He gave a warm acceptance speech on stage Friday but rocker Steve Miller's rant behind the scenes of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was anything but.

The 72-year-old musician, who performed popular hits during the ceremony including Fly Like an Eagle and The Joker, ripped into the rock hall for what he described as an "unpleasant" system.

"The whole process needs to be changed from the top to the bottom," the guitarist and revered singer-songwriter told reporters in the press room after the ceremony.

"When they told me I was inducted, they told me 'you can have two tickets — one for your wife and one for yourself. Want another one? It's $10,000, sorry that's the way it goes,'", he recounted. "I said 'I'm playing here, what about my band, what about their wives?'"

Miller also claimed there were problems with licensing agreements and with the rock hall "stealing footage."

"No, we're not going to wrap this one up — I'm going to wrap you up," he said to a public relations liaison who attempted to interrupt him.

"You go sit down over there and learn something," he said, adding that the show was close to "not happening because of the way the artists are being treated right now."

The organization issued a statement Friday afterwards.

"Rock and roll can ignite many opinions. It's what makes it so great. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was honoured to induct Steve Miller tonight and congratulates him."