Seattle Sights

Experience Music Project

#13 of 572 things to do in Seattle

#370 of 27275 things to do in North America

1 reviews | Write a review

  • Address
    • 325 5th Ave N
  • Website
  • Phone
    • 206-367-5483
  • Price
    • admission incl Science Fiction Museum adult/child $15/12
  • Hours
    • 10am-7pm Jun–mid-Sep, 10am-5pm mid-Sep–May

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Lonely Planet review for Experience Music Project

The Experience Music Project (EMP) is worth a look for the architecture alone. The shimmering, abstract building – designed by Frank Gehry – was inspired by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen’s passion for Jimi Hendrix’s music and was initially intended as a tribute to Hendrix alone. It now houses 80,000 music artifacts, including handwritten lyrics by Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and a Fender Stratocaster that Hendrix demolished. There’s also Janis Joplin’s pink feather boa, the world’s first steel guitar and Hendrix’s signed contract to play at Woodstock.

 

Traveller reviews for Experience Music Project (1)

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    omg are you serious?

    djebru recommends this,

    i don't know who wrote that review, but this museum is awesome on every level. i'm not a guitarist, and i'm not obsessed with Hendrix (though i do like rock), and i LOVED this place. as a museum junky, i was impressed by the cohesive, well thought out exhibits. they weren't trying to cram an entire collection into the space, but instead focused on particular stories they could tell effectively with the collection. the northwest section focused on the development of Seattle's music scene (not just grunge, though as you'd expect Nirvana got their fair share of attention). the sound lab is incredibly fun - my only complaint is that, like on Metallica's Justice album, there's no bass. the Hendrix exhibit is truly superb. there's also an exhibit on the history of the guitar, which in spite of my non-obsession with guitars i found really, really cool. my two main take-outs: the Gibson flying V was created in 1958 (srsly - not in the 80s) and we should all listen to more Hendrix. if you have a passing interest in popular music, get down there.

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