Long Live Rock (& Roll)

I can still hear the music notes from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame floating through the air…

Or maybe that’s just my Classic Rock playlist on Spotify.

But hey! I traveled to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this weekend in Cleveland, Ohio!

My heels clicked against the concrete sidewalk as my friends and I gazed upon the massive building along Lake Erie. Three big words in red presented itself in front.
“LONG LIVE ROCK”

The hairs on my arm stood up as we walked through the doors into the hall of fame. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band echoed through the speakers and I couldn’t contain the smile on my face.

At St. Bonaventure University, I’m part of both SBU-TV (campus TV news team) and 88.3 WSBU (campus radio station). I was lucky enough to get a spot on a trip to broadcast from the hall of fame for WSBU!

There was a booth set up on a stage in the lobby. The entire room had windows so we could see all of Cleveland! (At least it seemed like it!)

After a morning Dunkin’ run, I reported for SBU-TV and prepped for being live on-air. I was about to be talking LIVE from the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME!

I already did it yesterday and it still doesn’t feel real!

My friends, Julia, Layne and I chatted on 88.3 FM for 30 minutes before we were kicked off (politely) by the next show. It felt like a trip down memory road since the three of us had a radio show together our freshman year of college!

With our massive amount of free time, we journeyed into the rock hall exhibits.

First stop: a history lesson. There was a ton of information displayed about how rock and roll became what it is today, and the controversy that comes with it. I tend to forget how so many people rejected the music when it first became so popular (check out this rock hall article that goes by the decade).

Red lights spelling out “ELVIS” illuminated an entire wall in the next room. His music flowed from the speaker with such a contagious beat I couldn’t help but bop along. I looked over at a screen where I gushed over The King dancing in front of a row of jail cells. Amazing how talent can transcend time and make a girl still feel weak.

My eyes were glued to the screen as I watched him belt out “Viva Las Vegas.” I snapped out of it and joined my friends at the Summer of Love exhibit.

This room was painted by the vibrant colors of different tour posters from the infamous “Summer of Love” in the late 60s. A poster from The Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967 glistened in the light as if it were beckoning me.

I listen to an album with recordings from this festival all the time, it has my favorite Janis Joplin/Big Brother and the Holding Company song on it! Seeing it on paper and not in a box on my phone made my heart sing.

Suddenly I heard bells ringing and saw multicolored lights flashing. I followed the noise and discovered the special Pinball exhibit!

Of course, the first machine I see is inspired by “The Who.” If you are (somehow) unfamiliar with this band, they have an amazing song titled “Pinball Wizard.”

So what was the first machine I played? Actually, one painted with the faces of The Rolling Stones. There was a line. Plus, I was wearing a Stones shirt, so…seemed appropriate.

I still got to play like a Pinball Wizard with The Who, don’t worry!

The rest of the museum absolutely rocked (ha)! There was a huge amount of memorabilia from so many different bands throughout the decades, I would need days to write all my reactions to it.

The last thing I will mention here is The Power of Rock. This amazing movie experience compiled performances from induction ceremonies in the past. I saw U2 perform with Mick Jagger and Dave Grohl kill it with Joan Jett.

One performance took my breath way. Prince floats on stage, looking cool as ever. They’re playing “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” when Prince effortlessly launches into the most amazing guitar solo I’ve heard in years.

His fingers dance up and down the neck of the guitar so gracefully so he won’t hurt it. The music he creates flows together so perfectly, I wonder how anyone could be so talented as to carry on this incredible solo.

Then I remember who this is; Prince. May he rest in peace. 

My eyes stayed fixated on the screen, hoping this scene would never end, hoping the music would keep flowing.

Of course, all good things must end, like our trip at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After our big tour, we packed up and drove back to Bonaventure.

Oof, I haven’t written this much since Ireland. Something about the Rock and Roll genre lights a fire in my heart and I can’t help but pour it out to all my lovely readers here. “Rock and roll is a spirit,” (said Ice Cube) and writing how this music makes me feel gives this “spirit” life. So hope you enjoyed this novel of a post!

To stay updated with my future travels, be sure to follow my Instagram!

Happy travels!

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