CLEVELAND (September 13, 2011) – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum today announced that tickets will go on sale for the 16th annual American Music Masters® series tribute concert honoring Aretha Franklin. The tribute concert will be held Saturday, November 5, at 7:30 p.m. at PlayhouseSquare’s State Theater in Cleveland.
Member pre-sale will be on Monday, September 26 beginning at 11 a.m. and the general public on-sale date will be Wednesday, September 28 at 11 a.m. Tickets are $30, $40 and $50. Tickets are available at the PlayhouseSquare box office, by calling (216) 241-6000, or by visiting www.rockhall.com. A limited number of Rock Hall VIP event packages starting at $250 are available by contacting clovinger@rockhall.org or calling (216) 515-1207.
Lady Soul: The Life and Music of Aretha Franklin, a weeklong celebration, will tell the story of the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In conjunction with the Museum’s latest special exhibit, Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power, the Museum will honor Franklin’s work and her enduring influence.
The annual program begins on Monday, October 31, and will feature interviews, panels, films and educational programs throughout the week, including a keynote lecture and other events at Case Western Reserve University. A complete schedule of events will be announced in the coming weeks. On Saturday, November 5, a conference will be held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, exploring Franklin’s impact on popular music. That evening, the tribute concert will take place at the State Theater.
Each year, the American Music Masters® series explores the legacy of a pioneering rock and roll figure in a range of events that includes Museum exhibits, lectures, films, a major conference and a tribute concert benefiting the Rock Hall’s education programs. Drawing together experts, artists, fans and friends, these events provide new perspectives on the most beloved and influential musicians of the past century.
The tribute concert brings together a diverse mix of artists and musical styles, and as a result, many magical moments have taken place over the years. In 2004, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss performed onstage together for the first time to honor Lead Belly. The pair was awarded the highest honors of Album of the Year for Raising Sand and Record of the Year for “Please Read the Letter” at the 51st annual Grammy awards. Honoree Jerry Lee Lewis, who was not scheduled to perform at the 2007 concert, was moved to take the stage at the end of the show. Lewis tenderly played the piano and sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbowâ€. At the first American Music Masters tribute concert, Bruce Springsteen set the bar high and performed in honor of Woody Guthrie. Aretha Franklin, Solomon Burke and Elvis Costello paid tribute to Sam Cooke in 2005. In 2008, a 93-year-old Les Paul took the stage with his trio and then led an epic jam with some of rock and roll’s greatest guitarists, from Jennifer Batten to Slash. Janis Joplin was honored in 2009 by Grammy winner Lucinda Williams with a song she composed especially for the occasion, and in 2010, Dave Bartholomew brought down the house with a performance in tribute of honorees Fats Domino and Bartholomew himself.
The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment of all Ohioans.
