CLEVELAND — This year promises to be a big one for Cleveland, from one-of-a-kind sporting events like the NCAA Women's Final Four basketball tournament and the Pan-American Masters Games to major conventions and the eclipse.
But looking to play its role is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which will host this year's inductions in Cleveland for the first time since 2021. The Hall rolled out its ballot of 15 nominees over the weekend.
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"It's a really fresh list; 10 of those 15 have never been nominated before; that's everybody from Mariah Carey and Cher to Foreigner and Lenny Kravitz, Ozzy Osbourne, Sade," said John Goehrke, the Rock Hall's director of guest experience.
Peter Frampton, Cool and the Gang, Oasis, and Sinead O'Connor are first-timers. Fan favorites like Dave Matthews Band, Mary J. Blige and Jane's Addiction are appearing again on the ballot. There's also A Tribe Called Quest, Eric B & Rakim.
"So, it's a really eclectic list which to me really reflects that true ever changing spirit of Rock and Roll," said Goehrke. "Once nominated, the voting process starts, so that's where we are now. The ballots are being distributed. All of our living inductees also get to vote, which is pretty cool; there's thousands of voters all across the world. Towards the end of April, we will announce the class, the inductee class for 2024."
Until then, he said the Museum will be celebrating all 15 of the nominees. Once again, the fans will have their say in the form of the fan ballot, combined with the top fan selections in online voting. Though it counts for just one vote among the thousands cast, Goehrke said it's often a good bellwether.
"What we've noticed over the last number of years is that the trends of how the fans vote, we often see a lot of reflection, about 80 plus percent of those who make the fan ballot ultimately get inducted as well."
A notable exception was the 2020 fan vote-winning Dave Matthews Band, which failed to gain induction, hoping this time would be the charm. Early voting through the first 48 hours had Osbourne leading, followed by Frampton, Foreigner, Cher and Dave Matthews Band rounding out the top five.
Cleveland changed the face of the induction process in 2009, said Goehrke, when the city hosted the induction at Public Hall, making tickets available to the public.
"Before '09, before that Cleveland induction ceremony, it was sort of a private affair, right? Like many awards shows, but because Rock & Roll music is so much about the fans, it's been awesome, and since the '09 inductions, all of the induction ceremonies, whether it's in Cleveland, L.A., New York, they are open to the public," Goehrke said. "So the public will have the chance to get tickets for the 2024 inductions as well. In fact, your best chance to get tickets is to become a Rock Hall member, and you have until June 30 to become a member to be eligible for that presale, and those tickets go fast, so that member presale is a really good option."
In 2021, the inductions were moved from Public Hall to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to allow for more space. A date and location for this year's induction will be announced in the coming months.
