Rock Hall induction to roll back to Cleveland in 2009

12/19/2007

CLEVELAND The city will rock in early 2009 when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony returns to the museum for the first time in more than a decade, Mayor Frank Jackson announced today.

The induction ceremonies have typically been held in New York a sore spot for many Clevelanders and after the March 2009 event, it could return to the Cleveland hall every three years.

Let s make 2009 work and it ll be here in 2012, Terry Stewart, president and CEO of the Rock Hall, said during a news conference at City Hall.

Jackson then stepped forward and guaranteed it would be back.

It s going to happen. It will work, the mayor said.

The New York-based Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation sponsors the induction ceremony, which features a concert performance by the inductees that s broadcast live on VH1 Classic. The event serves as the foundation s main fundraiser.

The ceremony has only been held once in Cleveland in 1997 since the Rock Hall opened here 12 years ago.

Its return is expected to be an economic boon to the city.

My goal is to drive business to Cleveland, to have a national broadcast from Cleveland it s all good for the region, said Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.

The announcement comes in a year where the Rock Hall has seen a 10 percent increase in attendance and is planning a major renovation to better convey rock s history to visitors.

Peresman attributes the rising attendance to a marketing push to get more locals to visit the museum as well as attracting tourists.

Last week, the Rock Hall announced its 2008 class of inductees: Madonna, John Mellencamp, The Ventures, Leonard Cohen and The Dave Clark Five. A panel of 600 industry figures selected the five acts to be inducted at the annual ceremony, to be held March 10 in New York.

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