Ever Been To Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?

Groupie Joined: Nov 15, 2007 Posts: 76

I'm looking into scaling back our summer vacation out east (rising gas prices!) and instead taking in Cedar Point, which I haven't seen in 20 years, and which my teenage daughters would probably like better anyway. I was considering making a run into Cleveland one day and seeing the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame there. Anyone ever seen it or heard about it? Is it worth seeing? (I mean beyond the excuse of getting the t-shirt for it, o' course...)

Groupie Joined: Nov 06, 2007 Posts: 81

Everybody I've talked to has really enjoyed it. It's not cheap though. Expect to spend some good coin. Our bass player got married there a year or so ago.

Groupie Joined: Nov 15, 2007 Posts: 76

Looks as if it's $22 a person if it's all alone and not with any package deal. I have a package where 2 of my 4 tickets are discounted, but I'll have to buy the other 2 at this price. Looks like hours are 10am to 5pm, so it's not an all-day thing (and, I'll actually have to leave at about 3pm because of other plans, cutting it even shorter).

I'll go, probably Sunday, August 10. I'll report back on what I think of it all after that.

Groupie Joined: Nov 15, 2007 Posts: 76

It was pretty awesome!

The whole place is shaped like a big mirrored pyramid with a phonograph record and arm contraption coming out of the side of it, overlooking Lake Erie. It was quite inspiring architecture, and wets your appetite for what you'll find inside.

The huge atrium when you walk in had a lot of arena rock props hoisted in the air (a few were recognizable leftovers from Pink Floyd's "The Wall" 80's tour). This area also had a nice open cafeteria and souvenier shop.

Shaped like a pyramid, the bottom had the most floor area, of course. It had a darkish, basement feel, and it had a confusing layout where you couldn't take a curcuitous path and see every thing just one time. This mazey design made it difficult to take it all in efficiently, but it seemed a better thing to just meader and get a bit lost anyway... What's the rush?...

Lots of memorabelia, posters, clothing, video, old gear, and so on. Some original song drafts and important symbolic papers were there, all the way up to big vehicles like ZZ Top's famous car used in their videos and one of Elvis' Cadillacs. Many of the masters were covered, like Beatles, Stones, Hendrix, Elvis, Bob Dylan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Springsteen, U2 and so on, as you'd expect. Some intermediate "bigs" were also there, too many to mention.

There was a definite emphasis on history and origin, so pioneers got a lot of attention, and there is very little having to do with the mid 90's and beyond (but it would have been risky to predict what is GOING to be important in the future anyway...). I liked how there was coverage of sub-factions contributing to rock's popularity, like all the genres connecting to rock (country, bluegrass, jazz, big bands, celtic, blues, folk, gospel, etc.), and broadcast, recording and producing technology, and places. I especially enjoyed coverage of the important space-times in rock: The beginnings in south in the late 50's, the English Invasion and Detroit Motown of the mid 60's, the electrified folk of San Fransisco of the late 60's, punk movements in Britain and New York in the late 70's, and even grunge of Seattle in the early 90's. (The hair metal band movement of the L.A. Sunset Strip in the early 80's was conspicuously missing, though, but overall, it was still very good.) Most all the ingredients of the "stew" seemed to be covered...

There were a couple of 15-minute films to watch in small theater rooms to take a load off your feet, which were very good, too. Escalators taking you from floor to floor made it easy, too...

If you take it all the way to the end, at the tippy top of the pyramid was a floor dedicated to just The Doors and Jim Morrison. A fitting cherry on the top, I'd say!...

Got the t-shirt, of course... I was disappointed that the best designs were picked over for my size, though. I settled on a baseball jersey looking thing, which was decent...

As a rabid fan of the genre and a musician, and one fascinated with its makeup and history, of course I found it a necessary pilgrimage, and I hope to go back a couple more times in my life. But, I'd say that even for the casual layman, this is still quite worth the full (undiscounted) $22 price and trip to the place. It won't disappoint, by any means, and you'll find it very worth it!

Groupie Joined: Nov 06, 2007 Posts: 81

Gene wrote:

It was pretty awesome!

The whole place is shaped like a big mirrored pyramid with a phonograph record and arm contraption coming out of the side of it, overlooking Lake Erie. It was quite inspiring architecture, and wets your appetite for what you'll find inside.

The huge atrium when you walk in had a lot of arena rock props hoisted in the air (a few were recognizable leftovers from Pink Floyd's "The Wall" 80's tour). This area also had a nice open cafeteria and souvenier shop.

