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It’s official. The White Stripes were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place Saturday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, where Jack and Meg White were honored for their indelible, decade-long influence on music.
As expected, Meg White did not attend the ceremony. She has completely withdrawn from the music industry and the public since the band’s split in 2011.
But several artists stepped up to fill the void left by the legendary drummer – one of the “100 Greatest Drummers of All Time” according to ROLLING STONE.
Olivia Rodrigo, Feist and Twenty One Pilots perform
Olivia Rodrigo and Feist performed the White Stripes classic “We’re Going to Be Friends,” while Twenty One Pilots, themselves a guitar-drums duo, gave goosebumps with an energetic version of “Seven Nation Army.”
The laudatory speech was given by Iggy Pop, who, as an icon of the Detroit rock scene, has a close connection to the band. Leading the audience in a loud chorus of “Seven Nation Army!”, he held up his manuscript and joked, “Let’s see if I can read this shit.”
Pop described the duo as “a 21st century Adam and Eve who formed a rock & roll band” and particularly praised Meg’s minimalist but powerful drumming, which “launched the rocket of noise that was Jack White”.
Jack White thanks “Uncle Iggy” and Meg
Jack White then took the stage in a red suit and white tie. In his acceptance speech, he addressed “Uncle Iggy” directly and said that Meg helped prepare his speech: “I spoke to Meg the other day; she said she’s sorry she couldn’t come today, but she’s very grateful for all the people who have supported her over the years. That means a lot to her tonight.”
White thanked the musical role models of the White Stripes as well as legendary pop culture duos – from Leiber & Stoller to Abbott & Costello. “I’ve been in a lot of bands you’ve probably never heard of,” he said. “But for some reason this one duo particularly touched people. We don’t know why that is – but when it happens, it’s the most beautiful thing you can experience as an artist.”
“Become obsessed” – White’s appeal to young artists
Finally, White addressed moving words to the next generation: “To young artists: Get your hands dirty, put away the screens, go into your garage or your small room and get obsessed. Get passionate. We all want to be a part of what you can create.”
Olivia Rodrigo, who was born just two months before the release of the White Stripes album Elephant (April 2003), also paid tribute to the band. She said in an Elle interview in 2023 that she grew up with the album – especially “The Hardest Button to Button”:
“Meg’s drums shine on this song. From there, I listened to the rest of her great albums and became a huge fan. Meg’s drumming and the White Stripes taught me an important lesson about the power of simplicity in music. They showed me that a truly great song doesn’t need elaborate production – it just needs to move you.”