Tomorrow we'll have the first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction held in Cleveland in over a decade.
'Bout damn time.
Sure, NYC has the glitz, the night life, the media exposure, but I can tell you with full affirmation that they don't love Rock and Roll as much as Cleveland does. About the only other city that loves rock as much is probably Detroit. There are other music capitals (Austin, Nashville, New Orleans, Chicago), but there's few that specialize in rock.
Really, growing up in NE Ohio, you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a rock musician (myself included, I played guitar in case you're wondering). We used to have several music halls that regularly had rock music featured; Agora, Colosseum and various other places. These weren't your dance halls or clubs, we have plenty of those. These were concert arenas that held thousands of fans. On any weekend night you can find live music, rock and jazz, somewhere in almost every neighborhood (unless you live in the sticks like I do). Rock and roll dreams, baby.
Alice Cooper opened up one of his Coopertowns here. When asked why he choose Cleveland his response basically stated that between Detroit and Cleveland, all other places a pikers when it comes to rock. "(those two cities) are the only two places in the country that you can go to the City Hall and say, 'I want to put on a street concert,' and the only questions they ask are what street, when, and how long do you need it closed." Yeah, we're that way about our rock.
Unfortunately we're going to have crappy weather, which everybody will complain about. And Cleveland is in the middle of an intense depression (it wasn't when we started lobbying to get the induction returned to it's rightful home). People will complain about that. But even with the crappy weather (it's howling windy and going to rain and snow tomorrow), and the depressed economy, the Hall will be packed to the brim tomorrow, you can bet on it. We love our rock.
I got some records from World War Two
I'll play em just like me grand dad do
He was a rocker and I am too
Oh Cleveland rocks, yeah Cleveland rocks
So find a place
Grab a space
And yell and scream for more.
CLEVELAND ROCKS!
6 comments:
I'd very much like to see Metallica and Run-D.M.C. do a little tune together.
Would it be ungracious of me to mention that neither Cleveland nor Detroit need worry about inconveniencing anybody when they close down any random street for a rock show?
:D
Todd, yeah, I'd like to have tickets to the concert. (Which I don't know when or where they're having it).
Nathan, you'd be surprised. When the president comes into town it plays hell with everybody's business. And we have just as many permitting problems (our film business isn't as big, but it's there, although they keep closing our film board office only to open it up a year later), but for a concert, we cut through the red tape (try and site a utility right of way and see the difference).
And slightly OT, when will Ohio get a clue and create an office for business development which can help businesses through the red tape process?
I worked at the Coliseum for a year. Probably one of the best jobs I've ever had.
It was COLD in Cleveland today - I was up at Case with my son for college stuff. That wind off the lake could make a grown woman airborne.
Cassie
Cassie, the Coliseum was a cool place to go to. I wonder what they finally ended up doing with the place. Last time I saw it weeds were growing through the pavement. I knew they were trying to sell it to redevelop the site as office space, but I never heard what happened.
And oh yes it was windy yesterday. Still is today. Hope you son had fun at Case. Is he going for business or medicine?
They tore down the Coliseum some 8-10 years ago (I think, may have been less) and donated the land to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It's now a big field that is being allowed to return to whatever nature intended. With all the debris underground, I don't know that large plant life would survive there, but it's a pretty meadow now.
My son is hoping to major in engineering - a double in aerospace and mechanical. We're still working on that funding problem.
Cassie
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