The 2020 Metal Hall of Fame had it’s induction ceremony in beautiful Anaheim, CA. Eddie Trunk hosted the event. The heavy metal historian was the master of ceremonies. As mentioned in the previous article about the Metal Hall of Fame, the inductees this year were star-studded. In addition to the inductees, there were also a couple surprise appearances from past inductees and other Metal music personalities.

Metal Festivities On The Night

The night started out with a red carpet extravaganza including most of the inductees and other personalities. Wendy Dio, Nita Strauss, Carmine Appice, and others that have had huge influences on Metal music walked down the red carpet toward the awards stage. Our inductees that walked the carpet were treated to a mob of media taking pictures and conducting interviews.

The red carpet was a nice way to get to see all the inductees and the people involved in the ceremony. Following all the stars walking the carpet, guests in attendance were treated to some live performances by thrash legends, Triumph. Around 8:00, the ceremony finally began.

The Ceremony Was As Good As Advertised

Starting with our host, Eddie Trunk, the festivities began quickly. Who was our first nominee? The legend, Don Dokken. It took him a bit to get to the stage, as the metal warrior had back surgery days before the event. Once he was up there though, Don was great. He’s obviously not going to be in the same vocal shape after back surgery, but he gutted out his speech. Unbelievably, Don wanted to sing for the Metal Hall of Fame crowd. His performance of “Into the Fire” wasn’t his best. But who’s expecting him to belt out at his best after back surgery.

The rest of the ceremony went pretty much as planned. With a performance by Prong, Steve Vai, and appearances by Wendy Dio, and a tribute to the late Rush drummer, Neil Peart. It was a fantastic ceremony that I hope I’m invited back to next year. If you missed out on the whole shebang, fret not! The entire ceremony was filmed and will be available later in the year on Amazon Prime Video.

Metal Royalty Abound

A ceremony just containing Don Dokken, Prong, and Steve Vai would have been enough for me. But the night continued with speeches and a couple performances from Graham Bonnet, Chris Poland, Joe Satriani, Stephen Pearcy, Metal Church, and Stone City Attractions. It was a huge night that I won’t forget for long.

With the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame being a dumpster fire that doesn’t allow actual rock or metal musicians in, the Metal Hall of Fame is the next best thing for fans of the genre. The ceremony was tasteful, respectful, and most of all, fun. If you’re in town next year, you have to make sure you get to this ceremony. You won’t regret it.

For more on the Metal Hall of Fame, heavy metal music, Iron Maiden, Rush, or anything else you can think of, check back to That Hashtag Show.