Shaped like a pyramid, the bottom had the most floor area, of course. It had a darkish, basement feel, and it had a confusing layout where you couldn't take a curcuitous path and see every thing just one time. This mazey design made it difficult to take it all in efficiently, but it seemed a better thing to just meader and get a bit lost anyway... What's the rush?...

Lots of memorabelia, posters, clothing, video, old gear, and so on. Some original song drafts and important symbolic papers were there, all the way up to big vehicles like ZZ Top's famous car used in their videos and one of Elvis' Cadillacs. Many of the masters were covered, like Beatles, Stones, Hendrix, Elvis, Bob Dylan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Springsteen, U2 and so on, as you'd expect. Some intermediate "bigs" were also there, too many to mention.

There was a definite emphasis on history and origin, so pioneers got a lot of attention, and there is very little having to do with the mid 90's and beyond (but it would have been risky to predict what is GOING to be important in the future anyway...). I liked how there was coverage of sub-factions contributing to rock's popularity, like all the genres connecting to rock (country, bluegrass, jazz, big bands, celtic, blues, folk, gospel, etc.), and broadcast, recording and producing technology, and places. I especially enjoyed coverage of the important space-times in rock: The beginnings in south in the late 50's, the English Invasion and Detroit Motown of the mid 60's, the electrified folk of San Fransisco of the late 60's, punk movements in Britain and New York in the late 70's, and even grunge of Seattle in the early 90's. (The hair metal band movement of the L.A. Sunset Strip in the early 80's was conspicuously missing, though, but overall, it was still very good.) Most all the ingredients of the "stew" seemed to be covered...

There were a couple of 15-minute films to watch in small theater rooms to take a load off your feet, which were very good, too. Escalators taking you from floor to floor made it easy, too...

If you take it all the way to the end, at the tippy top of the pyramid was a floor dedicated to just The Doors and Jim Morrison. A fitting cherry on the top, I'd say!...

Got the t-shirt, of course... I was disappointed that the best designs were picked over for my size, though. I settled on a baseball jersey looking thing, which was decent...

As a rabid fan of the genre and a musician, and one fascinated with its makeup and history, of course I found it a necessary pilgrimage, and I hope to go back a couple more times in my life. But, I'd say that even for the casual layman, this is still quite worth the full (undiscounted) $22 price and trip to the place. It won't disappoint, by any means, and you'll find it very worth it!

Possibly the "Hair Band" area was in one of those sections that were just lost in the maze that you did not find. Did you inquire if this area exsisted?

Groupie Joined: Nov 15, 2007 Posts: 76

I didn't ask about it, no. I believed I hit it all; I found the best method to take in the huge downstairs floor was to stick to the outer edge and do a circuit all the way around, coming back to the entrance, then start rattling around the inner parts until it was all seen. The place-time displays I speak of were on this outer ring, and this wasn't along with those, certainly, though.

I'm sure asking about something like this can make you come off like a know-it-all smart-ass, too... But, this omittion has an overall impression of being very baby-boom generation centric when the only place-time really covered substantially that this generation wouldn't much care about is the 90's Seattle grunge movement, and that's it... I, for one, consider Van Halen and a lot of the follower bands in the few years coming out of that area (and coming out of that STYLE) afterward important enough to pedistal up in this history. But, that's me...

I was in a laid-back vacation state of mind, and not feeling confrontational enough that day to rage against it, I guess... Maybe next time!...

Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 5:50 am

I took the family to the RRHF this summer. It was great - but I was bummed I couldn't take the camera inside.

When I was there The Beatles' "HELP!" exhibit was on the floor just below The Doors exhibit (I think it was only there until Sept.). All the costumes from the movie were there, some of the scripts and costume designs, some of the guitars and a short documentary on the making of the film. It had the same effect on me as standing next to John Lennon's Sgt. Peppers outfit downstairs - I was completely in AWE.

So many notable moments but that was a highlight. Oh, and seeing the first page, first draft of "Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas" by Hunter S. Thompson on the Rolling Stone Magazine display. That was cool. Oh, and reading a letter from Madonna while she was still at the UofM, saying how she couldn't wait to get the hell out of there and go to New York.

Oh, and the costumes! Sly Stone's beaded vest, David Bowie's Scary Monsters harlequin outfit. Roger Daltrey's fringed vest. Man, it was cool.

I want to go again with my bud, Napoleon K.

Let's see....for a souvenir I chose the RRHF replica pewter paperweight. Sits nicely on the mantle and didn't cost and arm & a leg.