Jon Bon Jovi used "a colorful adjective omitted here," reports the New York Times, in reacting with excitement to the news that his band Bon Jovi will be members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2018.

Bon Jovi will be joined by fellow inductees the Cars, Dire Straits, and the Moody Blues at the ceremony to be held April 14 in Cleveland. Posthumous inductees will include Nina Simone and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the latter to be honored as an early influence.

The news comes as sweet vindication for Bon Jovi, whose epic popular success has never been matched by critical acclaim. "It's about time," said Bon Jovi in the Times interview. It was the second nomination for Bon Jovi, and the first for Simone, Tharpe, Dire Straits, and the Moody Blues.

Among this year's nominees not making the cut: Kate Bush, Eurythmics, and Radiohead. The latter band, among the most influential of their generation, felt so ambivalent about even being nominated that they booked a show on the night of the scheduled induction ceremony. Ticketholders to that South America gig must be feeling bittersweet this morning.