Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2009

I just returned from a visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio and I am completely blown away. It was a phenomenal and absolute Mecca of rock and roll history. To give you some perspective: imagine every artifact of rock and roll all in the same building, every iconic object of rock paraphernalia right before your eyes, the outfits, instruments and lyrics sitting inches from your face.

Among the most impressive highlights were John Lennon's wire-rimmed glasses, Eddie Cochran's Gretsch guitar (the ax that survived the car accident that killed him), roller skates that belonged to Ritchie Valens, Michael Jackson's famous glittering white glove, Madonna's cone-breasted bustier form her Like a Virgin tour, Steven Tyler's lyrics to "Walk this Way", Elvis Presley's Cadillac with TCB embroidered on the seats, Janis Joplin's flower-power Porsche, the outfit John Paul Jones wore in The Song Remains the Same, Slash's black top hat and leather jacket, the Fender Telecaster played by Albert Collins (with capo still firmly in place), Mick Jagger's white and red baseball costume, Duane Allman's Gibson Les Paul, Marky Ramone's high top sneakers, Jim Morrison's high school diploma, Charlie Watts' snare drum and countless costumes, instruments, hand-written set lists, Grammy Awards, concert posters and record albums.

Never have I felt closer to the music.

Guitars donated by the musicians or their families still had rust on the strings, small tears and imperfections on the clothes confirmed their authenticity and spelling mistakes on hand-written song lyrics showed the musicians' humanity. Make sure you check out the display case with Steven Tyler's lyrics to "Walk This Way." Riddled with spelling errors, these aged and fading sheets of paper remind us that Rock and Roll Hall of Famers were once regular people struggling to make a living as they crafted their art and tested new limits.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would not be complete without music and you can hear it everywhere you go. Overhead speakers provide an eternal soundtrack and there are several kiosks and wall displays with headphones ready for you to sample the music of the exhibit you're in. Television monitors hang above Elvis's Cadillac playing his '68 Comeback Special where a black leather-clad Elvis and his band sit among a small crowd of worshippers and jam on acoustic instruments in a predecessor to MTV Unplugged.

Most pleasing to the music lover were the Hall of Fame Inductee Jukeboxes - wall mounted and equipped with headphones they serve as a library of the inductee's entire catalogue. Every song ever recorded by the Hall of Fame inductees is available so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to immerse yourself in their music while a scrolling display gives background on the artist's personal history as well as career highlights.

There are several films as well, including a short video montage on the history of MTV that was very nostalgic for those of us who grew up in the 80's. A 22-minute movie called Rock Is that screens in the theater on Level 4 was interesting but dated and incomplete.

There are a total of six levels but it's all happening in the Ahmet M. Ertegun Main Exhibit Hall on Level 1. This is the King Tut's tomb of the museum where all of rock's greatest and most iconic artifacts exist in harmonious rock and roll afterlife. Starting with Motown and moving through the early years of blues to the San Francisco era to the ages of punk and grunge it is a complete visual history of rock and roll that shows us how timeless music can be. Be prepared to spend a lot of time here because there is so much to look at the experience can become quite overwhelming.

Levels 2 and 3 have smaller exhibits but are well worth the journey and the fourth floor has a theater and the rock and roll jukeboxes. Levels 5 and 6 were closed during my visit so I'd recommend calling ahead to make sure the full museum will be open, otherwise risk missing out on some special features.

Levels 5 and 6 will reopen on April 1^st of 2009 to unveil its latest exhibit: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen, "the first major artifact-driven collection of Springsteen's legendary career."

Overall the main exhibit was heavy on The Beatles, Elvis and The Rolling Stones but light on the Zeppelin. Janis and Jimi were there in all their glory as were Clapton, Jim Morrison, Michael Jackson and Madonna. The Allman Brothers got their due and so did The Who and ZZ Top but what about Van Halen and the rest of The Doors?

A great experience that I won't soon forget the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame almost requires a second visit. You will be hit with so much scenery that's it is hard to take it all in one viewing. Now that I know what to expect I can study the history and really spend some time at each exhibit, instead of rushing through like an excited child on Christmas, joyously wondering what surprise will be around the next corner.

http://www.rockhall.com/