Hello again.
Well folks, today was the first day that I felt we had a more relaxed schedule -- some breathing space, if you will. We actually had time to eat all 3 meals today. And we didn't have to rush from stage to stage to squeeze in seeing everyone we wanted to. Well...only a couple of times in the afternoon.
We did finally get to see Stryper, and they were really good. Today we also saw: UFO, Keel (again), Tesla in an acoustic set, a bit of Bang Tango, Rhino Bucket, Flametal, and Lynch Mob. Lynch Mob are playing the final concert of this cruise and it's their only show due to them being delayed getting on the ship.
I did finally figure out who our singing neighbour is: a gentleman by the name of Philip Monti, who did percussion and backup vocals for Ted Poley's acoustic set. We heard him warming up again this evening before we went for dinner. And he was in the cabin right next to us!
My husband has finally admitted that this was a lot of fun and a very cool vacation experience -- even before he gets underwater. Oh! By the way, for all you SCSDs reading this, Irene was spotted crowd surfing at the Keel show this evening -- we have photographic proof. P.L., best you reign her in a bit, eh?
Today's specialty drink was a UFO Cosmo: Absolut, something else, and cranberry juice.
And now for the news you've all been breathlessly waiting for...
THEY'VE ANNOUNCED NEXT YEAR'S MONSTERS OF ROCK CRUISE!!! (I suspect some of you figured as much.)
AND GREAT WHITE IS ON IT!!! WOOOOOO!!! (You may remember in a previous post I listed Great White on my personalized MOR lineup.)
It's March 16-20 (5 days!), 2013.
Am I excited? Yes!
Am I going? Of course!
Am I already pre-reserved before it goes on sale? You bet!
(I've decided it will be my birthday present to me. :) )
Is my husband excited? Not so much... (?)
As incredible as all this has been, he's not so sure he can do this every year. But I can! So...just in case...I'm putting the word out: I may need a cabin mate. (Apparently he's not keen on my doing this solo. No idea why...)
To our hairdresser: I know you want to be on the cruise with Queensryche, but I can guarantee you'd have a blast on this one!
To S. M-S.: Please consider it. (And maybe even check with your friends J. & S.?)
Anyone else? I'm open to suggestions. Anyone? Bueller...?
I realize that I've been excited about this cruise since I first found out about it last fall; very excited about it since I booked it; and increasingly unbearable since I started the official countdown after Christmas. So I apologize to all of you in advance...it's going to be a long year!
I'm signing off now. We're starting the rest and relaxation part of our "R&R" vacation, so there'll be no more posts for a week or 2 -- after we get back home. But -- I will be putting up photos, so check back.
See you all soon!
Tuesday 28 February 2012
Monday 27 February 2012
"I wanna rock'n'roll all night, and party everyday!" (Kiss)
Come on -- you knew I was going to use those lyrics at some point, right?
Have I mentioned how incredibly cool this is?!? 'Cause it is! Not to sound like a broken record (pun intended -- ha, ha!)
Some of you may have noticed the time that I posted Saturday's entry (and tonight's for that matter...). When I was done, my husband insisted it was bedtime -- at 2 am. God, I haven't been up this late watching bands in years. I didn't even feel tired. My eyes did, but I didn't. I'm sure this will all catch up with middle-aged me.
Ok. So, today. Even with the late bedtime, I was awake about 9. Which turned out to be a good thing because very shortly afterward, someone very close -- next door or above us or below us -- started singing scales to warm up their voice. We are apparently in the vicinity of celebrity! No idea who (yet), but it was one of the best wake-up calls I've had!
After breakfast, we caught Ted Poley in an acoustic set -- he was very good. (He wasn't our singing neighbour -- we asked.) We saw cruisemates A. & A. there again too. After that, we were going to go to "Rock'n'Roll Church" to see Stryper, but both Stryper and Lynch Mob missed the boat due to the snowy weather up north. Both bands are to meet up with us today in Key West. And we're told there'll be some re-scheduling as a result. So we stood in line for a while to do the "meet & greet", which was really more like being herded through band "stations" and quickly having one's picture taken with them. So we saw, "met", sometimes shook hands with, and had our pictures taken with: XYZ, Black'n'Blue, Keel, Rhino Bucket, Helix, Y&T, Eric Martin, John Corabi, and...CINDERELLA!! I got to stand beside Tom Keifer! :) It was still pretty cool.
