Cruise To The Edge

SOC was fantastic!

Highlights by word of mouth for 2014 were:

Edited by Gooner - April 13 2014 at 11:24

I wish I could go....I think it would be pretty cool. I also hear there is opportunity to meet the bands on a more casual basis around the pool or just lounging around....talking music, would be cool to have that opportunity. I mean you can't stay locked in your cabin the whole time!

I could never go on a cruise, myself. Too crowded, commercialized, and dirty, from what I can tell. While it would be amazing too have so many awesome bands in one place, I would much rather do something like the RIO concert in Paris or the various prog festivals like RosFest for a vacation involving prog.

This cruise is also having jams every night and if you’re a musician you can sign up to play. Just think… playing just about any prog song that you can dream up!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/579934965378361/

Line-up for Cruise To The Edge 2014 announced today:

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/p480x480/1004613_628781963812330_2131989490_n.jpg

Not so sure about Queensryche on the bill since it's not the 'ryche without Geoff Tate and Chris DeGarmo. Aggressive promoters must've got to them before a sober second thought said "ya don't!"

Ah well...looks like it's earplugs, nails on a black board and a bottle of cheap scotch for that gig. I hope they didn't pay much for the faux 'ryche.  Surprised they didn't get Deep Purple or Barclay James Harvest.  I'm still going, though.



Edited by Gooner - July 20 2013 at 00:05

No - embedding non-YouTube videos doesn't have a very high success rate on here I'm afraid, Frank (about 0% from my own experience! ).

Edited by yam yam - May 29 2013 at 10:55

What a dreadful idea! Still, if the gullible want to be parted from their wallets, who am I to stop them? Feel really sorry for the non-proggers on board. If it's true they had no prior warning they should sue.

