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Nirvana, KISS, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, Cat Stevens and Linda Ronstadt were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Thursday. The inductees were chosen by 700 voters from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation and a public ballot.

The evening began with a speech from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Chairman Jann Wenner, who said:

We are thrilled to be here tonight in Brooklyn. As Keith Richards has said so often, at this age we’re thrilled to be anywhere. We’re here to celebrate our youth, our music and that which keeps us forever young. Rock and roll offers hope and passion and joy and courage and love, a way to understand the world around us, and for so many of us, a way of life.”

Next up was Peter Asher, who paid tribute to the two recipients of the Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-performers, Beatles manager Brian Epstein and original Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Epstein died in 1967 and Loog Oldham chose not to attend. Asher said:

These are the first two managers ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Each of them managed one of the most important ensembles in music history, let alone just rock and roll. And each of whom guided his band from anonymity to global stature, though in very different ways.

Peter Gabriel was inducted for his solo work, having already been inducted as a member of Genesis in 2010. Coldplay’s Chris Martin handled the induction duties, referring to Gabriel’s work as an “amazing cathedral of song”. Gabriel said:

Watch out for music. It should come with a health warning. It can be dangerous. It can make you feel so alive, so connected to the people around you, connected to what you are inside. It can make you think that the world should and could be a much better place. It can also make you very, very happy.

Gabriel performed “Digging in the Dirt,” and also duetted with Martin on “Washing of the Water” and Youssou N’Dour on “In Your Eyes”.

KISS were inducted by guitarist Tom Morello, who cited the band’s influence on a variety of acts, from Lady Gaga to Garth Brooks to Slipknot.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame chose only to induct the four original members of KISS, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, all of whom were there to accept the honour. Simmons told the crowd:

We are humbled to stand on this stage and do what we love doing. This is a profound moment for all of us. I’m here to say a few kind words about the four knuckleheads who, 40 years ago, got together and decided to put together the kind of band we never saw onstage, critics be damned.

KISS did not perform.

Cat Stevens sang a solo “Father and Son” after accepting his induction by Art Garfunkel, and then was joined by Paul Shaffer and his band on “Wild World” and “Peace Train”.

Linda Ronstadt was inducted by Glenn Frey, but did not attend the ceremony. Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Carrie Underwood and Emmylou Harris were on hand to pay a musical tribute to Ronstadt with performances of “Distant Drum,” “Blue Bayou,” “You’re No Good,” “It’s So Easy,” and “When Will I Be Loved.”

Hall & Oates were inducted by Roots drummer and fellow Philadelphian, Questlove, who said that their music “crossed all the boundaries, because that is what great music does.”

The duo performed “She’s Gone,” “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” and “You Make My Dreams.”

The E Street Band received the Award for Musical Excellence, having missed out when Bruce Springsteen was inducted in 1999. Springsteen paid a long tribute to his colleagues, and summed up their impact on his career by saying “I told a story with the E Street Band that was and is bigger than anything I could have told on my own.”

After each member took their turn at the microphone, the band played “E Street Shuffle,” “The River” and “Kitty’s Back,” with Vini Lopez and Max Weinberg on separate drum kits, and original member Danny Sancious on the organ.

Michael Stipe inducted Nirvana, referring to the group as “singular, loud and melodic and deeply original”. Nirvana were inducted on their first year of eligibility. Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic accepted the award, with Courtney Love representing Kurt Cobain. Her years of ups and downs with Grohl were seemingly put to rest as she referred to the band as “my family” and embraced Grohl, before saying “I just wish that Kurt was here to see this.”

The evening closed with a Nirvana jam, with the band fronted by Joan Jett, Kim Gordon, St. Vincent and Lorde.