The Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

With an audience of more than 60,000, a concert was held at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium to celebrate the opening of the museum, featuring a multi-generational lineup of artists

Concert for the Rock Hall Poster (1995) by Derek HessRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Concert for the Rock Hall Poster

Design by Derek Hess.

Bruce Springsteen at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (September 2, 1995) by Kevin MazurRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band backed up Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis for the event, in addition to performing their own songs "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "She's the One." Springsteen was individually inducted in 1999, and The E Street Band in 2014.

Little Richard at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (September 2, 1995) by Kevin MazurRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Little Richard

Little Richard performed "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Tutti Frutti" at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Jackson Browne and Melissa Etheridge at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (September 2, 1995) by Kevin MazurRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Jackson Browne and Melissa Etheridge

Jackson Browne and Melissa Etheridge performed the Everly Brothers' "Wake Up Little Susie" at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (September 2, 1995) by Kevin MazurRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Ann and Nancy Wilson

Ann and Nancy Wilson performed Led Zeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore" at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Wilsons also performed with Jason Bonham for Led Zeppelin's Kennedy Center Honors in 2012.

Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (September 2, 1995) by Kevin MazurRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen

Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen performed "Forever Young" at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Dylan was a surprise guest, who did a five-song set that included “All Along The Watchtower," "Just Like a Woman," and “Highway 61 Revisited.”

Sheryl Crow, Chrissie Hynde and Jackson Browne at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (September 2, 1995) by Kevin MazurRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Sheryl Crow, Chrissie Hynde and Jackson Browne

George Clinton and Larry Graham at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (September 2, 1995) by Kevin MazurRock & Roll Hall of Fame

George Clinton and Larry Graham

Larry Graham and George Clinton performed Sly & the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" and "I Want to Take You Higher" at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Al Green and Aretha Franklin at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (September 2, 1995) by Kevin MazurRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Al Green and Aretha Franklin

Franklin was dressed to the nines, burning down the house with Booker T. & the MG's and the Memphis Horns on scorching renditions of Otis Redding’s “I Can’t Turn You Loose” and her own big hits, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and "Freeway of Love" with Al Green.

Sam Moore and John Fogerty at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (September 2, 1995) by Kevin MazurRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Sam Moore and John Fogerty

Sam Moore and John Fogerty performed Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour" at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Ray Davies at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (September 2, 1995) by Kevin MazurRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Ray Davies at the Concert for the Rock Hall

The Kinks performed "All Day and All of the Night" at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Frontman Ray Davies performed the song in a Union Jack jacket, then switched to an American flag coat for a sing-along rendition of “Lola."

Martha Reeves and John Mellencamp at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (September 2, 1995) by Kevin MazurRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Martha Reeves and John Mellencamp

Reeves, ready to do a little dancing in the streets, joined Mellencamp for a sultry take on Van Morrison’s “Wild Night.”

Danny Ray and James Brown at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (September 2, 1995) by Kevin MazurRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Danny Ray and James Brown at the Concert for the Rock Hall

Danny Ray was Brown’s “Cape Man” and emcee for 46 years. He became famous for draping a cape over Brown at the end of his signature tune "Please, Please, Please." Brown performed "I Got You (I Feel Good)," "Cold Sweat" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World."

Jerry Lee Lewis at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (September 2, 1995) by Kevin MazurRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Jerry Lee Lewis at the Concert for the Rock Hall

Jerry Lee Lewis performed "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, back-kicking his piano stool away at the end in true "Killer" style.

Slash and Boz Scaggs at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (September 2, 1995) by Kevin MazurRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Slash and Boz Scaggs

Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash arrived unannounced, teaming up with Ohio native Boz Scaggs for a rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s blues-rock masterpiece “Red House.”

Slash at the Concert for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (September 2, 1995) by Kevin MazurRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Concert for the Rock Hall Tune In (September 2, 1995) by Rock & Roll Hall of FameRock & Roll Hall of Fame

Concert for the Rock Hall Tune In

Watch the Concert for the Rock Hall as originally televised, a 1995 concert all-star jam celebrating the museum's opening and featuring performances by Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Martha Reeves, The Kinks, James Brown and more!

To watch these individual performances and more, check out the Rock Hall YouTube channel!

ROCK HALL EDU On September 2, 1995, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame opened its doors and welcomed its first fans. Use the History of the Rock Hall PowerPoint to teach students about how the Rock Hall came to be. The story begins with the establishment of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation that oversees the Induction process. This is followed by an introduction to some of the key people and historical events that proved to the Foundation that Cleveland, Ohio was truly the home for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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