CLEVELAND — It has been 30 years since the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened its doors with a star-studded concert that put Cleveland on the music map. On Sept. 2, 1995, “The Concert for the Hall of Fame” drew more than 60,000 fans to Cleveland Municipal Stadium and aired live on HBO.

The concert had two goals. First, it was a chance to prove Cleveland could deliver a world-class event. The city’s claim as the birthplace of rock and roll was disputed, with many critics arguing the Hall should have been built in Memphis. The concert was designed to silence the skeptics and show that artists and fans would come to Cleveland. The other purpose was financial. The Rock Hall had just been built at a cost of about $100 million (more than $60 million of which came from public funds ), and t

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