Rock enthusiasts, break out your air guitars and head to NYC. Opening in the Big Apple this week, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex, will take visitors “beyond the typical museum experience” to honour “the most defining moments in rock history.”
Nestled among Soho’s boutiques, the Annex is a 250,000 square foot building stocked with music memorabilia. It’s not as comprehensive as her sister museum in Cleveland, Ohio, but Annex does have a wide selection of rock relics, including: An Elvis “peacock” jump suit, handwritten letters from Paul Simon to Art Garfunkel, Bruce Springsteen’s 1957 yellow Chevy, and John Lennon’s piano heard in the 1970′s hit Imagine.
A visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex starts in the theatre, a gallery designed to look like a concert venue. Seated among the bar stools, museum-goers watch a toe-tapping, ten-minute music montage. Iconic stars, everyone from Aretha Franklin to U2, sing their hearts out to a crowd of screaming virtual fans. With surround sound, flashing stage lights and video projections, the theatre experience makes you feel like part of the concert.
In the next gallery, wireless audio devices, an iPod-like box complete with headphones, are handed out. Press play and the music automatically syncs up with the memorabilia you’re looking at.
While standing in front of Johnny Cash’s 1985 black leather boots, the audio guide blasts a fiery tune from the Man in Black. Moving towards Madonna’s gold bustier, designed by Jean Paul Gaultier for her Blonde Ambition tour, the country music fades and transitions to the Material Girl’s hit Express Yourself.
Since the museum and the technology are new, there are still a few glitches to be worked out. If you move around the room too quickly, the technology struggles to keep up. Scrambling songs from different artists, my audio guide played Bruce Springsteen when I was near the Grandmaster Flash exhibit and faded to Elvis Priestly when I was near the Buddy Holly’s acoustic guitar. Despite these tiny inconveniences (which engineers are working to fix), the technology is pretty impressive, giving a new, interactive dimension to traditional museum-going.
No matter your musical taste, New York’s new Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is sure to have some unique piece of memorabilia that will awaken your rebellious inner rock star and take it on a nostalgic journey.
Visit www.rockannex.com for more information.
– Julia Dimon is co-host of Word Travels, airing on OLN, and editor of www.thetraveljunkie.ca.