After that, we went back out to the stage at the pool to catch some of Kix's set, then back in for the "so you think you can shred" guest guitar competition. Then it was into the theatre for Night Ranger, who, by the way, put on a great show (probably the best we've seen yet). And then it was back out to the pool to see some of Y&T's set. Aaaand back in to catch Helix, where we once again ran into A. & A. Believe it or not, we actually had a chance to eat dinner after seeing Helix (it was past 8 pm at this point). So 6 of us went for dinner. Three of our dining partners left early to catch Cinderella's show. We remaining 3 chatted for a bit before heading off to see Motley Inc. I wrote up most of this post on paper (to save precious internet $) between Motley Inc. (finishing at 11 pm), and Firehouse (starting at 12:15). I should tell you that the times for the theatre are "-ish". The doors for Firehouse aren't even open yet and it's now 12:30. We're standing in line being serenaded with Ozzy tunes courtesy of George Lynch's all-star jam. (This is apparently the extended version of "Paranoid"...) Needless to say, Lynch Mob is now on board, and, judging by the fact that I've seen 2 members of Stryper, so are they.
We've decided against seeing Firehouse at this point -- maybe they're playing sometime tomorrow. (Can you believe we get to do this again all day tomorrow?! Woooo!) And I think today is a wrap at this point.
The ship is rocking pretty good tonight, both literally and figuratively. My husband's advice: "Drink enough such that you cannot tell the difference between bed spins and boat motion, and you'll be fine." (KMS -- this means you!)
That reminds me, speaking of drinks, today's specialty drinks were a Kix Voo Doo (lots of rum, not much of anything else) and a Stryper Shark Bite (yummy!).
Today, the ship was docked in Key West (port? what port?). It is WAY too busy here to get off of the boat. There is barely time to sleep, not really time to eat, and definitely no time to sightsee on land. (Not when the sights are pretty decent on board... ;) )
Oh! I have exciting news...TBA tomorrow, so stay tuned!
(No, we did not get married. And no, I did not run off with a band. Yet.)
Have I mentioned how incredibly cool this is?!? 'Cause it is! Not to sound like a broken record (pun intended -- ha, ha!)
Some of you may have noticed the time that I posted Saturday's entry (and tonight's for that matter...). When I was done, my husband insisted it was bedtime -- at 2 am. God, I haven't been up this late watching bands in years. I didn't even feel tired. My eyes did, but I didn't. I'm sure this will all catch up with middle-aged me.
Ok. So, today. Even with the late bedtime, I was awake about 9. Which turned out to be a good thing because very shortly afterward, someone very close -- next door or above us or below us -- started singing scales to warm up their voice. We are apparently in the vicinity of celebrity! No idea who (yet), but it was one of the best wake-up calls I've had!
After breakfast, we caught Ted Poley in an acoustic set -- he was very good. (He wasn't our singing neighbour -- we asked.) We saw cruisemates A. & A. there again too. After that, we were going to go to "Rock'n'Roll Church" to see Stryper, but both Stryper and Lynch Mob missed the boat due to the snowy weather up north. Both bands are to meet up with us today in Key West. And we're told there'll be some re-scheduling as a result. So we stood in line for a while to do the "meet & greet", which was really more like being herded through band "stations" and quickly having one's picture taken with them. So we saw, "met", sometimes shook hands with, and had our pictures taken with: XYZ, Black'n'Blue, Keel, Rhino Bucket, Helix, Y&T, Eric Martin, John Corabi, and...CINDERELLA!! I got to stand beside Tom Keifer! :) It was still pretty cool.
