The Jim Irsay Collection includes Kurt Cobain‘s guitar from Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” music video, Bob Dylan‘s Stratocaster from the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, and one of Ringo Starr‘s vintage drum kits.
He’s got a red cape that James Brown used to wear on stage, the Gibson SG guitar that George Harrison played on “Revolver,” and a grand piano that Elton John played on stage for 20 years.
Irsay, the owner of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, tends to go mostly for musical memorabilia – Guitar.com called its six-string artifacts “the greatest guitar collection on Earth” in 2022. But it also also includes such priceless, one-of-a-kind pop culture artifacts as the 120-foot-long scroll on which Jack Kerouac wrote “On The Road,” a pocketknife that belonged to President Abraham Lincoln, and gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson’s red convertible.
And now, Irsay is bringing selections from his collection to Los Angeles for a free one-day exhibition that will be capped by a performance of the Jim Irsay Band, a group made up of all-star players and a handful of special guest artists.
The traveling museum and rock show will set up at the Shrine Auditorium from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. The event is open to the public and free, though while registering for tickets you’ll have an opportunity to donate to Kicking the Stigma, which raising money for mental health awareness.
“I started this collection and tour to bring people from all walks of life together to celebrate our shared history and culture and spread positive messages of unity and inspiration throughout this country and world,” Irsay said in a written statement. “It’s also why we’re so excited to return to Los Angeles, the home of so much music and entertainment history.”
The collection has been valued at more than $100 million – Irsay paid $4 million for Ringo’s drums, and the championship best that Muhammed Ali won in 1974…
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