The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will celebrate its 25th anniversary in style on October 29 and 30 with a pair of all-star shows at Madison Square Garden.

On the bill for the first night are [artist id="975"]Bruce Springsteen[/artist] and the E Street Band; Simon & Garfunkel; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Friends; Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder. The next night will feature sets from [artist id="995"]Metallica[/artist], [artist id="1022"]U2[/artist], Eric Clapton and Aretha Franklin, plus more performers to be announced in the coming weeks.

All the acts on the bill are Rock Hall inductees, and the announcement of the show promises that the "music legends and their special guests will be your guides through 60 years of rock and roll history."

Net proceeds from the show will go to create a permanent endowment for the Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. A highlight special from the two-night show will be screened on HBO. General-public tickets will go on sale August 3, but title sponsor American Express is offering cardholders a presale from July 27 to August 2 that features VIP packages priced from $750 to $100,000.

Rolling Stone magazine reported that the shows will feature a number of collaborations, including CSN sharing the stage with other California-based artists, Metallica leading a hard-rock jam, and Wonder and Franklin fronting a soul revue backed by Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra.

As noted in The New York Times, the math on the anniversary date is a bit fuzzy, as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was founded in 1983 and the first induction ceremony was in January 1986. Among the creative consultants on the show are actor Tom Hanks, filmmaker Cameron Crowe, rock icon Robbie Robertson and Rolling Stone magazine boss and Hall chairman Jann Wenner.

Event executive producer Wenner said in a statement, "Twenty-five years ago ... Ahmet Ertegun created this foundation to recognize and celebrate the music and careers of artists whose music helped shape and define our generation. These once-in-a-lifetime concerts are designed to celebrate the artists and their music."