In honor of the release of John Lennon's Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection', Hard Rock International is proud to kick off the John Lennon Memorabilia Treasure Hunt alongside the John Lennon Estate and UMe, the global catalog division of Universal Music Group, for fans around the world.
Hard Rock owns the world's largest and most valuable collection of authentic music memorabilia with more than 88,000 pieces displayed at its locations around the globe. Memorabilia highlights to discover through the John Lennon Memorabilia Treasure Hunt include clothing, instruments, sketches, lyrics and more at various Hard Rock locations.
"Preserving music history is what enriches the Hard Rock travel, dining and gaming experience. We are honored to display priceless pieces from John Lennon's musical and inspirational legacy," said Giovanni Taliaferro, Vice President of Memorabilia and Design at Hard Rock International. "We have the utmost gratitude to the John Lennon Estate and Universal Music Group for inviting us to participate in this amazing venture. We hope that by learning from Hard Rock's memorabilia collection, John's biggest fans can imagine how his artistry and ideals still endure today."
The treasure hunt launch aligns with John & Yoko's new social website citizenofnutopia.com, a map of the world, where fans can sign up, leave peaceful messages, enjoy "Meditation Affirmations" and express their gratitude and admiration for John & Yoko and their core principles of Peace, Love and Truth. Nutopia is an imaginary country created by John Lennon & Yoko Ono in 1973, promoting the ideas of Peace and Love made famous by John's songs 'Imagine' and 'Mind Games'.
The John Lennon Memorabilia Treasure Hunt serves to celebrate the release of 'Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection' sets. The definitive Ultimate Collection puts listeners in the center of the studio and explores the album's 1973 recording sessions at the Record Plant in New York City, from inception to the final master, through scores of unreleased outtakes, unadulterated versions, instrumentals, stripped down mixes, studio chatter and more, revealing how fan-favorite songs evolved and came to life.
Sean Ono Lennon says, "We've been working on the box sets of Mind Games for years now. Initially I thought, 'Mind Games'.. game... What if we 'gamified' Mind Games? So that's all I'll say for now, but there are many levels to this release, including the box sets and far beyond - that will slowly unravel - and I hope will potentially entertain and engage everyone for many years to come. I hope you enjoy these Mind Games with Hard Rock and as my Mom says in the intro to the book, let's see how we can make a positive future with it - to play a positive mind game with one another."
Citizens of Nutopia can earn points and rewards in the Unity by Hard Rock global loyalty program when they visit participating Hard Rock Cafes, Casinos and Hotels to discover precious John Lennon memorabilia tagged with QR codes that when scanned, provide more stories about the artifacts and points on the website. Items include:
- Hard Rock Cafe Atlanta: "Don't Let Me Down" Fragment of Lyrics (1969)
- Hard Rock Cafe Brussels: "You Are Here" Pen and Ink on Paper (1971)
- Hard Rock Cafe Bucharest: Black Suit Worn by John Lennon During The Beatles' US Tour (1965)
- Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati: Note to Stan Bronstein from John Lennon (1969)
- Hard Rock Cafe Florence: Black Leather Jacket Worn by John Lennon in "How I Won the War" (1967)
- Hard Rock Cafe Honolulu: John Lennon's Guild Starfire 12-String Guitar (1966)
- Hard Rock Cafe Key West: John Lennon's Blue Denim Work Shirt Worn While Recording "Whatever Gets You Through The Night" (1974)
- Hard Rock Cafe London Piccadilly: John Lennon's Gold Tone Algha Spectacles (Mid-1960s)
- Hard Rock Cafe London Old Park Lane (Vault, Requires Special Tour): Baldwin Harpsichord (1967)
- Hard Rock Cafe London Old Park Lane (Vault, Requires Special Tour): John Lennon's Green Army Jacket Worn on Cover of "Imagine" Sheet Music and Dick Cavett Show (1972)
- Hard Rock Cafe New York: Handwritten "Help!" Lyrics (1965)
- Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana: Black Suit by D.A. Millings and Sons Worn by John Lennon in "A Hard Day's Night" (1964)
- Hard Rock Cafe Orlando: Original John Lennon "PEACE AND LOVE" and Portrait Sketch (1969)
- Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City: John Lennon's Tan Trademark Collarless Suit (1963)
- Citizens of Nutopia will receive 20% off food and nonalcoholic beverages at participating locations.
- Citizens of Nutopia will receive 20% off Rock Shop® merchandise at participating locations.
- Citizens of Nutopia will receive 20% off their total bill on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood's Abiaka Wood Fire Grill.
- Citizens of Nutopia can buy one, get one on happy hour beer and red & white wine by the glass at Hard Rock Hotel New York's Sessions restaurant.
