Al's 1980 Tour Drum Kit at RRHoF

[VAiN]

http://rockhall.com/blog/post/6647_alex-van-halen-drum-kit/

http://rockhall.com/media/assets/images/originals/282/b2e/4cce52.jpg

Anyone in the area? This would be cool to see...

[Diamondjimi]

That is one badass lookin kit! Long time, no see...

[Matt White]

Haven't been to the RRHOF in prob 15 yrs.............


I might have to pay Cleveland a visit...and the ladies of Circus Circus! OI Vay!!!!

[twonabomber]

the Circus is gone. the Hustler club replaced it, and now moved to the West Bank of the Flats.

haven't been to the HOF since the failed induction. when they say lower level, i wonder if it's in a spot where it can be seen from the outside.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Very disappointed when I visited that place....

Very unorganized....

[fryingdutchman]

Very disappointed when I visited that place....

Very unorganized....

I hear ya, VA. The wife and I took a trip there many moons ago (pre-kids), and I remember not being overly-impressed.

But it is cool that they have Al's kit. Not sure I'd make the trip again just for that, though.

We need bigger pictures!

[VAiN]

We need bigger pictures!

Agreed! I'm guessing they're keeping it small so you'll have to drag your ass in there to get a better look.... Sure wish I was closer...

[twonabomber]

We need bigger pictures!

the HOF frowns on cameras being brought in, but i know it's been done. most of the "staff" are inner city types who don't really give a shit what goes on, so maybe someone will get lucky and get a few pics.

[DLR Bridge]

I was there in 2000 (pre-kids, too). Saw an awesome John Lennon exhibit. They had just added a wall of Hendrix stuff. Not so much as a pic with a VH logo on it to be found there. I was surprised, but not.

[twonabomber]

ah, the Lennon exhibit. Yoko was nice enough to send the bag of bloody clothes they cut off John after he was shot.

one of Bassplayer's Yamahas was on display downstairs but i don't remember if it was there before the VH induction or not.

[DLR Bridge]

Wasn't quite like that, though the glasses were there. It was mostly his art (that she eventually sold to Carters and would find it's way into my first born's nursery) and hand written goodies.

[Nitro Express]

I remember reading an article on Al in some music magazine that he did his own modifications to his drum kits. He would used multiple bass drums and experiment with connecting them in different ways. He even put PA horns in some of his bass drums.

I have yet to hear one good thing about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I have heard good things about the Experience Music Project in Seattle but nothing good about the Hall of Fame. If anything it's become a joke.

[Nitro Express]

the HOF frowns on cameras being brought in, but i know it's been done. most of the "staff" are inner city types who don't really give a shit what goes on, so maybe someone will get lucky and get a few pics.

Lemmy said some of the stuff he loaned the HOF were stollen and he never got them back. Sounds like some of those inner city types who don't give a shit might have been leaking some goods. Lemmy might want to check a few Cleveland pawn shops or Ebay.

[VAiN]

I have heard good things about the Experience Music Project in Seattle but nothing good about the Hall of Fame.

The EMP is very cool... I loved it, and would definitely go back. It's worth checking out if you're in the Seattle area for sure!

[Nitro Express]

The EMP is very cool... I loved it, and would definitely go back. It's worth checking out if you're in the Seattle area for sure!

Well the EMP is Paul Allen's baby and he's a huge rock and roll fan. He built the place to display some of his own collection and other people's collection to the public and to honor Jimi Hendrix who was a Seattle native. You can feel the love there. The HOF seems to be ran by a committee. One motivated guy who gives a shit will always stomp a committee in everything. What's the old joke? A camel is a horse created by a committee?

[Hardrock69]

EMP was fucking cool! To actually be in a single room that contained Mitch Mitchell's drum kit, Noel Redding's bass rig, one of Jimi's Marshall stacks, AND his Woodstock Strat, the remnants of the Monterey Pop Festival guitar and other things blew my fucking mind!

