When I landed at the airport in Cleveland, I spotted a giant guitar in the airport gate area. I had only that impression in my mind when I went to this midwest city – but I wasn’t sure why it was such a rock ‘n’ roll town.
Was my belief all thanks to mockumentary This is Spinal Tap? The quintessential rock satire film, Spinal Tap has a scene where the band members get lost backstage before a performance, trying to get on stage to perform for the rock fans of Cleveland.
As I soon learned, Cleveland is rock ‘n’ roll for many reasons, not just for its devotion to music but for being a city that has hardcore sports fans, and is a rising star in the locavore movement.
First – the music connections: Cleveland DJ Alan Freed was one of the original rock djs, coined the phrase rock ‘n’ roll and hosted the first rock concert in Cleveland. As I wandered through neighbourhood cafes and shops I realized that Cleveland is more than just the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and many oversized guitars on display. The city and its residents love their moniker as a rock town.
And this devotion is what led the city to be the home of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. A poll pitted a few cities against one another to become the permanent residence of rock, and Cleveland had 100,000 of its residents show its love for rock with their voting power and win the honour.
The Rock Hall is a pop culture lovers dream – and offers not only a museum dedicated to the history of this music art form, but also is the home of the Rock Hall of Fame, which every January inducts rock’s best and brightest (a performer can only be considered if its been 25 years since their release of their first record.)
From Johnny Cash’s tour bus outside the entrance of the Rock Hall, to the concert ephemera hanging from the ceiling courtesy of Pink Floyd, U2 and Moby, the Museum also features permanent exhibits showing the birth of the music video, early issues of Rolling Stone Magazine and a fantastic display of performers’ on-stage clothes from the ‘60s and ‘70s including The Rolling Stones, Elton John, David Bowie, Sly Stone, George Clinton, Aerosmith and Fleetwood Mac and numerous listening posts and video screens.
But its not just the Rock Hall that celebrates songs that have a good beat – from the elegance of the Ritz Carlton Hotel to the trendy Lily’s Handmade Chocolates, from the hip Greenhouse Tavern to the laid-back Great Lakes Brewing Company, the soundtrack playing in the background of each place was unmistakably rock.
Alice Cooper, The Beatles, and Bon Jovi were routinely heard as well as memorable songs from the Replacements, David Bowie, Heart, Queen, Van Halen and Bruce Springsteen; the soundtrack of my visit to Cleveland was a high energy playlist of rock. Whether it was the radio or the personal tastes of each store, bar, or restaurant, locals made the choice to forget about the muzak and have rock ‘n’ roll music as a constant.
So no matter what your preconceived notions, you’ll be greeted with open arms in Cleveland, a city waiting to show you how to rock n roll all night long.