One-Tank Trip for
March 16/13
(c) By Jim Fox
It’s only rock ‘n’
roll, but I like it!
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| Framed photos, news articles and gold records adorn the walls in the John Lennon and Yoko Ono Suite at Fairmont’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel. (Jim Fox photo) |
So sang the Rolling
Stones, acclaimed as the world’s greatest rock-and-roll band, still cranking
out the hits 50 years later.
Head out down the
highway and take a rock ‘n’ roll getaway to Cleveland, Montreal and Detroit.
The beat goes on
First stop is the
house that rock built – the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.
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| Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum |
It pays homage to city
disc jockey Alan Freed who is credited with coining the term “rock and roll” and
holding the first rock concerts.
Much has changed
since our first visit when it opened in 1995 as a big redesign last year added
new exhibit spaces, interactive technology and hundreds more artifacts.
There’s now an “absolutely
incredible collection” of Beatles’ artifacts.
Among them is John
Lennon’s black wool coat worn in the move Help; George Harrison’s striped suit
from the 1966 U.S. tour; Ringo Starr’s 1969 birthday card to Lennon; and Paul
McCartney’s handwritten arrangement for “Birthday.”
There’s Lennon’s
Gibson J-160E acoustic guitar used in “Norwegian Wood” and “Give Peace a
Chance” and Harrison’s Rickenbacker 425 electric guitar.
Now, the Stones are
about to get some “satisfaction.”
Rolling Stones: 50
Years of Satisfaction opens May 24 as the hall’s first major exhibition
“capturing the band’s legendary career.”
Hall president and
ceo Greg Harris said it will include personal items and extraordinary
collections never seen before publicly and “should be on every music fan’s
destination list this summer.”
The retrospective
exhibit chronicles the band from the mid-1960s until today and covers
two-and-a-half floors. RockHall.com;
(216) 515-1939
Give Peace a Chance
A group of
“long-haired hippies” took over Suite 1742 of Fairmont’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel
in Montreal in 1969, and the rest is history.
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| John Lennon and Yoko Ono Suite |
The world watched
as Beatle John Lennon and Yoko Ono held their Bed-In for Peace from May 26 to
June 2, 1969.
Lennon had all the
furniture removed except for a mattress and held court to the world's media to
protest against the war in Vietnam.
Staying overnight
in the suite, we could feel the “karma” and vibes of that epic sleepover.
The Lennon
gathering included comedian Tommy Smothers, drug guruTimothy Leary and singer
Petula Clark, ending with recording “Give Peace a Chance.”
Fans from around
the world continue a pilgrimage to the hotel to see the suite or stay there for
their own personal bed-in.
The John Lennon and
Yoko Ono Suite includes framed photos and news articles as well as gold records
that adorn the walls.
Annually on Dec. 8,
the anniversary of Lennon's death, roses are left mysteriously outside the door
by an unknown sender.
It is “one of the
most popular suites in the world,” and the hotel offers a Bed-In for Peace
Package, said Joanne Papineau, regional director, public relations.
With rates from
$799, double occupancy, it includes an overnight, welcome amenity, breakfast in
bed or at the Le Montrealais restaurant and a Lennon CD featuring the legendary
song. Book by phone only at (514) 861-3511; fairmont.com/queen-elizabeth-montreal
During Beatlemania
in 1964, the “Fab Four” had to get out of town quickly after a concert, fearing
a riot and aborted a plan to stay at the hotel.
Hearing the news,
the hotel’s room service captain whipped up a special meal that he delivered to
the concert hall.
Pointe-a-Calliere,
the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History, has a new exhibition about the iconic
band and the hotel offers the Beatles in Montreal package with an overnight,
tickets and souvenirs from $239.
The hits just keep on coming
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| Berry Gordy’s modest Detroit house is now home to Hitsville USA, the Motown Museum. (Barbara Fox photo) |
Ooh baby, baby, Hitsville USA is paying
tribute to the first ladies of Motown.
Otherwise known as
the Motown Museum, this Detroit landmark celebrates the Girl Groups: The grit,
the glamour, the glory.
The world moved to
the grooves of Motown music emanating out of the modest Detroit house from 1959
through to 1972 when Berry Gordy's empire relocated to Los Angeles.
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| A visitor to the Motown Museum checks out Stevie Wonder’s drums in legendary Studio A. (Jim Fox photo) |
Visitors can see Studio
A where the hits by Smokey Robinson, Supremes, Contours and other music greats
kept on coming.
There’s the piano where
Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye banged out their hits and can be touched and
played by visitors.
Tours are given of
the rooms and there’s an extensive array of artifacts, photographs and memorabilia.
motownmuseum.org; (313) 875-2264
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Jim Fox can be reached at onetanktrips@hotmail.com
For more One-Tank Trips: http://1tanktrips.blogspot.ca
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