Dancing in the Street: Who needs carpool karaoke? During Rock Week you can sing and dance on Public Square and East Fourth Street to live music honoring the inductees. Plus, inductee-themed events and offers are available in the Flats East Bank, the Agora Theatre & Ballroom, Music Box Supper Club and other venues. The Rock Hall’s seven Rock Boxes, speakers of varying sizes located along East Ninth Street, will play music of the 2018 inductees at the top of each hour from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. “It’s like church bells blasting rock ’n’ roll through downtown,” says Harris.
Star Search: While many fans plan to stake out downtown hotel lobbies — we spotted Yoko Ono, Patti Smith and Karen O at the Westin in 2015 — there’s no telling where you might run into Jon Bon Jovi, Justin Hayward or Ric Ocasek. Many artists are expected to arrive in advance to rehearse for the big show, so stay on the lookout for your favorite inductees and presenters at restaurants, music venues or even a Cleveland Indians home game.
Behind the Music: Want to get the real story behind Clevelander Ben Orr’s years with the Cars? From April 9 to 13, the Rock Hall will present Inductee and Album Spotlights, 45-minute programs exploring the lives and music of each artist in the incoming class. “Each day will spotlight an iconic album with a group listen on an incredible sound system in our theater,” says Harris. On April 12, the Moody Blues will appear on the Rock Hall’s main stage for a Hall of Fame Series presentation chronicling the iconic group’s career, an event that will be streamed live on the Rock Hall’s Facebook page.
She Loves Rock ‘N’ Roll: The Cleveland International Film Festival gets in on the fun with an April 6 Rock Hall screening of the Joan Jett documentary Bad Reputation. “The film includes amazing archival footage, including some from [Jett’s film acting debut] Light of Day, which was shot here, and the 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions,” says CIFF artistic director Bill Guentzler.