After that, we went back out to the stage at the pool to catch some of Kix's set, then back in for the "so you think you can shred" guest guitar competition. Then it was into the theatre for Night Ranger, who, by the way, put on a great show (probably the best we've seen yet). And then it was back out to the pool to see some of Y&T's set. Aaaand back in to catch Helix, where we once again ran into A. & A. Believe it or not, we actually had a chance to eat dinner after seeing Helix (it was past 8 pm at this point). So 6 of us went for dinner. Three of our dining partners left early to catch Cinderella's show. We remaining 3 chatted for a bit before heading off to see Motley Inc. I wrote up most of this post on paper (to save precious internet $) between Motley Inc. (finishing at 11 pm), and Firehouse (starting at 12:15). I should tell you that the times for the theatre are "-ish". The doors for Firehouse aren't even open yet and it's now 12:30. We're standing in line being serenaded with Ozzy tunes courtesy of George Lynch's all-star jam. (This is apparently the extended version of "Paranoid"...) Needless to say, Lynch Mob is now on board, and, judging by the fact that I've seen 2 members of Stryper, so are they.
We've decided against seeing Firehouse at this point -- maybe they're playing sometime tomorrow. (Can you believe we get to do this again all day tomorrow?! Woooo!) And I think today is a wrap at this point.
The ship is rocking pretty good tonight, both literally and figuratively. My husband's advice: "Drink enough such that you cannot tell the difference between bed spins and boat motion, and you'll be fine." (KMS -- this means you!)
That reminds me, speaking of drinks, today's specialty drinks were a Kix Voo Doo (lots of rum, not much of anything else) and a Stryper Shark Bite (yummy!).
Today, the ship was docked in Key West (port? what port?). It is WAY too busy here to get off of the boat. There is barely time to sleep, not really time to eat, and definitely no time to sightsee on land. (Not when the sights are pretty decent on board... ;) )
Oh! I have exciting news...TBA tomorrow, so stay tuned!
(No, we did not get married. And no, I did not run off with a band. Yet.)
Sunday 26 February 2012
"Gonna rock it up, roll it up, do it all, have a ball, Saturday night..." (The Bay City Rollers)
Oh. My. God.
WOW. I mean W-O-W!! This is just...wow.
This is incredibly, unbelievably, fucking amazingly awesome.
I don't even know where to start.
This is exactly everything I thought it would be. No, wait -- this exceeds my expectations. But I'm sure it's exactly what a lot of you suspected it would be -- for better or worse. :)
We just finished watching Cinderella (!) in the theatre -- good show -- and are now at the stage out on the pool deck, sipping today's specialty drink (a Cinderella Paradise -- vodka, peach schnapps and fruity stuff), listening to the last half of XYZ's show. Before we head back inside to one of the many bars to catch Keel.
We're out on the open water at 10:00 at night and there's still a few people too cool to take off the shades.
Everyone is wearing black -- Monsters of Rock gear or concert shirts. TONS of concert shirts. A lot of the bands on board, of course, but everything from Poison (ick -- and really?) to Iron Maiden and Ozzy. And beyond. And everything in between.
We've actually already befriended a few fellow canucks -- T. from Alberta (here solo) and A. & A., who live about an hour away from us. I actually spotted his denim jacket in the waiting area of the airport before we even boarded the plane. I saw it, turned to my husband and said, "They're going on the cruise!" It is covered in band logos -- I do believe about 27 of them, 8 of which are on this ship. It turns out every band name/logo is embroidered onto the jacket itself, by hand, by him. No patches here. Everyone who spots it approaches him to check it out, compliment him on it, and take photos of it. Including us.
So. Before the boat even left the dock, we saw celebrities (sorry -- I don't know names): the blond from Kix, Ted Poley, the guitarist from Night Ranger, Ron Keel, Brian Vollmer (from Helix). Wowsa. Very cool.
We hung out at the pool deck for the group photos before Tesla's sail away concert, but headed in about 6:30 to grab dinner before going to see Cinderella. The dining room was EMPTY. There was more staff there standing around than there were diners! I thought that was hilarious! There's always a line up at the bar though -- I guess this crowd is more concerned about drinking than eating.
