All I want for Christmas is…Shiprocked 2011!

BACKSTAGEDIRT’S DIARY OF SHIPROCKED 2009…..

Life outside of Shiprocked proves to be quite lame!

Our Ship-MSC Poesia 

We know this is long overdue – this account of our adventures on the Shiprocked Cruise 2009, but you have to understand just how hard it is to get back to reality after experiencing such an amazing time.  Coming home to normal lives…work… family…. commitments… and obligations have been quite strewed after 5 days of debauchery at sea.   We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale a few days early – to kick off what turned out to be 5 days of amazing music, fantastic weather, impeccable people watching, horrible food, later than late nights, shitty service, many, many, many, many, many cocktails and bonding amongst new and old friends.  We convened first off on Friday night at the Ft. Lauderdale Marriott bar for drinks and rock star watching while cracking up at the overwhelmed Marriott staff – bombarded by none other than……the Shiprockers!!

As fate would have it, the BSD girls would actually meet when joining in on the 2nd voyage of the Motley Cruise. The Motley Cruise was a 3 day cruise to Cozumel which set sail in January 2008.  We were both new to cruising, but not new to the bands that played live on each night in between stops at ports that many missed due to severe brown bottle flu from the night prior.  The master, Alan Koenig – brought together on The Motley Cruise Vince Neil, Ratt, Skid Row, Slaughter along with Endeverafter and Lynam. We rocked to old stuff from the veterans and were perpetually turned on to the newer sounds from Endeverafter and Lynam.  Mixing the “older” music in with a new sound prompted many late night jam sessions that thrilled fans new and old alike.  The Motley Cruise set a pretty high precedent for us…..HOW COULD SHIPROCKED TOP IT?

We were skeptical; in fact, we didn’t book our trip until a few months prior to cruising on Shiprocked. Mr. Koenig again orchestrated the cruise with the help of everyone’s favorite Latin bombshell Gigi! Shiprocked again promised the same theme of new and old rock, with several repeat offenders including Ratt, Skid Row, Endeverafter and Lynam.  New acts to the cruise “set” included Tesla, Stereoside, Niki Barr Band, Kansas City School of Rock, Broken Teeth and Stone Rider. Head-lining the final night of the cruise was none other than Queensryche!   The cruise also offered some off the wall events like an 80’s prom, Guitar Hero tournaments, meet and greets and Rock Star Karaoke.  If you could squeeze these events in among concerts, drinking and ports, you were truly lucky – or maybe just way more organized than we were.  Unfortunately, a lot of the daytime events were missed by us because we were sleeping. Let’s face it – rocknroll is a dirty job and it does require chit chatting into the wee hours of the morning, watching the sunrise and then suddently realizing that YES you did drink THAT much the night before! We awoke only to go back to sleep a bit at the pool, catch some sun, eat some horrible food (diet primarily consisted of french-fries and vodka), see the sights – catch a late afternoon concert….sleep a bit….get up and get ready to DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN into the wee hours!  Now you are starting to see just how getting back to reality after this cruise has been so difficult.  You learn quickly if you could truly survive the life of a rock star. 

 Tesla was followed up with a late night performance by the Niki Barr Band and HOLY SHIT….this band rocks. 


Nikki Barr

Niki Barr Band – hailing from Baltimore, MD – has quickly become our favorite new band from this cruise.  The band’s latest cd “Bloom” is out and ready for you to buy or download…do it now and you will see exactly why you should take serious notice of this band.  The song BURN is our fav – but the whole cd rocks!!  The band played several cover tunes among their own stuff and got the boat rockin, topping off our first night of what would be an amazing adventure.  They played again a few days later and were surprised by some talented "banana" playing artists in their final song.  One of the BSD girls got up on stage with the drummer from EndEverAfter during the "all star jam," orchestrated by Nikki Barr, and proceeded to eat a banana. Anything goes on this Shiprocked cruise! Another hilarious memory for the BSD girls (Thanks Eric H)!  Check out the Niki Barr Band here!

