Customer Rating: 
Summary: I was there
Comment: Made the 9 hour drive to be at this show. The whole thing was on HBO as well. Too much is missing from this CD set. The show was over 6 hours long and many of the best artists are not featured here at all.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Vote for artists you think belong in the Rock and Roll Hall
Comment: What artists deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but have been overlooked for whatever reason?
Here are the top 20 according to an internet poll:
1. Pete Townshend (solo)
2. Peter Gabriel (solo)
3. Van Halen
4. Lynard Skynard
5. Genesis
6. Alice Cooper
7. Moody Blues
8. Iron Maiden
9. Rush
10. Foreigner
11. Chicago
12. John Mellencamp
13. Steve Miller
14. Doobie Brothers
15. The Cars
16. Dire Straits
17. Blondie
18. Yes
19. Thin Lizzy
20. Styx
[...]
Customer Rating:
Summary: WHEN IS THIS CONCERT GOING TO DVD???
Comment: Fantastic concert, especially John Mellencamp's version of ROCK IN THE USA is not to be missed, great energy. Jerry Lee Lewis, the Late great Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, the list goes on, the CD is worth a listen.
But when is this concert going to be on DVD?? It is long overdue! What's the story, put the concert on DVD already for everyone to see. I was overseas serving my country when the concert was broadcast, so I missed out, help us out who missed the concert!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Goodbye, Cleveland
Comment: I've never liked the idea of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; it seems to me that institutionalizing the music and setting up some kind of semi-official Rock Aristocracy defeats much of the spirit and thrill of the music. It also seems to be yet another excuse for a lot of Rolling Stone nerd-critics to try and attach their names to those of their musical heroes.And, with few exceptions, this album proves how misguided this whole concept was. The inclusion of Melissa Ethridge is annoying but predictable; the fact that she gets more tunes on this 2-CD package than Springsteen, Dylan, Johnny Cash or any other artist is beyond belief. It would be understandable if she did something special but she is dull as dishwater, screaming "Hello Cleveland!" (that's a deep sentiment repeated ad nauseum by almost every singer on this CD) before screeching "Can you remember the fine days when Rock and Roll...wore a drrrrrrress?!?!?!" Kind of an odd sentiment coming from a woman who refuses to wear dresses, but that's neither here nor there, the important thing to keep in mind is that Etheridge can't sing and has an extremely hard time finding the melodies of the three classic tunes she tackles. The Ronettes and Supremes were due more homage than this.
Disc 1 is rescued, temporarily, by Al Green, the most underrated singer of his generation, who turns in gorgeous renditions of "Tired of Being Alone" and "A Change is Gonna Come," but Chrissie Hynde does her very best to break the mood by screaming the name of every Cleveland suburb at the top of her lungs before phoning in a lackluster mumbling of "My City Was Gone."
After that things pick up for quite a while. Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, John Fogarty all deserved more space on Disc 1, and Jerry Lee Lewis rocks on Disc 2. Springsteen's "Shake Rattle & Roll" is surpisingly slow and doesn't display the Boss's usual energy, but he understands what he's doing, something that can't be said for every act on this CD.
Once The Killer and The Boss leave the stage, the show collapses. Natalie Merchant, Jackson Browne, Bruce Hornsby and especially the Allman Brothers all phone it in, stumbling through dull performances of songs it makes no sense for them to sing. Browne's version of Bob Marley's great "Redemption Song" is downright shameful, and it is embarassing to listen to Slash trying to remember the guitar parts to Hendrix' "Red House."
Most annoying of all are the constant reminders that the show is in Cleveland, Cleveland rocks, this is for Cleveland and, over and over and over, "Hello Cleveland!!!" Outside the city limits, WHO CARES?!? For whatever reason, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has decided that Cleveland is the center of the universe...which probably goes a long way towards explaining why this album, and the Hall itself, have been ignored everywhere outside of Ohio.
The Hall may have been a good idea, and the concept of this CD--a group of Rock giants covering classic Rock tunes in front of a live audience--is a good idea. Unfortunately, the reality of the Hall and the CD fall far short of the dream.
Customer Rating:
Summary: GREAT RECORDING OF A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EVENT
Comment: THIS RECORDING IS ONLY A SMALL PART OF THE EXPERIENCE OF THE OPENING OF THE HALL OF FAME. A LOT OF ARTIST THAT PERFORMED THERE WERE NOT INCLUDED ON THIS CD. MAYBE ANOTHER VOLUME WILL FOLLOW WITH ERIC BURDON, BON JOVI, CHUCK BERRY, HEART, LITTLE RICHARD.... THERE WERE SO MANY IN THE 7 HOUR CONCERT, THAT A SINGLE CD COULD NOT COVER THAT CONCERT. IT WILL BE A COLLECTORS ITEM FOR THE AVID ROCK N ROLL FAN. I WAS THERE, AND I'LL NEVER FORGET IT AND IF YOU MISSED IT, YOU'LL NEVER GET THE CHANCE AGAIN EXCEPT TO HEAR US 65,000 FANS SCREAMING ON THE CD.