This is all just so very cool.
Jeans, boots, long hair...ahhh, it's good to be back!
Off to catch Keel -- until tomorrow, rockin' it old school!
WOW. I mean W-O-W!! This is just...wow.
This is incredibly, unbelievably, fucking amazingly awesome.
I don't even know where to start.
This is exactly everything I thought it would be. No, wait -- this exceeds my expectations. But I'm sure it's exactly what a lot of you suspected it would be -- for better or worse. :)
We just finished watching Cinderella (!) in the theatre -- good show -- and are now at the stage out on the pool deck, sipping today's specialty drink (a Cinderella Paradise -- vodka, peach schnapps and fruity stuff), listening to the last half of XYZ's show. Before we head back inside to one of the many bars to catch Keel.
We're out on the open water at 10:00 at night and there's still a few people too cool to take off the shades.
Everyone is wearing black -- Monsters of Rock gear or concert shirts. TONS of concert shirts. A lot of the bands on board, of course, but everything from Poison (ick -- and really?) to Iron Maiden and Ozzy. And beyond. And everything in between.
We've actually already befriended a few fellow canucks -- T. from Alberta (here solo) and A. & A., who live about an hour away from us. I actually spotted his denim jacket in the waiting area of the airport before we even boarded the plane. I saw it, turned to my husband and said, "They're going on the cruise!" It is covered in band logos -- I do believe about 27 of them, 8 of which are on this ship. It turns out every band name/logo is embroidered onto the jacket itself, by hand, by him. No patches here. Everyone who spots it approaches him to check it out, compliment him on it, and take photos of it. Including us.
So. Before the boat even left the dock, we saw celebrities (sorry -- I don't know names): the blond from Kix, Ted Poley, the guitarist from Night Ranger, Ron Keel, Brian Vollmer (from Helix). Wowsa. Very cool.
We hung out at the pool deck for the group photos before Tesla's sail away concert, but headed in about 6:30 to grab dinner before going to see Cinderella. The dining room was EMPTY. There was more staff there standing around than there were diners! I thought that was hilarious! There's always a line up at the bar though -- I guess this crowd is more concerned about drinking than eating.
This is all just so very cool.
Jeans, boots, long hair...ahhh, it's good to be back!
Off to catch Keel -- until tomorrow, rockin' it old school!
Thursday 23 February 2012
"It's the final countdown..." (Europe)
Oh, boy...if you thought I was excited before...! I am just buzzing, I'm so excited! I feel like a 7-year-old going to Disney World! I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight. I think part of what's contributing to this insane level of excitement (at least on my part, I can't speak for my husband) is the fact that this is all so new. I haven't done anything remotely like this before, so I have no idea what to expect. It almost doesn't seem real -- I can't believe that we're actually doing this. And I can't wait!
We received more info today about boarding and being on the ship. AND the daily schedules for the cruise! Wow. Let's see...hmmm...strangely, there's nothing happening much before noon each day. But the concerts and events don't end until after midnight, either, so... At least it looks like I will be getting some sleep, after all. Breakfast? What breakfast?
So folks, I'm all packed and ready to go. In less than 48 hours, we'll be shiprockin'!!
Keep watching this space, my next post should be from the cruise ship itself...
We received more info today about boarding and being on the ship. AND the daily schedules for the cruise! Wow. Let's see...hmmm...strangely, there's nothing happening much before noon each day. But the concerts and events don't end until after midnight, either, so... At least it looks like I will be getting some sleep, after all. Breakfast? What breakfast?
So folks, I'm all packed and ready to go. In less than 48 hours, we'll be shiprockin'!!
Keep watching this space, my next post should be from the cruise ship itself...
Tuesday 21 February 2012
"Now are you ready to rock?" (Whitesnake)
Hello again. 3 days to go!! I'm so excited!!! As a friend of mine says: "I'm positively vibrating with excitement!"
