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The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Join us as we celebrate the start of the 2024 Cleveland Karnea at one of the area's most coveted destinations, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Dinner and entertainment will set the stage for an evening to remember, surrounded by the history of modern music as we know it.
Led by Yoko Ono, checked coat, and Little Richard, center right, the ribbon is cut opening the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Friday, Sept. 1, 1995. MARK DUNCAN/AP | c/o Rolling Stone Magazine, Dec. 21, 2020
About The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
In 1985, when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was deciding where to open its physical museum, Cleveland threw its hat into the ring for consideration. Thanks to a groundswell of public support and a $65 million commitment from city officials, the Foundation chose Cleveland as the winning site, over locales such as New York, San Francisco, Memphis and Chicago. Needless to say, the Rock Hall's construction was cooler than most. On June 7, 1993, the Who's Pete Townshend, Chuck Berry, Billy Joel, Sam Phillips, and Ruth Brown (to name a few) attended the Cleveland groundbreaking ceremony, while Jerry Lee Lewis performed a year later when the building was finished off with the placement of one last steel beam.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame threw open its doors on September 2, 1995, and celebrated with a blockbuster benefit concert at nearby Cleveland Municipal Stadium. This marathon show featured once-in-a-lifetime pairings and performances by greats such as James Brown, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash and Booker T. and the M.G.s. Besides the Municipal Stadium concert, the Rock Hall's festive opening weekend featured a downtown Cleveland parade and a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Little Richard and Yoko Ono.
For more information about the Rock Hall, click here.
To learn more about current Rock Hall exhibits, click here.