A tale of two inductions: one fan's perspective

Cee watches her favorite musician onstage at Barclays Center.

Good friend of the blog Cee - who possesses a rather unique fandom experience as regards those of us who became fans of Trevor in the 1980s - kindly consented to compose an account of what it was like to attend the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and watch the HBO broadcast a few weeks later, as she was fortunate enough to experience both perspectives.  For those of us watching the ceremony live-streamed on Periscope or via audience-filmed videos on YouTube later on, our experience was rather more limited.  But did the HBO broadcast truly honor all those inducted?  Read on to get her take on this historic event.

My deepest gratitude and affection to Cee for her authorial efforts (and for her email updates to me during the ceremony itself).  And as a final note, in this entry I am including images sourced from social media and provided to me by the author.

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I'm a Northeast US-based "Rabid Rabinite."  In 1979, I began a pen friendship with a lovely girl in a far-away land called South Africa.  Her letters spoke frequently of her favorite musician - some guy named Trevor Rabin.  She encouraged me to give him a listen. By mid-1980 I’d come across his first two solo albums and was completely hooked before the first side of his self-titled album finished playing. I am forever indebted to my (still) very dear friend for introducing me to the work of this brilliant artist.  The rest, as they say, is history – and a long one!

When I learned late last year that Trevor would be inducted into the R&RHoF Class of 2017 for his work with Yes, I was thrilled for him.  I was also thrilled for me upon learning that the Induction Ceremony would be held in New York City because I live in a suburb, and that it was open to the public.  Whether Trevor was present or not, it was a great opportunity for me to support and to celebrate my all-time favorite artist.

The other evening HBO ran an edited version (3 hours as opposed to a 4.5 – 5 hour show) of the induction ceremony that I couldn’t wait to see.  In the actual moment, there are way too many things happening around you and you find yourself thinking: “Wait, what just happened?”  I knew it would be edited down, of course, but I wasn't expecting to be angry when it was over.  Instead of feeling happy to have seen it, I felt heartbroken and insulted. I can only hope that Trevor, Shelley and Ryan don’t feel the same.  Since I had the unique opportunity to experience it first-hand, I wanted to share some things in relation to Trevor that you didn't get to see if you watched the HBO version. 

My ticket package included a really decent seat – 11 rows off the floor and just to the side of the stage - access to several rehearsals (including Yes), a pre-ceremony cocktail party, and a commemorative gift bag.  When all was said and done I met great people, had a great time, have great memories and it was well worth my investment.  Many people sitting near me for the ceremony were there for Pearl Jam, but no matter who we appreciated, we were all there for essentially the same reason.  Like I said before, it was a celebration and celebrate we did!

Some people opted to dress up - myself included.  I'd recently seen photos of Trevor in a red suit from when he first joined Yes, so in homage I decided to forego my usual black and try something different.  I found a gorgeous red Christian Dior pantsuit that was perfect.  Great decision personally because I literally got STOPPED by people from the moment I left my hotel room.  Combined with my choice of libation and witnessing several stopped-in-their-tracks compliments, the two lovely couples I'd spend the cocktail hour with decided to name me "Fireball."  My theme song: "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys.  Quite fitting since Alicia worked with Trevor on Glory Road and she also attended the ceremony.  I represented, my friends!

My favorite "Fireball" moment, though, came later on from a woman (Pearl Jam fan) sitting in the row behind me during the ceremony.  I was standing up cheering Trevor on during the Yes induction when I felt a tap on my shoulder.  I was waiting for someone to tell me to sit down (but they'd use the NY expletive that typically accompanies it) so I cautiously turned, ready to plead my case.  I braced.  She leaned in closer and said, "I just want to tell you, you're ROCKING that red suit!"  She made my evening!