I even actually started packing last weekend. Any of you who know me well also know I'm somewhat of a procrastinator, and as for packing to go away, I usually do it in the last day or two. I mean, one has to do laundry, and some toiletries get used right up to the last day...so how can one possibly pack too far in advance? I've never understood that. I guess with going somewhere sunny and warm in the winter, it's easier, because I'm sure not using any of my summer clothes right now, so they at least can go into the suitcase. Let's have a look at the checklist, shall we?
Official Monsters of Rock cruise t-shirt: check
Official Monsters of Rock cruise id pass: check
Mandatory black clothing: check
Denim: check
Leather: ...hmm...I don't actually own any leather clothing. Never have, come to think of it. Aside from a few pair of shoes and some bags, no leather... Ah! How about back suede?
Black suede: check! (still just a pair of shoes, however)
earplugs: check
mirrored shades: check
digital camera, with empty memory card and fully charged: check
ipod, loaded with heavy tunes and freshly synched: check
appropriate reading material in case there's actually any R&R time (unlikely): check -- "The Heroin Diaries, a Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star" by Nikki Sixx. My husband is taking "The Wit and Wisdom of Ozzy Osbourne". (Good choices, eh?)
Ha! Ha! "R&R"!! I meant "rest and relaxation", not "rock'n'roll". HA! I'm sure there'll be LOTS of R&R on board! :) Heh, heh, I kill me...
I'm going to try to include a photo with this post, so let's see if I can do this...wish me luck!
Ta-DAAAA!!! Holy cow -- I'm impressed! As I'm sure a few of you are, not the least of which will be my husband and my tech support, as this did not involve them helping me.
So, my husband says to me the other night, "I wonder if we'll see anyone famous on the cruise." Huh?!? I just look at him for a moment, then reply, "Like Gopher? Or Isaac?" He laughs and says, "Maybe Julie. Or Captain Stubing." I understand that these bands aren't exactly household names, exactly, but they can be considered famous. They're more famous than anyone I personally know. He seems to think that with 3,000+ people on board, it'll be difficult to spot the "stars". Honestly, I have no idea what to expect. I guess we'll find out soon...in 3 DAYS, to be exact!!
We can board the ship as early as 2 pm on Sat., Feb. 25, and it "sets sail" (so to speak) at 7 pm that evening. We return to Ft. Lauderdale at 7 am on Tues., Feb. 28. I hope to be updating this blog daily while on the cruise, but we don't travel with a computer (except for the better half's dive computer, and I may be no techie, but I'm pretty sure that won't help me). However, there seems to be a cyber cafe of some sort on board, though I don't really know how that all works, so hopefully I'll be able to get all sorted out and keep you updated -- and entertained.
Ciao for now!
I even actually started packing last weekend. Any of you who know me well also know I'm somewhat of a procrastinator, and as for packing to go away, I usually do it in the last day or two. I mean, one has to do laundry, and some toiletries get used right up to the last day...so how can one possibly pack too far in advance? I've never understood that. I guess with going somewhere sunny and warm in the winter, it's easier, because I'm sure not using any of my summer clothes right now, so they at least can go into the suitcase. Let's have a look at the checklist, shall we?
Official Monsters of Rock cruise t-shirt: check
Official Monsters of Rock cruise id pass: check
Mandatory black clothing: check
Denim: check
Leather: ...hmm...I don't actually own any leather clothing. Never have, come to think of it. Aside from a few pair of shoes and some bags, no leather... Ah! How about back suede?
Black suede: check! (still just a pair of shoes, however)
earplugs: check
mirrored shades: check
digital camera, with empty memory card and fully charged: check
ipod, loaded with heavy tunes and freshly synched: check
appropriate reading material in case there's actually any R&R time (unlikely): check -- "The Heroin Diaries, a Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star" by Nikki Sixx. My husband is taking "The Wit and Wisdom of Ozzy Osbourne". (Good choices, eh?)
Ha! Ha! "R&R"!! I meant "rest and relaxation", not "rock'n'roll". HA! I'm sure there'll be LOTS of R&R on board! :) Heh, heh, I kill me...
