Rock legend Warren Zevon sadly didn’t live to see his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2025, but The Killers and one of Warren’s oldest friends weren’t gonna miss the chance to shred it up in his honour. The Killers’ frontman Brandon Flowers made an effort to stay in character as a desperado singing Warren’s barnstormer “Lawyers, Guns and Money.” However, he couldn’t stop a big cheeky grin from crossing his face when he looked at Warren’s longtime guitarist Waddy Wachtel shredding those thunderous licks.
The 78-year-old guitar icon looked equally happy to be up there honoring the great music he made with his longtime friend. It really felt like a celebration of Warren Zevon’s timeless songs, and it was loud, rambunctious, and larger than life, just like the great man himself. The Music Man has to say, The Killers absolutely crushed this, even though the hard-driving rock number is well out of their usual wheelhouse stylistically.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame uploaded The Killers’ take on “Lawyers, Guns and Money” to YouTube on January 9, 2026, where it hit 237,000 views. Viewers found a whole lot to love, and added comments such as “It’s great to see a band having so much fun covering a classic. Played with absolute passion and similarly sung by Brandon. Rock in peace Warren.” and “They did Warren proud here. He was truly a musical genius and the world is less without him.”
Warren Zevon performed a fierce set at the Capitol Theatre in New Jersey in 1982, and luckily the concert was pro-shot for posterity. One of the spiciest cuts of the night was The Excitable Boy’s take on his breakout hit “Werewolves of London.” The amount of fun and cheeky energy, as well as his creative improvs with the lyrics and delivery, make this an absolute corker of a performance. Warren had a revolving door of top players in his band over the years, and his band is absolutely on fire at this concert.
Warren Zevon was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 8, 2025. David Letterman gave the induction speech. This was the perfect choice, as David and Warren had become close friends over the years, with David inviting him many times to perform on the Late Show.
During the induction speech, David said that he was starstruck any time he saw Warren perform on the Late Show. David said that his music was “classic rock and roll. Ask any of Warren’s peers, Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, or hell, ask Igor Stravinsky. Warren Zevon is in my rock and roll hall of fame. Actually, in his own wing.”
David added that Warren’s music was “never going away. He’s got a body of work that’s as good as anybody’s and will sustain over the years.”