R.E.M. had a shiny, happy reunion for this headlining gig. Van Halen, not so much.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame swung open its doors Monday night to the latest batch of acts ticketed for music immortality, with the Georgia alt-rock icons and the dysfunctional Pasadena party band leading the way. They were joined by ’70s punk pioneer Patti Smith, ’60s girl group the Ronettes and the first hip-hop act to crash the party, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

The 22nd annual induction ceremony—which per tradition was held at New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel—felt like an I Love the ’80s special, thanks to its two biggest inductees.

R.E.M. received a warm introduction from Eddie Vedder. The Pearl Jam frontman showered praise on bald-pated vocalist Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and ex-drummer Bill Berry for creating infectious pop with a conscience—even though, as Vedder joked, he had a hard time understanding Stipe’s often inscrutable lyrics.

“He’s a true poet. He can be direct, he can be abstract. He can hit an emotion with peak-point intensity,” added Vedder.

One of the highlights of the night was seeing the band reteam with Berry, who amicably quit the Athens-based quartet nearly a decade ago after suffering a near-fatal brain aneurysm.

“When we first put the band together, the only thing we really ever wanted to do is play New York City, and I would say we’ve done it tonight,” said a humbled Stipe.

R.E.M. played a solid set of classics, starting with “Begin the Begin,” flowing into “Gardening at Night” and ending with Vedder joining them on “Man on the Moon.”

But while Berry was back in the R.E.M. fold for at least one night, the VH contingent was seriously lacking as Eddie Van Halen, his brother, drummer Alex Van Halen, and original frontman David Lee Roth were all MIA.

Roth declined to attend after complaining that organizers wouldn’t let him sing “Jump” with Velvet Revolver, which had been tapped to induct Van Halen and perform three VH songs in tribute.

Rock Hall organizers on Monday said they offered Diamond Dave “opportunities” to perform with the house band (led by Late Show with David Letterman’s Paul Schaffer), his own guitarist or Velvet Revolver, but he refused.

As for Eddie Van Halen, he entered rehab last week shortly after news broke that his namesake group’s highly anticipated summer reunion tour, with Roth on vocals for the first time in more than two decades, had been postponed indefinitely due to contractual snafus and Eddie’s drinking. Alex Van Halen decided to skip the event to support his brother’s recovery efforts.