I'm going to try to include a photo with this post, so let's see if I can do this...wish me luck!
Ta-DAAAA!!! Holy cow -- I'm impressed! As I'm sure a few of you are, not the least of which will be my husband and my tech support, as this did not involve them helping me.
So, my husband says to me the other night, "I wonder if we'll see anyone famous on the cruise." Huh?!? I just look at him for a moment, then reply, "Like Gopher? Or Isaac?" He laughs and says, "Maybe Julie. Or Captain Stubing." I understand that these bands aren't exactly household names, exactly, but they can be considered famous. They're more famous than anyone I personally know. He seems to think that with 3,000+ people on board, it'll be difficult to spot the "stars". Honestly, I have no idea what to expect. I guess we'll find out soon...in 3 DAYS, to be exact!!
We can board the ship as early as 2 pm on Sat., Feb. 25, and it "sets sail" (so to speak) at 7 pm that evening. We return to Ft. Lauderdale at 7 am on Tues., Feb. 28. I hope to be updating this blog daily while on the cruise, but we don't travel with a computer (except for the better half's dive computer, and I may be no techie, but I'm pretty sure that won't help me). However, there seems to be a cyber cafe of some sort on board, though I don't really know how that all works, so hopefully I'll be able to get all sorted out and keep you updated -- and entertained.
Ciao for now!
Friday 17 February 2012
"Anticipation...is keeping me waiting..." (Carly Simon)
Ok, here we go with post #2. And aside from just counting down to the cruise (8 days!! Woohoo!! The countdown is into single digits!!), I thought I'd expound a bit upon the bands on board. Hmmm...there actually won't be much for me to say, as I'm really only a fan of one of them (Cinderella).
I've heard of many of the bands, and I even know a couple songs from some of them specifically -- and it's likely that I would recognize a song or two without knowing who the artist is, but really, I've only ever seen Cinderella in concert. (I say that, but it's quite possible that I've seen some of them as opening acts for bigger bands whose concerts I've been to, but I don't have that kind of recall.) I haven't even seen Helix, and we exist in the same geographical area! That being said, I only own 1 Cinderella album: "Night Songs" (another really good whole album). I am looking forward to seeing as many of the bands as possible (sleep? what sleep?). At the top of my list is: Cinderella (of course), Helix (of course), and Lynch Mob (Dokken guitarist George Lynch's band). I'd also like to see Kix, Keel, Stryper (though I'm not really sure why...morbid curiosity, I think -- they're a Christian Rock band, or at least they were), Night Ranger, Black'n'Blue, Y&T, UFO, XYZ... The rest I can probably take or leave.
This closer look at the bands booked on this cruise has got me pondering: who would I book on my own personal Monsters of Rock bill? Hmmm...Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Scorpions... Aerosmith...Motley Crue, and Great White. In no particular order, but those are my favourites. Do share: who would you have on your personal Monsters of Rock lineup?
There is also a tribute band on board (just in case there's any gaps in concert time, I guess). Actually, I think it's two tribute bands...or maybe one and a half...or a quarter. Let me explain: They are called "The Atomic Punks" (a Van Halen tribute band, for those of you to whom the name means nothing, like moi), and "Motley Inc." (obviously a Motley Crue tribute band). When I was scoping out their respective websites, I noticed that the sites looked remakably similar. Upon further investigation, I see that the two bands share the same bassist, guitarist, and drummer, just changing up the lead singers, depending on whether they need a Vince Neil or a David Lee Roth. So, I guess the Monster Cruise people get 2 bands for the price of 1. And a quarter. I understand they're supposed to be very good, so they are also on our hit list of bands to see while we're shiprockin'.
Speaking of "we"...my husband has read my first post, and wondered why I didn't include his glory days in my stories. So. He too had long hair back in the day and played bass in a Burlington-based band. They played a few of the clubs over a few years, and even got to play a gig at the Gasworks in Toronto. For smaller bands, that was a really big thing back then. They played heavier stuff like Black Sabbath and Queensryche, not so much my type of music, but they did introduce me to a few songs that I like.
