Its been almost 2 years since the temporary Hard Rock souvenir shop appeared in a portable container-shop next to the Oceanus Mall construction site, announcing the imminent arrival of the first Hard Rock in Kota Kinabalu.
In 2015 our humble city is finally gaining a fully fledged, pimped out and fine-tuned Hard Rock Café Kota Kinabalu.
A recent sneak-preview revealed that although Hard Rock Cafe Kota Kinabalu is technically ready to open, it patiently awaits its official launch in April, adding the iconic brand to the city’s vibrant restaurant, nightlife and entertainment scene.
During the preview Hard Rock International’s Memorabilia Designer, Giovanni Taliaferro, was on hand to personally unveil some iconic pieces of memorabilia from the legendary Hard Rock collection installed in the Kota Kinabalu outlet.
Hard Rock Cafe Kota Kinabalu’s Unflagging Enthusiasm
Part of Hard Rock’s unflagging enthusiasm for all things rock, these rare and genuine pieces of rock history from a collection that itself is historic, are displayed throughout branches across the world.
The collection started in 1979 when Eric Clapton requested that his unsigned Red Fender Lead II guitar be hung over his regular seat, to claim his spot in the Hard Rock Cafe London.
This promoted the next piece, also a guitar, to be given by Pete Townshend from The Who with a note “Mine’s as good as his! Love, Pete.” In this case, the rest is literally history, and the Hard Rock’s modern collection includes over 77,000 items.
Hard Rock Cafe Kota Kinabalu brings a slice of this collection to Sabah with more than 114 permanent sets of memorabilia on display.
From modern pieces like Jesse Carmichale of Maroon 5’s Fender Stratocaster guitar and Rihanna’s Black and White Boy outfit, to more classic pieces like the top hat from Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, and a fittingly eastern-inspired shirt worn by John Lennon.
One of Hard Rock’s smaller outlets, Hard Rock Cafe Kota Kinabalu still offers a spacious venue with a 178 seating capacity for food, drinks and entertainment. The upscale restaurant section on Oceanus Mall’s 1st floor has a prime vantage point overlooking the Oceanus promenade with the sea and islands in the distance.
A live entertainment space offers space to celebrate Kota Kinabalu’s own music scene and the Rock Shop rounds out the offerings with branded Hard Rock Cafe Kota Kinabalu merchandise for visitors and specifically Hard Rock’s much-coveted signature pins for collectors.
More details are available on the Hard Rock Cafe Kota Kinabalu’s listing in SabahBah’s Restaurant Index.