Rock on!
One of the criticisms of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland was that the exhibits were too dry, that they didn't offer up the visceral rock and roll experienced. In other words, if you somehow didn't know anything about rock you might come out wondering what the fuss was all about.
But now comes the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ANNEX in New York's SoHo section, at 76 Mercer Street, and all I can say is hold on to your hats.
This is one amazing multi-media experience. The tour gets under way in a room filled with movie screens and soon to be filled with loud music. The experience is such that you feel like you're in one of the first few rows at a really good concert. When footage of the Beatles concert at Shea Stadium in 1964 came on, including screaming fans, you just want to weep for joy it's so good. Most of the footage appeared to be from New York City appearances by major acts, but the employee I asked couldn't give me a definite answer.
When you leave the screening room, they hand you a headset for the rest of the tour. This enables you to hear appropriate music when you reach different parts of the exhibit. So when you stand in front of a glass case containing one of AC-DC guitarist Angus Young's schoolboy uniforms that he wears during performances, cue "Highway to Hell." When you enter the over-the-top Bruce Springsteen room, cue "Thunder Road." And so on. You have to experience this for yourself to understand exactly how great this all is.
The tour takes about an hour, typically. There isn't as much stuff here as in Cleveland, but I think the presentation is much better. The Annex is located at 76 Mercer Street in the SoHo District of Lower Manhattan. It's about two blocks south of the Apple Store if you know where that is. Tickets cost $26.55 for adults and $17.88 for children, but additional fees add another $3 or more to each ticket. Senior citizens get just $2 off the adult ticket price, perhaps a wry acknowledgment that a lot of patrons of this museum are soon going to be old folks so better keep that revenue coming in.