The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened Monday, November 24 on 76 Mercer Street. The venue is a smaller version of the original Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio that covers 150,000 square feet, whereas the annex covers only 25,000 square feet.

The Hall of Fame gallery, the first exhibit, is a dimly lit purple room with an array of silver plaques. Each plaque represents one of the numerous musicians inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1986. On each is the name of an influential artist, his or her signature, and the name of the band he or she played in. Numerous genres are displayed, from jazz singers like Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong and country musicians such as Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams. Of course, legendary stars including Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Doors, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Elton John, the Clash and Bruce Springsteen are not ignored. Excerpts from the songs of these artists are played over the room’s stereo, lighting up their plaque in red as the song is heard. Elton John’s memorial features “Benny and the Jets,” and Bonnie Raitt’s belts out “Give Them Something To Talk About,” giving a real insight of the performers and their careers. “[The Hall of Fame is] a place where the musicians say hello to you,” said Secretary Fabian Faria.

The plaques are lit up with rainbow lights, until an amazing light show that ends in a blackout, leaving visitors in darkness as they journey to the next room. The exhibit holds some resemblance to a music club—the Power and Glory Theater. With some wishful thinking, it’s a bit like the recently closed CBGB’s—“the home of underground rock”— with brick walls on the inside and graffiti décor. The seats are black bar stools, stage lights hang from the ceiling and a huge screen is in the front. A montage of artists and their live performances begins to roll, and viewers are surrounded with their concert posters and quotes on the side of the room.

Each guest is given a stereo headphone set by Sennheiser, a high-end audio company, and wireless technology is used to transmit audio content. Customers are free to wander the galleries and exhibit as they like. There’s video footage and pictures of artists, and of course, their music. Big posters are draped every now and then, almost like curtains. The progression of music through time is displayed in one exhibit where the music of Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, Muddy Water, Rolling Stones, 50 Cent, Snoop Dog and Eminem is shown. The museum also doesn’t disappoint in terms of its handsome selection of rock memorabilia. Guitars are everywhere in the museum, like “The Green Meanie,” a guitar that virtuoso Steve Vai customized himself by painting it day-gloW green, adding stickers, and using a hammer and screwdriver to effect until the whammy bar—a lever attached to the bridge of an electric guitar that bends the pitch—came off. Letters from the Beatles to their fans early in the career, letters sent between Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel in their teenage years, and hand written lyrics from a variety of artists are also shown.

More extravagant memorabilia are on display like Bruce Springsteen’s tarp-covered 1957 Chevrolet, and John Lennon’s piano. Perhaps the most nostalgic would be the awning from the original “CBGB & OMFUG.”

The last exhibit is dedicated to The Clash. Posters, handbills, video, iconic outfits and backstage passes are all featured. The room is to focus on one artist and will switch to a new musician every six months.

Student tickets are $22 at the box office as opposed to the $26 for adults. All tickets are issued for a specific entry time. Because of space concerns in the Power and the Glory Theater, entry times are strictly enforced. Once past the theater, visitors are free to roam the galleries. Despite the price, the experience that the Hall of Fame Annex brings is a unique experience to New York. Even for those who do not listen to rock n’ roll, the exhibits bring together a provocative history that demands respect.

As Patti Smith, the Godmother of punk said, “Rock n’ roll is dream soup, what’s your brand?”