Cleveland to host '09 Rock Hall induction

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 announced yesterday.

The events have typically been held in New York - a sore spot for many Clevelanders. After the March 2009 event, it could return to Cleveland every three years.

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

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

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 when the Rock Hall has seen a 10 percent increase in attendance and is planning a major renovation.

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.