Cruise To The Edge (A personal observation in several movements ... well this prog!)
Intro
Not to be confused with Snooze To The Edge which took place on the same ship the previous week with The Moody Blues et al or Booze To The Edge (Monsters of Rock) the week before that. There have been commentaries (some in great detail like Notes From The Edge on Facebook) about Cruise To The Edge so this is my shorter personal non VIP experience of the event.
Who would have thought back in the 70's that prog fans would be travelling on cruise ships listening to their favourite bands now well into their 60's and beyond?  Not me that's for sure. With tickets around $2000 a pop it wasn't cheap. Adding on flights from the UK and hotels in Fort Lauderdale paying off the mortgage has been delayed for a year.
People on the CTTE package were in general of a certain age including us!
It had the feel of a festival on water with schedules that changed daily, different stages and Storyteller sessions (a band members Q&A) plus art exhibitions by the one and only Roger Dean (who was on board selling pictures and prints some with price tags out of my reach), Carl Palmer and Armondo Gallo.
We set sail on Monday the 25 March from Port Everglades returning there via Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios, Jamaica on Saturday the 30th. I was accompanied by my wife which gave her the chance to release her inner groupie.  
We did not pay extra for the VIP package which included meet and greets with the band etc.  I love the music but mingling with celebs is not for me though I appreciate others like to get up close and personal. I noticed a few of the band members from time to time on and off the ship.  Most seemed approachable and were happy to chat to fans.
My wife is a huge Genesis fan and was thrilled to have her photo taken with Steve Hackett.
Steve came across as a really nice guy. He displayed great patience when I overheard one fan ask him about the hidden meaning of the lyrics on Can you tell me where my country lies? said the unifaun to his true love's eyes. Hmmm.
Most fans don't get to meet the artists and nice idea that it is I find myself reminded of Peter Hammill Energy Vampires "I've got every one of your records man, doesn't that mean that I own you". I guess some people think spending this sort of money entitles you.  Most were restrained but one or two obsessives couldn't help themselves.
The Boat
The MSC Poesia. A real let down. Food and service below par. In fact the second best cruise ship I have been on. I have only been on two. Italian owned so with Costa Concordia fresh in the mind I made sure I knew where the lifeboats were.  
The first shock was the discovery only half the people on board were part of the Cruise To The Edge package. The rest were non prog people ... in the main Hispanic (including kids ... lots of them) on some sort of spring break discount package.  We heard a few complaints from the non progsters (in fact a highly critical comment from the Ship's website has been posted in this thread – in my opinion this was an exaggeration albeit from a different perspective). The complainant forgot to mention their kids travelled for free, hogged all the swimming pools and paid a fraction of what CTTE folks had to fork out. There were times when I hoped CSI Miami's Horatio Caine might be on board but I saw no trouble between the groups except a few well chosen expletives about the volume when Zebra were on. They were probably right about that.
Not ideal and whilst overall the organisers did a decent job this needs to be looked at as another Cruise To The Edge in 2014 is planned.
Weather. Disappointing .... cloudy with some rain. One notable downpour brought Nektar's pool deck performance to a sudden halt after 30 minutes. A shame as they were getting into a groove.  Nektar were jinxed as their first performance was cancelled due to technical difficulties.    
The Main Theatre (The Carlo Felice) was an all seater. It was wonderful with with excellent acoustics. It was noticeable at most of the gigs that musicians from other bands had to come to watch.
We found ourselves to be one of the few English who had made the trip. Americans were in an obvious significant majority and in general more demonstrative, enthusiastic and louder than reserved British audiences. The cultural differences were not a shock but I was mildly irritated by the yahoos and whistling during quieter moments or at the beginning of a song. For example the intro to And You and I and the false ending to Awaken.  I didn't let it spoil my enjoyment too much. The only time I almost lost it was when one lady sitting next to us talked and laughed almost constantly with her friend and at one point decided to dance in front of my wife.  My wife told her firmly we had come to see Yes not her. She sat down. We were not alone in our annoyance. How can you dance to Siberian Khatru?  This was an exception. We met many delightful people on board including a charming couple from New Jersey. His knowledge of Genesis dwarfed mine.  There was only one thing I could beat him on. I had seen the original line up with Phillips and Mayhew. We also had a trio of Danes as our dinner partners who were clearly big Genesis fans since one had a giant plastic flower in his jacket lapel with a picture of Peter Gabriel in the middle.
Best T Shirt seen on the cruise. A green one worn by a lady which said on the front "It's been a long long time" and on the back "Hasn't it"
Having seen all of the major groups in the past with their original line ups it struck me on several occasions what I would give to see them now as they once were. Well we can all dream.  
Disclaimer The set lists are from what I can remember and may not be 100% accurate.
The Gigs
We went to most but not all performances.
Day One
Pool Deck Zebra had me running for the bar. Very loud and their brand of Hard Rock is not my cup of tea.
Main Theatre Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited
Steve Hackett guitars
Nad Sylvan vocals
Roger King keyboards
Lee Pomeroy bass
Gary O'Toole drums
Phenomenal performance. Steve Hackett is a class act and was the undoubted star of the whole Cruise. Special mention for Nad Sylvan from Agents of Mercy on vocals who was quite brilliant but the whole band were on form.
