We had lots of fun during the construction of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Part of the fun was site visits from rock stars. (For example, one day the construction manager failed to recognize Billy Joel and screamed at him about not wearing his hardhat.)

One of my favorite days was our visit form Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder. The publicity office had called a week in advance and told us to expect a special guest, but wouldn't say who it was. They were that if word got out we'd be swarmed by fans. So on April 1 Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam shows up and is given the full tour by the Project Manager.

Early on, the PM pulled aside a staff member and asked who this star was (he'd never heard of Pearl Jam - knowledge of Rock & Roll was not a requirement for the job). Anyway, he was nice enough to Eddie. He was also very impressed with Eddy's knowledge of construction!

At the end of the tour, after each of us were offered an autograph, Eddie signed his hardhat for our PM (as many celebrities did - it was kind of a tradition. He wrote "To Robert, Happy April Fools!" and signed a name that was NOT Eddie vedder. Still, the PM didn't get it!! We had to explain it to him later.

This wasn't the real Eddy Vedder. It was one of the construction workers who just happened to look very similar. The Engineers on the project had arranged the joke, working with the PR office they were able to secure a limo and even a small group of fans.


By the way, the official name is "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum". You'll get in trouble with management if you don't write and say the whole thing.