I was really pissed off though....they confiscated my camera before they would let me go in.

Fucking bastards. I did get it back though before I went next door....to the Science Fiction Hall Of Fame....where they had the actual command chair used by Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series....

I also have not heard anything good about the RRHOF, and the only reason I would ever go would be if I were in Cleveland for some reason and had some time to kill.....

[VAiN]

The EMP is a good time.. they have some studio set-ups in there with drums, amps, etc... I got to go in there with my drummer friend and rock out a handful of Nirvana tunes in Seattle... it was good fun.

[twonabomber]

Wasn't quite like that, though the glasses were there. It was mostly his art (that she eventually sold to Carters and would find it's way into my first born's nursery) and hand written goodies.

i seem to remember the glasses sitting on the bag of clothes. there was a square column , with a glass/plexi section that had the bag in it, and the glasses on the bag. a placard stated that "these were the clothes Lennon wore the night he was killed" or something to that effect.

as for who has what...the HOF relies on donations and loaned items for display. they won't buy any items. EMP and the Hard Rock will buy items for their collections as well as taking donations and loaned items.

the HOF library and archives are opening next year, on the other side of downtown in partnership with Cuyahoga Community College. from their site:


The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s Library and Archives will be the world’s most comprehensive repository of written and audiovisual materials relating to the history of rock and roll. The Library and Archives will collect, preserve, and provide access to these resources in order to educate people about rock and roll, its roots, and its impact on society. In early 2012, the Library and Archives will open its doors and begin serving the needs of scholars, educators, students, the media, and the general public.

Ever since the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was conceived back in 1986, a Library and Archives has been envisioned as part of the mission. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum broke ground on the Library and Archives in 2007, and construction of the new building is complete. The 22,500-square-foot facility is in a shared building with the Center for Creative Arts on the Metropolitan Campus at Cuyahoga Community College, which is located approximately two miles southeast of the Museum. Cuyahoga Community College is one of the most respected community colleges in the country. Its acclaimed Recording Arts and Technology program trains students for positions in the recording industry. The college also offers courses on the music business, rock and roll, songwriting, music theory and other music-related topics.

we'll see how easy it is for Joe Public to get in there.

[Jérôme Frenchise]

Alex's magic kit had better be on stage soon with him hammering and kicking it
rather than in a museum, however prestigious...
Damn! How kickass it looks!

Same old thing again by the way, we'd rather get some actual news instead of this
kind of "updates". :cool:

[Etienne]

Here's another picture of the drum kit:

Link (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VIt42ZwDrR4/TPx8sg1NiZI/AAAAAAAAEzY/d22QVALleAk/s1600/Van%2BHalen%2B1980%2BLondon%2BInvasion%2Bback.jpg)

[Hardrock69]

Got that. Great fucking boot!

If VH never played again, we could at least consider ourselves fortunate to have what we have from them.....

[twonabomber]

Was on vacation this week and took my nephew and niece to the Rock Hall...they allow cameras now. Got a couple pics of Al's kit:

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r169/mdallas07/DSC01188_zpsdb6466c8.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r169/mdallas07/DSC01186_zps1e2cb7fa.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r169/mdallas07/DSC01187_zps451093d7.jpg

[Zing!]

Kick. Ass.

Thanks Twona!

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Was on vacation this week and took my nephew and niece to the Rock Hall...they allow cameras now. Got a couple pics of Al's kit:


Did you happen to torture yourself through the video that shows all of the RRHOF selectees ??

I did that when I went several years ago... Of course VH was then recently selected, so they were at the very end, about 45 minutes into it....

And when you see ALL of the acts, specifically all of the acts that have absolutely NOTHING to do with rock and roll, I just ended up shaking my head the whole time....

[twonabomber]

Nah. I've been there enough that I've probably already seen it. The brats wouldn't have sat through a movie in there anyways.

They did change up the "video tree" thing. It used to be all tube TV's hanging from that metal sculpture, now they're all flat panels. I thought it was cooler as the tubes.