I had a great landscape view of the "room," so there was a lot happening around me and that made it difficult to see everything.  I could easily see the table that the Rabins were sitting at from my seat.  It was no surprise to find the Maestro was wearing his “lucky” shirt.  I was surprised to find that I could locate him in the sea of people even when I wasn’t looking for him.  I actually started making a game out of it much like Where’s Waldo? (some parts of the ceremony were less interesting than others!).  I’ve only recently learned how tall Trevor is so that may have given me some advantage (I’m very likely in a party of one, especially among females, but I can honestly say it really was about the music for me.  It was either that or face certain repercussions from my friend!).  Shelley looked as beautiful as she did proud.  Ryan wore a dress suit and next to his adorable wife Kyly they made a gorgeous young couple.

Yes was the third of the inductees of the evening.  I did my very best to be loud and proud of Trevor – for ALL of us.  During Alex Lifeson's introduction, he spoke about the "glorious guitar work in 'Owner of a Lonely Heart.'"  In several videos, including what was shown on HBO, I can clearly hear myself "agreeing" with him.  I know there was at least one other RR in attendance - I could hear her as well, but she wasn’t nearby.  We were few in number, but mighty in spirit!  I won't go into the mess and politics of the Yes entities, but it wasn’t very organized as a whole.  HBO cut Trevor’s speech out completely.  It was only 36 SECONDS long!  I was SO angry they did that, especially for Shelley and Ryan.  To add insult to injury, I was STUNNED to see that they used the clip of Shelley when Trevor acknowledged her during his speech - during Joan Baez’s performance! As I saw it, it was used COMPLETELY out of context and if it were me I’d be livid.  Even worse, unless you knew who Shelley is, there was nothing to identify her – or Trevor – or anyone else for that matter.  Subtitles would have been REALLY helpful!  I will say that he had decent coverage during "Owner" and I noted a table shot of Shelley, Ryan and Kyly – at least there was that.

Ready for his close-up: Trevor on the big screen at Barclays Center.

I can’t tell you how many times I noted table shots of the members of Pearl Jam and their families during other inductions.  It didn’t take long to see that the HBO airing favored Pearl Jam and it was extremely disturbing to me.  Not because I don’t like them – quite the contrary --  but they were NOT the only inductees!   

#yes #rickwakeman #trevorrabin #joanbaez

A post shared by Robert Schindler (@robeone1) on Apr 9, 2017 at 6:16am PDT

When I walked out of the Barclays Center that evening, I left feeling SO proud of Trevor and my good sense to recognize his massive talent when I was 17.  One of my personal frustrations as a long-time follower is that most people, especially in the US, only identify Trevor based on one or two things he's done and that's mostly been his work with Yes – "Owner of a Lonely Heart" in particular. It's not at all a bad thing, it's certainly where he's been most globally visible and what ultimately got him inducted, but as most of us know, he's SO much more.  Somewhere deep down, I was certain this would finally open some eyes to everything else he’s done and what he’s still capable of doing.  I thought this ceremony - especially during the final jam where he performed Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World" with several of his peers - would certainly change things.  In my opinion, his guitar solo during that jam was EPIC and HBO...CUT IT!! 

I’ve included a link to what I’ve found to be the best view of it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivURhBWHmGw.  His part begins at 5:50. I can almost guarantee that the person heard “appreciating” here was me until the end.  He was standing at the edge of the stage playing masterfully in what I like to call that “mad scientist” way.  I was proud as anything telling the people around me “just watch this,” and I missed something critical. As much as I’m ashamed to admit it, I didn’t see him purposely drop his beloved Sharkfin plectrum – I only saw him bend down to pick it up again - and I thought the worst.  My heart sank and I was sick about it until I was able to view a video later on. I feel the need to publicly apologize to the Maestro for doubting - because SHAME ON ME! 

I encourage you to search YouTube for video, because some of that footage is much better than what HBO chose to show and it’s a truer representation.

Finally, a side note:  I mentioned that my package also included access to band rehearsals.  If you happen to be a Yes fan also, it was incredibly historic to witness a version of the band come together for the first time in many years and to see Geddy Lee fill in on bass during "Roundabout." They rehearsed that and "Owner" twice, so it was like a semi private mini concert.  I also found an unexpected opportunity to personally congratulate Trevor afterward which was a nice way to kick off my incredibly special weekend.

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