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Rock Hall Inductions To Return To Cleveland

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By JOE MILICIA, The Associated Press

Published: December 23, 2007

CLEVELAND - Rock on, Cleveland.

The home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will host its induction ceremony in 2009 after more than a decade-long absence, Mayor Frank Jackson has announced.

The events have typically been held in New York - a sore spot for many Clevelanders. 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 Wednesday.

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

The announcement comes in a year where the Rock Hall has seen a 10 percent increase in attendance and is planning a major renovation. Joel Peresman, the foundation's president and CEO, attributes the rising attendance to a marketing push to get more locals to visit the museum as well as attracting tourists.

The hall recently 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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