Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2017 inductees exhibit coming March 31, 2017

Here is a media release of interest to fans of the artists who are set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year...

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to Open 2017 Inductee Exhibit March 31, 2017

Exhibit takes fans into the lives of the 2017 Class: Joan Baez, ELO, Journey, Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur, Yes and Nile Rodgers

Jeff Lynne's
Gibson Les Paul guitar

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will unveil a new exhibit on March 31 highlighting the 2017 Inductees: Joan Baez, ELO, Journey, Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur, Yes and Musical Excellence Award recipient Nile Rodgers.

The opening of the exhibit comes in advance of the 32^nd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on April 7. The Rock Hall in Cleveland will also host an official simulcast party where fans will have a chance to explore the exhibit and experience a live feed of the Ceremony.

The exhibit will highlight this year’s class and their impact on music history by showcasing  many iconic items that span the careers of these legends. Some of the items featured in the exhibit include:

• Joan Baez’s contract for the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair. Baez was originally scheduled as the closing act of the signature event of the counterculture, which took place August 15 - 18, 1969. She ended up closing the first day’s performances and was compensated $10,000.
• A t-shirt worn by Eddie Vedder. The Pearl Jam lead vocalist wore this shirt during the band’s appearance on Saturday Night Live on April 16, 1994. As the show’s end credits rolled and the cast gathered to say goodnight, Vedder opened his shirt to reveal the letter “K” he’d written over his heart in tribute to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who had died on April 5, 1994.
• Nile Rodgers’ Stuyvesant Guitar Man electric guitar, c. 1980.
• Tour items from Yes, including a point of sale sign from the Drama tour.
• A reel-to-reel master recording of “Dear Mama,” the first single from Tupac Shakur’s third studio album Me Against the World. The song pays tribute to Shakur’s mother Afeni, a political activist and member of the Black Panther party. The emotional homage reached Number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
• A Parlor Grand Piano from Jonathan Cain of Journey. This was Cain’s main piano until 2007 and was used on all of Journey’s 1980s tours. The piano is also seen in the 1983 concert film Journey: Frontiers and Beyond and in several music videos, including “Faithfully.”
• A gold Gibson Les Paul played by Jeff Lynne of ELO, c. 1974.

Eddie Vedder wore this T-shirt
during Pearl Jam's appearance on
'Saturday Night Live' on April 16, 1994.

The 2017 Inductee exhibit will also include a video in the “For Those About to Rock” theater highlighting speeches and special moments from past Induction Ceremonies and will be updated with 2017’s Inductees after this year’s Induction Ceremony takes place. There is also a video wall outfitted with soundbars powered by Klipsch Audio that will share interviews with the 2017 Inductees and behind-the-scenes footage from the Induction Ceremony and rehearsals. The Ceremony will premiere on HBO on Saturday, April 29 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

About the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Rock Connects Us. Our mission is clear: To engage, teach and inspire through the power of rock and roll. We share stories of the people, events and songs that shape our world through exhibits, innovative programs and concerts. Join the millions who love it as much as you do. Experience us live or online – Visit rockhall.com or Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@rockhall). Long Live Rock!