I just stayed up an hour past what I wanted to because I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame isn't Cooperstown because art is so much more arbitrary. Percy Sledge? He had a high peak, but did he do anything besides one of the most amazing performances ever and if not, does it matter? How do you compare James Brown to The Pretenders any better than you can Babe Ruth to Barry Bonds?

Tonight, it was a bit different and for a moment, transcendant. Bruce Springsteen gave one of the most amazingly written speeches I've ever heard. You *have* to read this. Bruce was dry, reading his prepared speech obviously, barely looking up at times until becoming animated towards the end. Bruce, like his idol Bob Dylan, does things with words I only dream of and this speech stands with some of the best things he's ever recorded. All it needed was a beat and a sax solo.

Bono's response was nearly as good, his Kodak moments ringing like The Edge's guitar. Good lesson that, about the hand-eye coordination.

Then they played. It's a venue made for greatest hits, for celebrating that which you're being celebrated and U2 pulls out a song from deep inside Achtung Baby, a song made for an obscure yet wonderful movie, "Until The End of the World." Introducing it as "a conversation between Jesus and the devil," the band - this band, the greatest rock and roll band in all the world - exploded the stage. It's the archetype of rock and roll - drums, bass, guitar and singer, adding up to more than the sum of its parts.

I can't say anything more than to watch it if you get the chance (it's replaying on VH1) and than Bruce and Bono already said. I'll be looking for interesting enemies now. I can only hope I can wait until April 26th ...