For those of you who are intrigued by and wondering about the cruise, you can check it out via the website: http://www.monstersofrockcruise.com/
Until next time...
I've heard of many of the bands, and I even know a couple songs from some of them specifically -- and it's likely that I would recognize a song or two without knowing who the artist is, but really, I've only ever seen Cinderella in concert. (I say that, but it's quite possible that I've seen some of them as opening acts for bigger bands whose concerts I've been to, but I don't have that kind of recall.) I haven't even seen Helix, and we exist in the same geographical area! That being said, I only own 1 Cinderella album: "Night Songs" (another really good whole album). I am looking forward to seeing as many of the bands as possible (sleep? what sleep?). At the top of my list is: Cinderella (of course), Helix (of course), and Lynch Mob (Dokken guitarist George Lynch's band). I'd also like to see Kix, Keel, Stryper (though I'm not really sure why...morbid curiosity, I think -- they're a Christian Rock band, or at least they were), Night Ranger, Black'n'Blue, Y&T, UFO, XYZ... The rest I can probably take or leave.
This closer look at the bands booked on this cruise has got me pondering: who would I book on my own personal Monsters of Rock bill? Hmmm...Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Scorpions... Aerosmith...Motley Crue, and Great White. In no particular order, but those are my favourites. Do share: who would you have on your personal Monsters of Rock lineup?
There is also a tribute band on board (just in case there's any gaps in concert time, I guess). Actually, I think it's two tribute bands...or maybe one and a half...or a quarter. Let me explain: They are called "The Atomic Punks" (a Van Halen tribute band, for those of you to whom the name means nothing, like moi), and "Motley Inc." (obviously a Motley Crue tribute band). When I was scoping out their respective websites, I noticed that the sites looked remakably similar. Upon further investigation, I see that the two bands share the same bassist, guitarist, and drummer, just changing up the lead singers, depending on whether they need a Vince Neil or a David Lee Roth. So, I guess the Monster Cruise people get 2 bands for the price of 1. And a quarter. I understand they're supposed to be very good, so they are also on our hit list of bands to see while we're shiprockin'.
Speaking of "we"...my husband has read my first post, and wondered why I didn't include his glory days in my stories. So. He too had long hair back in the day and played bass in a Burlington-based band. They played a few of the clubs over a few years, and even got to play a gig at the Gasworks in Toronto. For smaller bands, that was a really big thing back then. They played heavier stuff like Black Sabbath and Queensryche, not so much my type of music, but they did introduce me to a few songs that I like.
For those of you who are intrigued by and wondering about the cruise, you can check it out via the website: http://www.monstersofrockcruise.com/
Until next time...
Sunday 5 February 2012
"Please allow me to introduce myself..." (The Rolling Stones)
Some of you who know me as a technophobe will be shocked that this is even happening, so I hope you're sitting down while reading this! However, I thought that my upcoming trip on the Monsters of Rock Cruise (the inaugural cruise, no less) was such an unique experience that I wanted to write about it and even share it, so my trusty tech support has helped me get all this set up and started (thanks, eh). Here goes nothing...
I also felt an introduction of sorts was warranted, so I'd like to share a bit of background info with you. I'll try to keep to the basic facts, but I'll warn you now this may get a little wordy/long.
This all started when I was in college and discovered a new band at the time: Bon Jovi. It was the late 80s, and the metal music of the day was becoming mainstream. Now, some of you may take issue with the likes of Bon Jovi being considered "metal", and really, I call this sort of music "hard rock" -- I think it's more suitable. Anyway, this opened my ears and eyes to other bands of the genre, such as Def Leppard, Whitesnake, The Scorpions, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Guns'n'Roses, etc., etc. I could go on, but I'm sure you get the picture. This, in turn, led to a friendship with S., as we shared this common taste in music. We went to lots of concerts together, the first being, I believe, Def Leppard in June of 1988 at the CNE Grandstand in support of their "Hysteria" album. (Awesome album, by the way. Do you remember when you could buy an album and discover that you liked all of the songs on it? That the whole album was good? And, in my opinion, the CNE Grandstand remains the best place to see a concert. A warm summer night, with the sights and sounds of the CNE drifting up to you in the stands mixing with the anticipation of the rockin' time about to start. Mmmmmm! The best!) Anyway, we ended up going to about 25 concerts, in all.
