With an acclaimed orchestra, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a vibrant live music scene, Cleveland hits all the right notes. The city’s rich music history encompasses all styles and genres.
Rock On!
Birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll. Cleveland is where disc jockey
Alan Freed first coined the term "rock and roll" to describe the records he played as early as 1951 on local radio station WJW, and the name certainly stuck. Today, The Land is the undisputed home for rock, with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the top of the visitor experience bucket list.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame showcases the world’s largest collection of rock and roll artifacts displayed throughout more than 50 exhibits. Visitors can learn about the radio DJs and recording artists who invented the genre and check out memorabilia from legends like The Beatles and David Bowie, to contemporary artists like Lady Gaga and The Black Keys.
The Garage transforms the museum’s second floor into a hands-on area where guests can play, mix and record their own hits on more than 15 drums, bass guitars, keyboards and mixing boards. The reimagined and expanded
Hall of Fame experience spans the building’s third floor and takes visitors on an induction-themed voyage focused on the transformative power of rock.
Record Stores. Visitors can sift through records spanning from new and old LPs at
Hausfrau Record Shop, punk, metal and rock releases at
My Mind’s Eye, heavy metal at
Black Market Records, hip-hop, reggae and soul at
Brittany's Record Shop and genres ranging from jazz to country and classic rock at
Blue Arrow Records. Local record label
Mistake by the Lake has also opened its first brick-and-mortar record store, featuring a variety of hard-to-find experimental records from all over the world, in addition to a selection of releases by local acts on their label.
The Land of Music Stars. Beyond rock ‘n’ roll, Cleveland’s rich music history encompasses a variety of style of genres. While “America’s Polka King” Frankie Yankovic may not be a household name, other Cleveland-raised music stars include Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Kid Cudi, Machine Gun Kelly, Nine Inch Nails, Raspberries, Tracy Chapman and Welshly Arms.
Pitch-Perfect Performances
Cleveland Orchestra. Under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst, the acclaimed
Cleveland Orchestra plays seasonally at Severance Music Center, within the perimeter of a national park at Blossom Music Center each summer and conducts annual residencies in Miami and Vienna. The Orchestra also features innovative programming, such as happy hour concerts on select Fridays, playing movie scores along with a live film, performing mini residencies within Cleveland’s urban neighborhoods and partnering with ballets, operas and other national artists.
Severance Music Center. Home to the Cleveland Orchestra since 1931,
Severance is known as one of the most beautiful concert halls in the world and has received the Honor Award by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The Cleveland Pops Orchestra. The Cleveland POPS Orchestra performs in different venues throughout Cleveland, taking on current composers like John Williams, Rodgers and Hammerstein and Gershwin.
Cleveland Jazz Orchestra. The
Cleveland Jazz Orchestra has been getting toes tapping in Northeast Ohio since 1984. The Orchestra promotes jazz in its historical and contemporary forms through concerts with gifted musicians, arrangers and composers.
Live Music Venues
The Agora Theater & Ballroom. The Agora opened in 1985 inside a historic theater and became widely regarded as one of the premier live music and entertainment venues in the country. The newly renovated venue is a piece of Cleveland music history and continues to host national touring acts, emerging artists and local bands.
Beachland Ballroom & Tavern. Catch a concert at the
Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, a former Croatian social hall that’s now an independent music club. It’s become a beloved destination for music lovers seeking everything from rockabilly and punk to folk and alt rock in an intimate, vintage surrounding. The Beachland Ballroom has also been a catalysts for the development of surrounding the Waterloo Arts District, a testament to the transformative power of live music.
Blossom Music Center. Located just 25 miles south of Cleveland,
Blossom Music Center is situated on 200 acres of rolling hills surrounded by the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This outdoor performance pavilion showcases national and world-renowned acts, including a summer concert series with the Cleveland Orchestra.
Bop Stop at The Music Settlement. A destination for live jazz performances, the
Bop Stop offers an intimate performance space with exceptional acoustics and a lakefront patio with sweeping views.
Grog Shop. The
Grog Shop originally started as just another corner bar but quickly gave way to a booming music scene. Today, it showcases some of the best underground acts spanning various genres.
Happy Dog. The only thing better than
Happy Dog’s gourmet hot dogs, expansive beer list and relaxed, retro vibe is the diverse lineup of local, regional and national acts that take the stage at the neighborhood corner bar.
House of Blues. For nationally recognized performers like DNCE, Machine Gun Kelly, Mike Posner, Kid Cudi and Fetty Wap, visitors should check out the schedule at
House of Blues in Downtown Cleveland’s East 4
th Street Entertainment District.
Jacobs Pavilion. The riverfront
Jacobs Pavilion is host to some of the hottest concerts and special events each summer. With sweeping views of the Cuyahoga River and towering bridges, Cleveland’s cityscape provides the backdrop at this open-air amphitheater.
Mahall's 20 Lanes. Mahall's 20 Lanes in Lakewood takes the old-school bowling alley to a new level with a pool hall converted into a music club. Mahall's maintains its working-person’s bar space while showcasing indie rock and pop acts most nights of the week.
MGM Northfield Park. Visitors can rock out with renowned musicians and get a close-up view at the acoustically-perfect 1,900-seat
Center Stage music hall, the music venue at
MGM Northfield Park.
Music Box Supper Club. The
Music Box Supper Club, located on the Cuyahoga River in the Flats West Bank, has two performance areas where visitors can hear music from genres spanning from bluegrass to soul.
The Odeon. At the historic
Odeon Concert Club in the riverfront Flats neighborhood, acts from comedy to rock and heavy metal take the stage.
Winchester Music Tavern. Found behind an unassuming bar and dining room, the concert space of the
Winchester Music Tavern welcomes touring acts, open mic nights, boozy bingo and other live events.