Forget marathons, triathlons and even the Tour de France — the annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony may be the world's greatest endurance test.

Why it matters: The inductions returned to Cleveland Saturday night for a nearly five-and-a-half-hour ceremony featuring an array of music legends and current stars to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

• We're here to give you the abridged version of highs and lows.

Highs: Cher's star power

Things kicked off with Cher's induction, and she wore a huge smile the entire time.

• Dua Lipa took on "Believe" before Cher hit the stage to sing "If I Could Turn Back Time."

Celebrating Kool & the Gang

Kool & the Gang delivered the liveliest performance of the night with a medley of greatest hits that included confetti and a sing-along that extended into the rafters.

DMB fans

"High" can be taken multiple ways when it comes to Dave Matthews Band fans who had to wait five hours to see actress Julia Roberts induct the group.

• They stuttered and stumbled around Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse throughout the night but saved tons of energy to shout through DMB's stellar medley of hits.

Lows: Long speeches

The night went smoothly until lengthy speeches from Peter Frampton, Ahmet Ertegun Award winner Suzanne de Passe, A Tribe Called Quest and a seemingly intoxicated Dr. Dre made caffeine necessary.

Foreigner without Foreigner

Foreigner's tribute was missing one thing — Foreigner. Guests Demi Lovato, Slash and Chad Smith performed with Foreigner's touring band.

• Yes, but: We didn't see an actual Foreigner member until Lou Gramm strolled out for a duet of "I Want to Know What Love Is," which saw Kelly Clarkson shrieking over him.

How to watch: The show is streaming on Disney+ with a highlight special to air on ABC at a later date.

Ceremony's shred fest

After the New York Yankees defeated the Guardians 5-2 Saturday night, advancing to the World Series and eliminating Cleveland from the postseason, it's tempting to croon that familiar lullaby: There's always next year.

Reality check: In the salary-capless Major League Baseball, where small-market teams rarely compete with the biggest spenders, it might be wiser to appreciate 2024 for what it was...

• ...an improbable, nigh magical playoff run — filled with highlight-reel homers, nail-biting comebacks and some of the most electric games Progressive Field has hosted since the 90s.

State of a play: The team featured a first-year manager, a ragtag assortment of journeymen starting pitchers, a fire hydrant of a superstar playing for hundreds of millions less than he could be making elsewhere, the best nickname in baseball and one of the best contact hitters on planet earth.

• The Guards were a lovable underdog story all year.

Stunning stat: Of the final four teams in the 2024 playoffs, the Guards' payroll ($107 million) was a fraction of the Los Angeles Dodgers' ($241 million), the Yankees ($309 million) and the New York Mets ($318 million).

Between the seams: All year, elite relief pitching was the Guardians' calling card.

• But in the ALCS, it was their undoing. Closer Emmanuel Clase and set-up man Hunter Gaddis surrendered pivotal hits, posting earned run averages of 15.43 and 8.10 respectively.

Yes, but: Enough of that talk.

What we're remembering: Lane Thomas dingers! Steven Kwan's monkish plate discipline! Brayan Rocchio's blond heroics! Gimenez-to-Naylor for the out at first! Manzardo! Big Christmas! David freaking Fry!

• Swung on, hit high, hit deep to left, there she goes! HOW ABOUT THAT!

🛶 Garfield Park Reservation's new boating pond is now open to the public, after a $7 million renovation by Cleveland Metroparks. (Cleveland.com)

🏪 The beloved gas station-convenience store chain Sheetz broke ground last week on a $169 million distribution center in Findlay, and expects to bring more than 700 new jobs to Northwest Ohio. (WTOL)

🗳️ Republican former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft says he will vote for incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown in the U.S. Senate race. (Dayton Daily News)

Cleveland residents will give input on new City Council ward maps and even have the chance to draw their own, President Blaine Griffin told constituents at a series of community engagement meetings last week.

Why it matters: New maps will be in place for next year's elections and Griffin wants a more transparent process for redrawing them than in the past.

Flashback: Griffin said his predecessors worked behind closed doors to draw maps that prioritized the interests of incumbent members.

• This resulted in gerrymandered wards that didn't always follow natural boundaries or preserve historic neighborhoods.

State of play: Cleveland voters supported a charter amendment in 2008 that tied the number of wards to the city's population.

• Cleveland is losing two council seats, dropping from 17 to 15 in next year's elections.

💭 Sam's thought bubble: I attended a community meeting in Glenville. There, demographer Mark Salling, a member of the consulting team hired by council, gave residents a tutorial on Dave's Redistricting App, an online map-making tool.

• The response was a mix of confusion and disappointment. Attendees said they had neither the time nor expertise to create citywide maps.
• Others said that while they appreciated the opportunity to weigh in, they'd prefer the opportunity to offer feedback down the line, when new maps are up for consideration by the council.

What's next: The official deadline for new maps is April 1, 2025, but Griffin said he'd prefer to have them formalized earlier — ideally by January — as a consideration to potential candidates.

The intrigue...

This week's photo was taken by Megan Gallagher (@mmcgpics), who captured a sunrise on the shores of Lake Erie.

📷 If you have a recent photo representing Cleveland's essence, please submit it by replying to this email.