To help celebrate what it calls its 25 anniversary, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will present two all-star concerts on October 29-30 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Simon & Garfunkel, Paul Simon (solo), Stevie Wonder and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Friends will perform on October 29. Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, Metallica and U2 will grace the stage on October 30. All performers are members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, except for the E Street Band.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on August 5 at 9 a.m. American Express card holders can purchase advance tickets from July 27 through August 2 via Ticketmaster. Ticket prices have not been divulged at this time, but they are expected to be expensive. All proceeds raised will go towards creating a permanent endowment for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation and Museum.
More artists are expected to be announced as the 25th Anniversary Celebration plans unique collaborations designed to tell the story of rock and roll. So far, none of the elder statesmen of rock, R&B and soul have been chosen to perform.
“Twenty-five years ago, a group led by legendary Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun created this foundation to recognize and celebrate the music and careers of artists whose music helped shape and define our generation,” said Jann Wenner, founder and chairman of Rolling Stone and chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, in a statement. “These once-in-a-lifetime concerts are designed to celebrate the artists and their music.”
Ertegun, Wenner and others founded the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation in 1983 (26 years ago) and the first class of inductees was in 1986 (23 years ago) so is it unclear why they are celebrating the 25th anniversary this year.
The E Street Band members are not included in the Hall of Fame due to a technicality: Springsteen is signed as a solo artist with Columbia Records and his albums, except for 1986’s “Live/1975-85,” are credited to Bruce Springsteen and not Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. They have not been inducted in the seldom used Side-Man category, which was meant for sessionists rather than band members.