March 21, 2023 – Moondog Coronation Ball

The first major rock and roll concert was held 71 years ago today in Cleveland! It was called the Moondog Coronation Ball, and it took place at the Cleveland Arena. The “Moondog” was legendary DJ Alan Freed, who had a very popular late night R&B show on local AM radio station WJW. He is credited for popularizing the term “rock and roll” to describe the music he played. As Freed’s show became more popular, he decided to explore the idea of holding a live dance event with some of the artists whose records he played. The Moondog Coronation Ball was to have 5 acts, taking place from 10pm to 2 am, with tickets costing $1.5o. The problem was, too many tickets were printed, thanks to counterfeiting and a printing error. So on the night of March 21, 1952, 20,000-25,000 people showed up to the Cleveland Arena, which had a capacity of only 10,000. After just 45 minutes, the concert was shut down. But, Alan Freed gained notoriety from the incident, expanding his show and putting on more Moondog events all over the state and region. Alan Freed’s legacy and the Moondog Coronation Ball are 2 major reasons Cleveland was chosen as the site of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Learn more here.