I’m still a little salty about missing the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, but the three-hour-plus special now available on HBO and HBO Max is a worthy substitute.

The show features an amazing collection of talent. There are the inductees who were there (Foo Fighters, Carole King, The Go-Go’s, LL Cool J, Jay-Z, music executive Clarence Avant), the ones who weren’t (Todd Rundgren, Tina Turner, Kraftwerk) and the ones no longer with us (Gil-Scott Heron, Billy Preston, Charlie Patton, Randy Rhoads).

Just as impressive is the lineup that turns out to celebrate them. Taylor Swift opens the ceremony with an ethereal, indie pop take on King’s “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.” Jennifer Hudson nearly blows the roof off Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse with her Aretha Franklin-inspired take on King’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”

As someone who falls asleep at least once a month listening to King’s “Tapestry” album, those performances couldn’t match the thrill of hearing King behind the piano singing “You’ve Got a Friend.”

Christina Aguilera, H.E.R. Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton performed in place of Turner. Gary Clark Jr., renowned for his electric guitar wizardry, shows off his acoustic blues chops paying tribute to Patton.

I confess, I’m one of those people who rolled my eyes whenever LL Cool J showed up on the nominating ballot. As someone who was aware of but wasn’t listening to much rap in the ’80s and early ’90s, LL Cool J seemed lightweight and less important than Run-DMC, Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy and his contemporaries.

After hearing Dr. Dre’s induction speech, watching the video presentation and then watching LL Cool J own that stage (despite being joined by Eminem and Jennifer Lopez during his set, he never was upstaged), I have no doubt about his worthiness now.

Drew Barrymore’s unbridled enthusiasm inducting The Go-Go’s was infectious, and hearing the band’s performance reminded me of seeing them when I was in college and made me hope I get another chance soon to see them live.

The Foo Fighters, led by Warren native Dave Grohl, got the closing slot and brought the rock ‘n’ roll to the ceremony.

And while the evening doesn’t get the star-studded jam session that many expected, Foo Fighters and Paul McCartney performing “Get Back” is a pretty great finale.

The consolation for those of us who couldn’t be there is this really is how the ceremony is intended to be viewed (at least that’s what I keep telling myself). It’s designed to be a television special.

Those video packages created for each inductee were made to be watched at home, not on a screen in an echo-y arena. And they are responsible for some of the most entertaining moments in the HBO special. And while the special clocks in at 3 hours and 15 minutes, that’s about two hours less than the actual ceremony.

One other thing becomes evident while watching the program. The local Rock Hall folks should take a copy of the show on VHS — something with some heft, not a DVD or, worse, a streaming link — and slam it down on the desk of those New York Rock Hall executives and say, “Now tell me why this ceremony shouldn’t be in Cleveland every year?”

The television production couldn’t look better. Clearly they don’t need to be on the coast to create a world-class special.

And it’s hard to look at the lineup of stars who turned out Halloween weekend — during a lingering pandemic no less — and make the argument that they can’t draw the talent to the Midwest.

If there’s an argument to be made, it’s that there are more people in New York and Los Angeles who have the means to spend four figures on one of those table seats on the floor. And while the induction ceremony is a celebration, it’s also a fundraiser for the Rock Hall itself.

The ceremony belongs in the city where the hall sits. Then again, I just don’t want to have to wait two or three years for an opportunity to see the next one live.

Andy Gray is the entertainment editor of Ticket. Write to him at agray@tribtoday.com