The next day, was technically “ShipRocking at Sea”, a perfect day to hang by the pool and plot out our evening events. While people watching and sipping pina coladas by the pool, we got to witness Jeff Keith’s ability to do a back flip into the pool and look quite talented doing it!  All the while we could chat with members of bands as they wandered around – enjoying this part of their “job”.  We were gearing up for the concert for that evening, Endeverafter.  You see, the late night shows played opposite of each other and being HUGE EEA fans, of course we were biased.  We got the chance to chat with several of the members of EEA. Chatting coupled with a little scotch and vodka in hopes of pulling a little dirt out of these boys to report back to Backstagedirt.  Don’t forget, we were on this trip officially for journalistic purposes right?  Well it worked a bit, but it actually sort of backfired.  We did learn some dirt that we won’t share, sadly. Our journalistic side has to decline comment on a lot that was divulged! BUT we did ask our famous dirt question and learned that the response was probably one of the worst so far (aside from the sharpie girl in the Papa Roach interview-click here to read that interview!).  If you don’t know BSD, then we have to explain – the "dirt" question we always ask is “What is the craziest thing a groupie has done to get your attention?”  Well….we learned that Backstage passes are pretty valuable with EEA, in fact one man actually “offered his 15 year-old daughter” to the band….so that he “could get backstage”….Appalling if you ask us!!!  Goes to show that some people will do anything for their favorite band.  We came off of the Motley Cruise loving Endeverafter, and off of the ShipRocked Cruise – respecting some of them. 
 
Both of their shows were amazing as always, but we felt like something was missing? Anyhow, we have learned that they are a pretty darn talented group of guys – on and off the stage. When we asked a couple of the EEA boys if they have a “backup plan” to music, we learned that a few of them are presently pursuing their educations in quest of stable, amazing careers in business, politics and law.   Smart, smart boys!   While the fans would hate to see the day that this band does not play together, they are more than prepared for successful futures in whatever they decide to pursue. We wish them all the success in the world.  Rock on Endeverafter!


Michael Grant from EndEverAfter

Tommi Andrews from EndEverAfter

The Shiprockers got to enjoy some fun in the sun in Jamaica the following day and let’s face it, the Jamaicans made out like bandits on all of us in many ways.  Mostly with all of the “Bob Marley” that was being offered to the Shiprockers.  We had a great time in Jamaica traveling around in a “not so safe” taxi cab and thanking our lucky stars that we didn’t get mugged or worse?  Back on the ship, rest was required, as we were gearing up for the concert of this night-SKID ROW!!!  There was quite the delay in the show that night and from what we hear, Skid Row was NOT getting along very well at this point…did the constant libations coupled with a little assistance from Jamaica have something to do with it??  We won’t speculate, because by the time the show started, Skid Row KICKED ASS! 


Johnny Solinger


Scotti Hill from Skid Row poses for the camera

The set list was amazing and the crowd was so energetic.  I think they topped their performance on the Motley Cruise.  The end of the show included the Kansas City School of Rock joining them on stage for the most appropriate song selection of “Youth Gone Wild”.  We were fortunate enough to be able to take some photos and watch the show from the stage. We got some great shots of the crowd! Look for yourself…..I seek Therese from Norway…hmmmmm who else is out there??? Sydna perhaps??  Maybe Clive from England?  Gigi?  Pics are on Backstagedirt’s facebook page. 

We then settled in for a late night round of Stone Rider, upon recommendation, and found another great new band.  These Atlanta boys sight their influences as Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Free, Jimi Hendrix and Black Sabbath. We actually took their show in twice as well. I guess when you hear something good, you just keep coming back for more right?   Their southern heritage is definitely present in their music and their appearance and they are absolutely the nicest guys! We are looking forward to hearing more from these guys soon!   

    After Stonerider, the party was just getting started on the pool deck that we loved and now miss so much.  There, we got to spend some time with Robbie Crane from Ratt and his fabulous wife, Melissa. 


