CLEVELAND — The process for establishing a concert of of such a high magnitude is like a giant puzzle — there are a lot of pieces that need to go together perfectly in order for it to work out.
But the announcement of an upcoming Cleveland concert featuring two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees was met with a variety of responses.
"Billy Joel's a classic," Megan Ferry says.
"I love it," Kathryn Slater-Carter added. "Good music."
While some love the addition of Billy Joel and Rod Stewart to Browns Stadium on Sept. 13, others expressed their disappointment.
"I can't believe I waited all morning to hear that announcement," one person wrote on social media. "Yawn."
Still more had expected something "more exciting," such as current music megastar Taylor Swift. Perhaps it's a generational thing?
"I'm not a Taylor Swiftie," Slater-Carter declared. "I like real music."
Bottom line: Some enjoy music others don't, but you can't say the city isn't trying to bring big concerts to Cleveland.
"Live Nation and the Browns were certainly competing with other cities who wanted that concert," David Gilbert, president and CEO of Destination Cleveland, said.
In regards to that "giant puzzle" at play when attracting concerts, Live Nation's Barry Gabel told 3News there are several factors at play — which include available dates, venue space, expenses for the show, history of the community, and travel. It all has to match up with an artist's other stops on their tour, so when we do get two Hall of Famers, Gilbert takes pride in hosting them in Cleveland.
"Those are all things that other cities would drool over to get, and we've worked our tails off to make sure those are here,, worked really hard to make sure they're going to be great," he said. "So I think we have to take a lot of pride in what we do get."
Gabel agrees that Taylor Swift and similar acts like Beyoncé are unicorns in the industry, and can play when and where they choose. However, Billy Joel and Rod Stewart aren't touring every day.
"I think, yeah, it's a huge deal," Ben Gantner said of the chance to see Billy Joel live. "I mean, anytime that he's performing is always a good time, and it's a notable experience."
Gilbert tells WKYC Cleveland does have one of the higher taxes on admissions to events at 8%, but says that's never hindered their ability to bring at least sporting events to the city. Remember, though: Whether you're excited or not for this concert, everything has to align for artists to be able to perform here in Cleveland.