In the packed Garden City Hotel ballroom, beneath the crystal chandeliers, amid the swells dressed in their formal best, Public Enemy's Chuck D and Run-DMC's DMC got everyone to put their hands in the air and wave them like they just don't care to the anti-establishment anthem "Fight the Power" last night.
It must be the Long Island Music Hall of Fame gala.
The wildly eclectic party, which inducted greats from Louis Armstrong and Count Basie to LL Cool J and the hard-rocking Good Rats, paid tribute to the Island's musical history, as well as raised funds for the Hall of Fame's scholarship fund.
"That this music can sit side by side with other great offerings of music is a true pleasure," said Chuck D, after an acceptance speech that discussed how living on Long Island unites musicians of all types.
The rapper talked about how he grew up wanting to play the area bars that The Good Rats played, how he had flown home with members of Blue Oyster Cult and how he had walked the streets of Garden City and met the police on several occasions as he walked from Adelphi University to catch the N40 bus.
For most of the evening's inductees who were present, being celebrated where they lived was the biggest thrill.
"There's nothing like being recognized in your hometown," said doo-wop pioneer Kenny Vance. "History is so important." Vance's distinctive falsetto added a different feel to the evening, following an acoustic version of Blue Oyster Cult's "The Reaper" and a raucous, hard-hitting rock set from The Good Rats.
The band also brought some levity to the evening, pretending to auction off their award in the press room, before Mickey Marchello added, "We're the Rodney Dangerfields of rock and roll."
The Long Island Music Hall of Fame's celebration of the area's contribution to music also serves to inspire future generations, said John McNeur, who won the group's educator's award for the year. "It must be incredibly fulfilling for children to see all these artists as role models," he said.
For artists who have numerous other awards, the Long Island Music Hall of Fame's acknowledgment is still special. "It's amazing just to be recognized," said LL Cool J, recalling his days growing up in North Babylon. "I never dreamed I'd ever be looking out at a roomful of people celebrating the art I've been creating."
Chuck D summed up the evening after his powerful performance of the group's hits with DMC, including "Rebel Without a Pause" and "Public Enemy No. 1," saying, "Music is a universal language, and Long Island you are No. 1."
