When The Velvet Underground turned the Rock Hall ceremony into a farewell

• The ceremony, held Jan. 17, came five months after the death of guitarist Sterling Morrison and brought together members John Cale, Lou Reed, and Mo Tucker for the first time since an ill-fated 1993 reunion tour.

What they said: "They opened wounds worth opening with brutal innocence, without apology," said Patti Smith while inducting the band.

• Reed thanked everyone who helped get The Velvet Underground inducted before adding, "And I just wanted to say how much we regret that our friend and fellow musician Sterling Morrison couldn't be with us."

What happened next: The members bypassed performing their most popular songs in favor of "Last Night I Said Goodbye to My Friend," a song they'd recently written for Morrison.

• It was an unprecedented move from a band that never played by the rules.

The bottom line: The performance would be the last Cale, Reed and Tucker shared together, cementing it as a signature moment in Rock Hall history.