The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's annual inductee exhibit opened to the public on Monday, giving Cleveland visitors a first look at stage-worn jackets, instruments and other artifacts tied to this year's class. Items from Billy Idol, Luther Vandross and Liam Gallagher are among the pieces now on view, with the museum promising even more additions in the weeks ahead.
The exhibit opened Monday, November 9, according to cleveland.com, which described the 2026 induction class as 16 inductees strong. That figure conflicts with the Rock Hall's own description of the show, which says on its event page that the exhibit features artifacts representing all 18 inductees, per the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Whatever the final headcount, the displayed items are drawing attention on their own merits. Billy Idol's cyberpunk helmet from the “Shock to the System” music video is part of the show, according to Cleveland 19. Nearby sits a custom Dior jacket Luther Vandross wore on his 1991-92 “Power of Love” tour, the station reports.
Tambourines, Motorcycles and a Mannequin Lineup
The exhibit also includes a tambourine from Oasis singer Liam Gallagher and outfits worn by Celia Cruz, per the same account. One of the more eye-catching pairings puts Queen Latifah's motorcycle parked next to Idol's helmet display, the station notes, tying together two very different corners of the 2026 class in a single room.
Beyond Cleveland, the exhibit's reach extends into other inductees' personal histories. Gram Parsons' display case includes guitars, boots and lyrics, with cleveland.com reporting it also contains handwritten lyrics and Parsons' journal. Peter Hook's first bass guitar, purchased the day after he saw the Sex Pistols play in Manchester in 1976, is on view too, according to the outlet's report, complete with notes Hook marked on the instrument's fretboard.
Phil Collins is represented by the tuxedo he wore to the 1986 Grammy Awards, the same report states. Not everything made the opening-day cut, though: Iron Maiden's display was not ready for Monday's public opening and is expected to be installed within the next week or two, cleveland.com reports.
Induction Ceremony and Broadcast Dates
The 2026 induction ceremony is set to tape Saturday, November 14, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, according to a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame press release. The Rock Hall says the ceremony will then debut in December on ABC and Disney+, though an exact air date was not specified in that release.
Back in Cleveland, the museum is also opening its doors wider later this month. Cuyahoga County residents can attend Rock Hall Community Day for free on November 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the event offering the first public look at the museum's new Haslam Atrium, according to Cleveland Magazine.
A Bigger Museum Footprint
That atrium is part of a broader expansion effort at the Rock Hall, which the museum says is scheduled to open in November 2026 and add 50,000 square feet of new space, including dedicated education areas, an indoor multipurpose venue and expanded public access to Lake Erie, per the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The museum also says the expansion site is designed to meet LEED Silver sustainability standards.
For now, the inductee exhibit itself remains a work in progress. Cleveland 19 reports the Rock Hall plans to add a few more artifacts in the coming weeks, and the full display is expected to remain up for about a year — plenty of time for fans to see the pieces tracing this year's class through the items they wore, played and held on stage, as the station put it.
