HISTORIC EVENT
World Series of Rock
Historic Concert Series
EVENT OVERVIEW
About World Series of Rock
The World Series of Rock was a recurring series of day-long, multi-act summer rock concerts at Cleveland Municipal Stadium from 1974 through 1980.
HOW IT DEVELOPED
Event History
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame describes the series as a record-setting Cleveland contribution to arena-rock history. Case Western Reserve University notes that more than 50 bands appeared across the seven-year run.
WHY HERE
Location History
The series was a Cleveland production created by Belkin Productions and sponsored by Cleveland rock station WMMS. Class Act does not infer additional location reasons beyond the documented Cleveland roots of the promoter, station and stadium series.
BY THE NUMBERS
Attendance History
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame archive material says individual World Series of Rock concerts attracted as many as 88,000 fans.
WHO WAS THERE
Past Bands & Performers
August 23, 1975
August 26, 1978
August 4, 1974
August 6, 1977
- Peter Frampton
- Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
- The J. Geils Band
- Derringer
July 1, 1978
- The Rolling Stones
- Kansas
- Peter Tosh
July 11, 1976
July 15, 1978
July 19, 1980
- Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
- The J. Geils Band
- Eddie Money
- Def Leppard
July 28, 1979
- Aerosmith
- Ted Nugent
- Journey
- Thin Lizzy
- AC/DC
- Scorpions
June 14, 1975
- The Rolling Stones
- Billy Preston
- Tower of Power
- The J. Geils Band
- Joe Vitale’s Madmen
June 25, 1977
- Pink Floyd
June 5, 1977
- Todd Rundgren and Utopia
- Ted Nugent
- Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes
- Ronnie Spector
- Nazareth
May 31, 1975
September 1, 1974
- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- Santana
- The Band
- Jesse Colin Young
FACT CHECK
Sources & Verification
Primary source: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Library & Archives / Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
Last verified: August 28, 2026
Class Act leaves unsupported facts out rather than estimate or invent them.