Back in 1989, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was still in its infancy, and its annual induction ceremony was held not at New York City’s Madison Square Garden but at the much more intimate Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
That fourth class of inductees was an amazing one: The Rolling Stones, The Temptations, Dion, and Stevie Wonder were among the luminaries welcomed into the Hall that night, and Bruce Springsteen was there to congratulate them, along with Little Richard, Tina Turner, Pete Townshend, Lou Reed, and more.
Late in the evening, Bill Graham sparked an impromptu jam session with an incredible array of talent crowding the hotel ballroom’s small stage. Bruce was among them–watch closely and you’ll see a couple of close-ups of him on guitar in this rarely seen video of Mick Jagger fronting the amazing (if a bit unwieldy) band on The Rolling Stones’ smash hit, “Start Me Up.”
My favorite part about that video? It’s just as delightfully awkward as The Rolling Stones’ original 1981 video, right down to the way-too-close-at-times camera operator.
That video, of course, became one of the most frequently aired videos during the early days of MTV, and the single peaked just shy of the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100, lingering at #2 for three weeks.
The Rolling Stones would never achieve that level of chart success again. Despite its status as the iconic band’s last big hit, that Hall of Fame performance is the only time Bruce is known to have played “Start Me Up.”
Start Me Up
First performed: January 18, 1989 (New York City, NY)
Last performed: January 18, 1989 (New York City, NY)