The popularity of the hard rock music and its long-haired players in the late 80s spawned just a whole whack of local "garage bands" (cover bands for the most part), and the bars and clubs jumped on the bandwagon, so the local hard rock music scene was quite happening. S. and I also frequented the bars and clubs to watch the local hair, uh, I mean talent. From about the spring of '88 to the end of '93, we saw over 67 different bands, oftentimes more than once. And we would even venture out beyond the local clubs to Niagara or Toronto. Some of our regular haunts were (in no particular order): Dallas, Dorsey's, Citylimits, Bannisters, and, of course, Rock'n'Roll Heaven in T.O. (a moment of silence, please, for the demise of Heaven...) Naturally, we also had our favourite local bands. Some of my fav's were (also in no particular order): White Knuckle Flyer, Cheater, Renaissance, Kalamity Jane, T.O. Joker, 7th Veil, Lost Johnny, Scorcher, Ragadee Anne, Nasty Klass. But topping my list were Emerald City (a Niagara area band, I believe, though we never did find out much about them -- not even their names), Harem Scarem, who went on to moderate success, and Tora Tora from Toronto. (Steve "Tora", if you're out there, I hope life has been good to you, my friend.)
S. and I even made a pilgrimage out to L.A. in '94 to visit the clubs and see the bands of the infamous Sunset Strip. That was a great holiday.
Like everything, music is cyclical, and no sound remains popular forever. The mid-90s brought in the Grunge sound, and the "hair bands" with their fun, upbeat, good-time, easy to sing-along-to and dance-to music fell out of favour. I was sad to see it all go, I loved the sounds (and sights!) of that music. Now, some of the better bands did survive and managed to carve a long-term career out of music (Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, to name but two), but most faded into oblivion. And, like everything, nostalgia is a powerful tool that can resurrect the strangest things (leg warmers, for example -- I mean, really?). Hence the recent (and somewhat bizarre, I admit) phenomenon of rock cruises. I guess us children of the 80s are now middle aged (gulp!), and are a prime target for this sort of thing. And it looks like we are, judging by the fact that between October of 2011 and March of 2012, there have been 4 rock-themed cruises out of Florida alone. The two from last fall have already announced cruises for this fall, and I hear that the Monsters of Rock cruise is making plans for next year's too.
As for the nostalgia thing, I have recently re-discovered all that music that I enjoyed, and find that I do still love it. (Although my tolerance for Axl Rose's caterwauling has decreased significantly...) So, when I saw the Monsters of Rock cruise with the likes of Cinderella, Stryper, Helix, Kix, Keel, Black'n'Blue, and many others, I thought, "That's cool. That sounds like a cruise right up my alley!" Surprisingly, it didn't take much to convince my husband to join me, (although I suspect he thinks I need a chaperone for such an event...), but I will admit I threw in some scuba diving to get him "onboard" (pun intended).
And now we're just 12 days away from a vacation (exciting), my first trip to Florida (also exciting), our first cruise (exciting!), and a rock'n'roll concert event like I have never experienced (very exciting!!). Needless to say, I am super-excited about this one!
On that note, I guess I've blathered on long enough, so I'll wrap things up. But I want to invite you to share your memories with me of the heyday of the "hair bands" of the '80s: what was your first hard rock/heavy metal concert? (Def Leppard, June 1988) What was your most recent? (Whitesnake, August 2011) What one was your favourite/most memorable? (Motley Crue at a club! in Oklahoma City, August 1994)
I promise that the next few posts will be considerably shorter, but I'm not making any guarantees for the posts I write during the cruise!
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