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Rock Hall documents the experience
By John Benson
The music festival has been a staple of rock ’n’ roll since the very beginning. For proof, think no further than the genre’s 1951 big bang with the Moondog Coronation Ball.
Today, the notion of the music festival is commonplace with Coachella, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza being just a few of the dozens of stateside celebrations that happen annually.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is focusing its attention on such events with its current exhibit “Common Ground: The Music Festival Experience,” which will be on display through Jan. 31, 2015.
“It was an idea in the air for a while, and really what was driving it is festivals have become such an incredible force in the music business,” said Lauren Onkey, Rock Hall vice president of education and public programs. “There are so many festivals now, and they work both musically and business-wise, which wasn’t always the case with festivals.”
Though the 1969 Woodstock didn’t turn a profit until its documentary movie was released years later, these days large music festivals that return year after year are moneymaking machines. Just try to go to a festival and eat and drink on the cheap.
Still, the music festival is all about endless opportunities and experiences — not only sharing a musical moment with sometimes hundreds of thousands of people, but also perhaps catching a then-unknown band that in a few months time will be atop the iTunes charts.
Onkey said “Common Ground: The Music Festival Experience” features plenty of major rock ’n’ roll historical artifacts related to iconic events. The list includes a Bob Dylan pay stub for his game-changing and plugged-in 1965 Newport Folk Festival appearance, as well as the guitar strap Jimi Hendrix used at Woodstock.
Modern items on display include a 2003 Lollapalooza outfit worn by Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro and a leather Unisuit worn by electronic artist Peaches.
“My favorite is an acoustic guitar that Muddy Waters played at the Newport Jazz Festival,” Onkey said. “His appearances at Newport really brought the blues out in front of a much wider audience for really the first time. So that’s an artifact I think is really important.
“A fun one, we have Keith Emerson’s Hammond organ he played at Isle of Wight Festival, 1970. He turned the organ on its end and played it, spinning it at the same time. It was this wild prog-rock performance.”
Spanning two floors of the Rock Hall, “Common Ground: The Music Festival Experience” offers visitors a history of popular music festivals with large photographs, artifacts and short documentary films.
The exhibit is divided into sections: Birth of the Modern Festival (From Spirituals to Swing, the Newport Festivals); Youth Quake (Monterey Pop, Woodstock, Isle of Wight); Festivals with a Purpose (Live Aid, Wattstax, Soul to Soul); Europe (Glastonbury, Roskilde, Fuji Rock, Pink Pop), Modern Destination Festival (Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Coachella) and Electronic Dance Music (Electric Daisy Carnival, Tomorrowland, Creamfields).
The exhibit provides the visitor with an immersive experience designed to place them squarely into the festival experience. Considering festivals have a, well, muddy past, any chance visitors to “Common Ground: The Music Festival Experience” will leave smelling to high heaven with dirty clothes?
Onkey said, laughing, “Not as a result of what we do, no.”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Wednesdays the museum is open until 9 p.m.). Admission is $22 for adults, $18 for adult residents of Greater Cleveland, $17 for seniors, $13 for youths (9-12), and children under 8 get in free. For more information, call 216-515-8425 or go to rockhall.com.