopped off the stage and into the crowd. Stopping by Springsteen, he urged him, “Come on, Bruce, sing it.” The Boss reluctantly croaked a couple of lines, and Diamond told him, “You keep practicing, and you’ll go places.”
In a moving speech, Russell brought tears to Elton John’s eyes, thanking John for remembering him and for his help over the past year in making the record “Union.”
Reacting to his honor, gravel-voiced Tom Waits quipped: “Someday I hope to hear, ‘Hey, Mac, take the cuffs off him. I think he’s a Hall of Famer,” while Dr. John said he felt blessed “to still be breathing.”
A gracious Cooper, with a boa constrictor draped over his fake-blood-splattered shirt, was brief in describing his group: “We’ve always been a hard-rock band — we just decorated it differently.”
He added, “I’d like to tell you all that being inducted means we’ll never embarrass you, but I can’t really make that promise. That’s what we do.”
An edited two-hour version of the event airs on Fuse TV Sunday night at 9.