Today, I descended on Ft. Lauderdale once again for the Monsters of Rock Cruise. In order to catch a ride to the airport, I had to leave rather early, and Pittsburgh International isn’t exactly a mecca of things to do while you wait. I thought I might finish my latest book before I even made it off the ground. After I finally made it to Ft. Lauderdale, I heard I wouldn’t have a ride from the airport to the hotel. Seems the Bahia Cabana had screwed up a bunch of people’s reservations, ours included, and Sydna was trying to get it sorted out. It actually turned out pretty good for us, as we ended up with a suite that had a huge deck out front, overlooking the pool. Perfect, since that is where the pool party was happening. Sydna, Mick and Renee were already there when I rolled in. Jello shots were at the ready and the first band was warming up. We had entertainment from the Glitter Boys, Pretty Little Suicide, Liberty Lush, Ted Poley, Bang Tango and LA Guns. Of the younger bands, Glitter Boys were pretty good, but you can keep the rest. The people around the pool provided about as much entertainment as the bands. I wasn’t working this trip, and I really had no desire to try and get pictures. It turned out to be quite a chilly night in south Florida, and I ended up wearing about four layers of shirts, since I only brought a light jacket. That’ll learn me! Glen, from England was there, so I met him for the first time, and he was tons of fun. We were all in bed relatively early, considering.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Today was the official pre-party, but we were all undecided on that event. After gabbing and goofing off all morning, we finally made it out to an Italian place on the beach for lunch (we just missed breakfast). The calzone I ordered was enormous and it ended up being an afternoon snack as well. We ended up skipping the pre-party, since we had little interest in the acts - JSRG and Enuff ‘Z Nuff. We spent the day just hanging out. The chicken tacos Renee and I split as a late night snack were quite good, though, and we got a kick watching some group of people at the bar shag dancing. It turned out to be a very relaxing day.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Up early and to the cruise port, where we stood in line then sat in the terminal for what seemed like forever. Sandy finely made it and found us waiting in line. It’s a blast to watch people, though. We got on quickly, once they started boarding, and claimed Sydna’s table on deck. It seems the cruise line keeps learning, since the set up a few “beer stations” around deck to ease congestion at the bars. One was right next to our table - how convenient. Now, as I said, I wasn’t working this trip, and I had every intention of enjoying myself. There were some bands that I really wanted to get some good pictures of, but some of the others just didn’t matter. I was quite content to sit and relax and listen to the sounds coming from the pool stage as we got under way. Since I wasn’t terribly familiar with Jailhouse, I joined Mick in the Zebra lounge for their set. Ronnie Younkins from Kix wandered thru and I was able to get him to sign one of my photos. He was very sweet and liked the photo. Jailhouse ended up being very good, and I got a few useable shots despite the lighting. Mick was able to get some autographs on her Jailhouse teddy bear. My main goal was to shoot LA Guns, so I got my favored spot on the ledge around the pool. They finally came on, with one member missing. Michael Grant forgot his passport and ended up staying home. Phil, Steve and Scotty carried on, however and put on a pretty good show, considering the circumstances. Sydna and I checked out some of A.J.’s Braveheart’s set, but it was late and the sound in the lounge was more aggravating than enjoyable, so we didn’t stay for the whole set.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
This was a day at sea and there was plenty going on, but again, I chose more relaxation than running around. Since I had never seen Dangerous Toys, this show was a must. They kicked ass! I was able to get some good pics, as the sun was out. Next up, Renee & I decided to see Harnell and Sweet (with Oz Fox sitting in as well. It was a little acoustic show and very enjoyable. Both Tony Harnell and Michael Sweet have amazing voices still. My next must see band was Saxon. Wow, were they awesome! I got some good shots at this show as well, and Renee & I ended up in a photo that ran in the Italian version of Rolling Stone. At least I didn’t have my camera in front of my face for a change!
Monday, March 18, 2013
We arrived at Coca Cay in the Bahamas early. It was cloudy, but warm and the clouds looked like they would blow off. Renee & I went ashore and looked around, then she went back to the ship and I found a nice, quiet place to sunbathe for awhile. The wind was brutal, and I ended up with a little sunburn, but all-in-all, it was a wonderfully relaxing time. I was too far away from where Great White played to hear them, unfortunately. They were on the tender I was on headed back, and Terry Ilous decided to take some video on his iPad. Since I was in the first row of seats, I’m no doubt in that video, but I haven’t see it floating around. I hear they are going to use photos and videos from the trip in their upcoming music video, so maybe I’ll make an appearance, who knows. Back on the ship, Cinderella did the sail away show, but since Tom Keifer was too sick to make the trip, they ended up having vocalists from other bands fill in. Jacob Bunton from Lynam was one, and was obviously thrilled to do it. Also up there were Jason McMaster, Taime Downe, John Corabi and several others I forget now. It was a truly memorable show. Although they did some Cinderella songs, most of the set were covers. That is something that you just won’t see (or hear) anywhere else, ever again. After that, I had to go see Frank Hannon, and Sydna joined me. He is a truly amazing guitarist, and his whole band was equally impressive. Just an amazing show. I waited for him after the show and got him to sign one of the photos I had taken, and I think he was a little impressed with it. After that, I stuck it out in my position on the pool ledge so I could get photos of Faster Pussycat. Of course, the tallest people on the ship had to be right in front of me, and the drunk chick standing next to me was practically crawling all over me, so it was a challenge. But no one ever said concert photography was easy. After that show, I was done for the night. I’m just not as young as I used to be!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
We all slept very late, which is unusual for our little group, even with the late nights. I went into Nassau to the Hard Rock to get a pin, but was disappointed to find they had all of one to choose from. It was rather rainy, and I had no real interest to stay on Nassau, so I headed back and relaxed on the pool deck. Kix did the sail away show, and were fun as always. I wanted to go see Stryper, and Renee went with me. I had never seen them before and they were very good. I wanted to see a couple of other bands, but by this point, I was totally out of steam. I sat on the pool deck, enjoyed the weather and the people watching, and went to bed kinda early.
Throughout the trip, I was able to get some of my photos signed by the artists. Some were very gracious, some a little hurried. Jeff Keith looked to be about three sheets to the wind when I caught him. Terry Ilous wanted me to send a copy of the one I handed him to sign. Of course it was one on the dead hard drive, so all I had was a low-resolution, watermarked JPEG. Some I thought of stopping but because they either looked rushed or were busy talking to others, I decided not to bother them. I was also able to get some photos with artists, but I’m glad I didn’t waste my time in the meet and greets. It looks like some of the photos that came from those sessions were pretty bad. All-in-all, it was a relaxing trip. I suppose a trip like this is supposed to be anything but relaxing, but after working the last two, I did not want to run around like a chicken with my head cut off! It was good just to see old friends, make new friends and finally meet some of those people you know online but have never actually met. As much as I enjoy these cruises, it looks like I will miss next year’s. We have always wanted to go to Germany, and we are going to try to make that happen.
