Travel back to 1984 at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's new exhibit
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Purple Rain, Purple Rain. Photo: Richard E. Aaron/Redferns
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the year 1984.
Why it matters: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's exhibit honoring one of the greatest years in pop music history opens today, just in time for Def Leppard and Journey's concert at Progressive Field tomorrow night.
The intrigue: 1984 was a landmark year for music with the release of blockbuster albums like Prince's "Purple Rain," Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A.," and Madonna's "Like a Virgin," the sustained dominance of Michael Jackson's "Thriller," and the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards.
- Those events led rock critic Alan Light to call 1984 "Pop Music's Best Year Ever."
Behind the scenes: The exhibit, located on the museum's bottom floor, weaves together things like the emergence of hip-hop and the introduction of Apple's first Macintosh computer with iconic artifacts like Jackson's "Thriller" jacket.
- Also on display are Madonna's attire from "The Girlie Show" tour, Lionel Richie's 1984 Olympics closing ceremony jacket, Chaka Khan's "I Feel for You" music video costume, and a reproduction of Eddie Van Halen's legendary "Frankenstein" guitar.
Between the lines: The exhibit opens ahead of Def Leppard, Journey and Cheap Trick's concert at Progressive Field at 6pm tomorrow.
The museum will host a pre-show "Fan Day" on its front plaza from 10am to 5pm.
Troy's thought bubble: There may have been better years in music history (1969 with Woodstock comes to mind), but nothing felt as big or had as much flash as 1984.
- The outfits, big sounds and larger-than-life personas make 1984 the ideal year to center an exhibit.
If you go: Resale tickets for the concert start at $55.
