The Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 will move its annual Hall of Fame ceremony out of Joliet and to Chicago this year.

The induction ceremony, which in the past has brought hundreds of music fans to downtown Joliet, will be held in the Harris Theater in Millennium Park on Sept. 27.

The museum, located in downtown Joliet, announced the new venue when tickets for the event went on sale Tuesday.

“We’re thrilled to bring the Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to downtown Chicago for the first time, and the Harris Theater is the perfect stage for it,” Ron Romero, founder and president of the museum, said in the news release announcing ticket sales.

This will be the fifth induction ceremony, which puts classic rock performers on stage as musicians and radio personalities with Illinois roots are inducted into the Hall of Fame.

All ceremonies until now have been held in Joliet and usually at the Rialto Square Theatre.

Romero said Wednesday that he needed another location because the Rialto will be closed for maintenance on the date when the ceremony will be held, and Joliet has no other venue with a stage that can hold the audience he expects.

Romero said he expects a sold-out show at the Harris Theater, which holds 1,550 people.

The Rialto did close June 1 for installation of a new heating and air conditioning system.

But the theater plans to reopen Sept. 16, Rialto Executive Director Wade Welsh said.

“I don’t believe I ever heard from Ron this year,” Welsh said when asked whether there was any attempt to book the Rialto for the Hall of Fame event.

He said Romero may have assumed the theater would be closed longer, but Rialto officials count on being open Sept. 27.

“We actually have a wedding booked for the 27th,” Welsh said.

Whether or not there was any confusion over the Rialto’s availability in September, Romero said this may not be the only year the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is moved out of Joliet.

“To be honest with you, we are the Illinois Rock & Roll museum,” Romero said. “We could hold it anywhere.”

He mentioned Peoria as another possibility, noting the city has a civic center with a stage that could accommodate the ceremony.

Holding the show outside of Joliet also increases exposure for the museum and opens up opportunities for new sponsors, Romero said.

“Once we move out of Joliet, we get a better chance at more sponsorships,” he said. “We love our sponsors in Will County and Joliet, but we go back to the same people all the time.”

Ticket information

The show will be at 6 p.m., Sept. 27.

Ticket prices are $100.50, $75.00 and $64.50. They can be purchased on the Harris Theater website.

There are at least 17 inductees that will be honored at the event. They include:

• Bands and solos artists Survivor, American Breed, Koko Taylor, The Boyzz and The Flock

• Songwriters Curtis Mayfield and Kevin Cronin

• Radio personality Terri Hemmert and radio station WDRV (The Drive)

• Brunswick Records

• Irving Azoff, Gary Richrath, Golden Voice Studio, Triangle Productions, Hot Mix 5 and Plain White T’s.

“The evening will feature live performances by The Plain White T’s, 1960s jazz-rock band The Flock, Hot Mix 5 and a special reunion performance by The Boyzz, plus several surprise guests to be announced,” according to the museum release. “WGN Radio host and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Bob Sirott will host the ceremony.”