[NoHo Arts District, CA] – This month’s Active World Journeys’ travel blog: “A Visit to the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame.”
“I know, it’s only Rock-n-Roll but I like it.” This past summer I got to visit the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. I have had some issues with some of their inductees in the past not exactly being rock-n-roll (Eminem and Dolly Parton for example). But hey, who really cares, it’s a museum after all that needs to make money and be relevant to each new generation. So as long as the artists that they are inducting exemplify the rock-n-roll attitude and spirit, then I suppose why not include non-rock artists… albeit sparingly, please. (Most genres of music do help bring people together and create a sense of social connectedness and we need more of that in today’s rude and crude social media dominant world!)
The first area when you begin your tour of the Rock Hall takes you through the early influences and roots of rock-n-roll: 1940s and 1950s rhythm and blues, country, gospel, jazz, blues, folk, and bluegrass. While I didn’t know very much about them, I learned the early influence inductees such as The Drifters, Buddy Guy, and Lead Belly contributed more to rock than musical influence – they were also the first to make myths of themselves, to become larger than life. Then as the decades go on, more familiar acts come into play in the museum that exemplify larger-than-life artists such as Elvis, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimmy Hendrix, The Yardbirds, James Brown, The Pretenders, Joan Jett, Def Leppard, Metallica, Iggy Pop, and many more!
On level 2 of the Rock Hall is The Garage. Fans can pick up real instruments, learn to play, and jam with friends.
On level 3 is The Hall of Fame floor. This is where all the inductees since its inception in 1986 are highlighted. There’s also The Power of Rock Experience, a 15-minute adrenaline-fueled show that captures the excitement of a Rock Hall induction night.
On level 4 is Pink Floyd’s The Wall where you get to stand beneath the tour replica of The Wall. The rock opera was a huge success spawning three singles, a 1980-81 concert tour, and a 1982 feature film.
On level 5 is Legends of Rock, where you can see handwritten drafts of hit singles from some of the world’s most iconic acts, instruments they used in concert, and personal items.
And when I was there, up on level 6. (which is a changing exhibition) they had Bon Jovi Forever which displays four decades of the band’s career, along with never-before-seen artifacts from each of the band members. I’m going to age myself, but some of their songs like Runaway and In and Out of Love take me right back to my high school days! (Or is it daze?)
The general admission tickets to The Rock Hall are currently $35 which gets you into all the above-mentioned floors and areas. Is it worth it? I think so, but that is a high-end price for its value. With plenty of interactive activities to keep people engaged and a thorough exploration of the roots of rock-n-roll from a historical perspective, it’s an in-depth museum that you can easily spend many hours in and “Rock, Rock Til’ You Drop.”
Rather than list them all, here’s a link to all of the Rock Hall Inductees by year since 1986: https://rockhall.com/inductees/classes/. It is the opinion of this writer that it is way overdue to induct Iron Maiden as well as Ronnie James Dio (singer in Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Dio) into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame.
Thank you very much and “Long Live Rock-n-Roll.”
Cheers,
Jack Witt, MS, CPT
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