CLEVELAND — The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is getting in on the Super Bowl action.
Nwasa Onwusa said she remembers the popular halftime show performance from music legend Prince. Prince performed at Super Bowl XLI, when rain began to fall during his performance. Many, including Onwusa, will never forget the star playing his hit song “Purple Rain” in the rain.
“He continues to play and asks for it to rain even harder and while singing Purple Rain. Like, hands down, one of the best. Period,” said Onwusa.
As the chief curator for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she helps bring to life and educate people about those iconic moments.
“The exciting thing about this place is that you never know what’s going to happen, who is contributing to the museum and just what’s happening in the world of music and the news happening globally," she said.
She said she’s ready to do so at Super Bowl LVI with the Biggest Show on Turf exhibit. The exhibit features performance outfits, instruments, set pieces and behind the scenes looks at the operation.
“This exhibit drew a lot of attention and was truly a beautiful intersection between music and sports,” said Onwusa.
The Biggest Show on Turf now heads to the Super Bowl, and Onwusa hopes that it will bring to life the special moments showcases during halftime shows.
“We hope with this exhibit that people get to see the physical manifestation of those moments (and) take a pause to really take it in,” said Onwusa. “It humanizes these musical icons and giants that we love so dearly, but just — it’s a beautiful education moment, to really look at the significance of the Super Bowl halftime show and the music celebrated during those 13 minutes.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame said the exhibit opens Feb. 5 in Los Angeles and closes the day of the Super Bowl. It is not scheduled to return to Cleveland after that, but the Hall said it is gearing up for a music and basketball exhibit for NBA All-Star Weekend.