Watcher of the Skies ( the ship's engines started as we left port which was quite a thrill), Dancing with the moonlit Knight, Fly on a windshield, Broadway Melody, Cuckoo Cocoon, Chamber of 32 Doors, I Know What I Like, The Musical Box, Supper's Ready (full version)   
Main Theatre Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy
guitar Paul Bielatowicz
bass Simon Fitzpatrick
drums etc. Carl Palmer
The Barbarian,  Carmina Burana, Bach's Fugue in D Minor, Knife-Edge, America, Pictures at an Exhibition, “Prelude to and afternoon with a Faun,” Bohemian Rhapsody (bass solo), Encore  Fanfare for the Common Man
Excellent musicianship  which could not be faulted but the set did not quite work for me. In my opinion a vocalist would have helped. Inevitable comparisons with Greg Lake perhaps but as Steve Hackett demonstrated you can deliver if you have the right person.  
Carl was brilliant as usual and the 2 young guitarists were breathtaking. They coped well with material designed to have a keyboard in the line up.
Pool Deck Nektar cancelled due to "technical difficulties"
Day Two
Main Theatre Ambrosia  
A pleasant MORish Prog set. They played a great version of a personal favourite Time waits for No One from their first album in 1975.
Pool Deck IO Earth
I only caught some of their set but what I heard was impressive. They could go far.
Main Theatre Yes
Jon Davison vocals
Steve Howe guitars
Chris Squire Bass
Alan White Drums
Geoff Downes keyboards
Both albums in track order Close to the Edge, Going For The One, Encore Starship Trooper
A tame set (not helped by the ship moving around in rougher waters cue Topographic Oceans). Steve Howe had difficulty with his slide guitar literally sliding as the ship rolled. He was not a happy bunny. Standouts - the excellent performance of one of my favourite tracks Awaken (complete with bits of paper swirling around at the climax) with special mention of the rarely performed and gorgeous Turn Of The Century delivered well by the new singer (a genuine Jon Anderson clone) Jon Davison.    
Day Three
Grand Cayman excursion today. Highlight for me. Being on the same tender with Chris Squire and Jon Davison on our way back to the ship from a day in Grand Cayman when it hit a reef. We made it safely back to the boat.
Storyteller session with Steve Hackett in the Bar. Interesting. Steve played two classical pieces on nylon string guitar. He mentioned he was still available for a Genesis reunion but did not appear to be confident it would happen hence Genesis Revisited.  Chris Squire joined Steve on stage for 10 minutes of chat.
We decided to give Carl Palmer's second set a miss.
Main Theatre Yes  Both albums in track order Close to the Edge and The Yes Album, Encore Roundabout
Much tighter the second night. Shame they played Close to The Edge again much as I love the album. I was worried it may be a repeat of the previous night but fortunately it was not. Jon Davison is rather good and better than Benoit though his hand gestures are a little strange. He performed admirably.  
Small niggles. Geoff Downes. I am not a fan however with his keyboards mixed down to a whisper while Chris Squire had his bass twice the volume of the rest of the band (Why? I think we know the answer) he did not have much of a chance.  
Pool Deck Glass Hammer cancelled too windy
Day Four
Jamaica excursion today - very damp
Main Theatre Glass Hammer  
A pleasant if unmemorable set. They missed Jon Davison!  
Pool Deck Nektar
A few songs in the heavens opened. People dived for cover from the torrential rain as their set ended abruptly.
Main Theatre UK  
Alex Machacek lead guitar
John Wetton bass
Terry Bozio drums (loads though my friend from NJ informs me it is a fraction of his usual kit))
Eddie Jobson keyboards and violin
In The Dead of Night / By The Light of Day, Nevermore, Thirty Years, Carrying No Cross, Drum Solo, Electric Violin/Keyboard Solo, Alaska / Night After Night, Caesar's Palace Blues, Forever Until Sunday , Rendezvous 6:02, The Only Thing She Needs
Aside from the solos Terry Bozio ... , he kept going and going and going. Amazing aggressive and highly talented but I have heard enough drum solos to last a lifetime and Eddie Jobson and his electric violin  ... I mean a transparent green violin wow how much did that cost? It was agreat set and one I thoroughly enjoyed. I have loved John Wetton's voice since Larks Tongues (well he did not get much of a chance in Family). Unlike many singers of his generation he still has it. Jobson was also great.
Day 5
Main Theatre Yes (Storytellers session)
A censored Q&A session (all questions in writing) to avoid awkward questions about you know who. I found it rather mundane. Highlights - Steve Howe's hissy fit at people recording the session on camera. So precious. Steve and Jon played out the session with Leaves of Green, then just Steve with a delightful Mood For A Day.
Pool Deck Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited
Dance on a volcano, Entangled, Firth Of Fifth, Eleventh Earl Of Mar, In That Quiet Earth, Afterglow (with John Wetton on vocals), Watcher Of The Skies, Los Endos, Encore I Know What I Like    
I have been to hundreds of gigs over the past 45 years and I have to say this would be in my top 5. The environment helped. Blue skies emerging at last. Last gig of the cruise. But to be only a matter of feet away from the stage and to see and hear Steve Hackett in full flow was magical. The crowd were fantastic. You would not get this reaction in England. The crowd pop when Wetton came out was huge. By a country mile this was THE highlight of the cruise. I could sense Steve Hackett feeding on the energy and for a guy I saw way back in the early 70's who barely moved from his seat hidden behind his beard and glasses his enjoyment was there for all to see. Awesome. A real privilege to be there.  
We have tickets for the Royal Albert Hall gig later this year. I can't wait.
Summary
This was the experience of a lifetime, very surreal and one I will always remember. So many highlights but Steve Hackett was the star for me.
Postscript
Would I recommend? Most definitely if you can afford it. Don't let a 9 hour flight from Heathrow to Miami put you off.  We are waiting to see what the line up will be, the ship and the destination before we decide if we will go.

Horizons wrote: He clearly states the problems. Unfortunate that this man's family, and probably others, had an awful time at some cruise hosting.  I'd love to hear about the performance, not really though.

Edited by cstack3 - April 19 2013 at 23:57