Illinois Rock & Roll Museum Hall of Fame event draws REO Speedwagon and others

The inaugural Hall of Fame induction awards for the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 actually are coming back bigger and better after being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

REO Speedwagon has joined the ranks of inductees that will attend and perform at the awards ceremony that has been moved to the Rialto Square Theatre to accommodate a larger audience.

The ceremony on Aug. 31 will recognize the first inductees for the museum, which is still under development in downtown Joliet but plans to be at least partially open in the fall.

Originally scheduled for March 2020 at the Renaissance Center, the awards ceremony had been sold out at 400 tickets, said Debyjo Ericksen, vice chair of the museum board of directors.

Those ticket holders are guaranteed seats, but the event now can accommodate more than three times as many, Ericksen said.

“We will have over 1,300 tickets to sell,” she said.

Plus, the museum heard from REO Speedwagon after the 2020 event had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“REO contacted us and said we definitely want to be there when you work this out,” Ericksen said.

Tickets went on sale Friday and can be purchased through the museum website, website, www.roadtorock.org, or the Rialto Square website www.rialtosquare.com.

The ceremony will be 7 to 11 p.m. Doors will open at 6 p.m. Ticket prices are $53.50, $43.50 and $33.50 per person.

All inductees are listed on the museum website.

Confirmed for live, on-stage appearances and performances are REO Speedwagon, Ides of March, Jimy Sohns of the Shadows of Knight, and the Millennials. The band Chicago will make a video appearance.

Other inductees include Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, The Buckinghams , Cheap Trick, disc jockeys Dick Biondi and Larry Lujack, and the WLS-AM Radio station.

The event and the museum, which is still being put together at 9 W. Cass St. in downtown Joliet, are dedicated to rock and roll connections to Illinois.

The museum will have an educational component that will open this fall for a program being held for Joliet Central High School students, Ericksen said. Organizers hope the museum also will be open in the fall, she said.