Robbie Crane from Ratt

Although we are personal friends with them, we have to confirm without bias that Robbie is really an amazing guy!  The best story that Robbie can tell is how he met and married his wife.  He tells it every time just like it happened yesterday.  Ask him some time! It is a great love story. This night was then topped off with amazing conversation into the weeee hours of the morning and of course some coveted Kettle One Vodka….the boat ran out of vodka that night, but luckily many Shiprockers had snuck the libation onto the boat and were happy to share!  Shh…don’t tell MSC!

Speaking of running out of vodka, we do not think the MSC Poesia was ready for us! They ran out of vodka and from what we hear many other liquors by the third night of the cruise….Guess they didn’t realize us Shiprockers really know how to party. One Shiprocker told us she was laughing her ass off when she saw some of the crew buying alcohol from the Caymans to bring back to us! After settling back into life again, we have poked around and chatted with people that were on the cruise for their "review". The biggest complaints had nothing to do with Shiprocked itself or the music.  Primarily, the complaints had to do with food, or lack thereof, lack of bars being open late enough to satisfy the savage beast in the late-nighters, rude servers, size of cabins or cabins with obstructed views, and running out of liquor.  These are small things to keep in mind if you decide to book Shiprocked 2011.  Hopefully the big guy can confirm that we won’t run into these problems in future! J !

 The next day, we arrived exhausted (with about two hours of sleep) at the Cayman Islands!  Only on Ship Rocked!!  We spent very little time in the Caymans and probably missed out on lots of touristy stuff, but the night life of course was calling our name and we were there for the MUSIC!!!!  Of course the stories of mystical ocean beings are around you when you see the beautiful water of the Caymans and you can’t help but think of mermaids and such. Speaking of mystical creatures…where the hell was Stephen Pearcy ? We saw all the other band members many times at the pool, in the bars, at the cafeteria, but no Stephen! From what we understand, he was MIA the whole time, which was also quite evident during the Motley Cruise (you usually could find him in the casino on the Motley Cruise).  We do know that he had security take him in a black hoodie to the side stage to watch Tesla and then whisked him out unbeknownst to the fans before the show was over.  Although we are big Ratt fans and would never bash one of the favorites, we can’t help but find Mr. Pearcy’s weirdness as quite juvenile.  He apparently did not interact with anyone, including the members of his own band.  It was quite apparent when the dynamic of the group was just not there.  We also found out on the down low that Mr. Pearcy is clean and sober and in recovery and that may have something to do with his absence at the rock and roll festivities. Robbie rocked as he always does….with more energy than ever, but you could just see and smell the tension in the air, which is truly too bad.  Ratt still has the ability to create great music and has sounded REALLY good the past two times we saw them.  With a new CD coming out, you would think that they could all just get along?  Does that really happen in the incestuous world of RockNroll??

One thing that was quite evident by the last few days of the cruise, the Shiprockers were still going full-speed ahead, but maybe moving just a bit slower! All, that is, except for the die-hard, absolutely dedicated fans of….Queensryche! Let us tell you, Queensryche fans are fanatical, but it is a good thing.  We saw so many Queensryche tattoos, necklaces and t-shirts – proudly displayed on all 5 days of the cruise.  We never truly realized the huge following these guys have.  Geoff Tate also had a wine tasting fund-raiser, which was awesome.  We did not attend, but great new friends from England told us they enjoyed every bit of it! Yum!!!    Queensryche played a two hour set that included new and old. Mega hits such as “Silent Lucidity,” “Jet City Woman,” “I Don’t Believe in Love” and “Empire” really got the crowd going. Geoff’s beautiful daughter even took the stage to help dad belt out a couple of tunes.  Geoff looks great after all these years, and clearly has been working out a bit~

Geoff Tate


We went to the bar right after the show for a few cocktails, and we should mention that one of the BSD girls was "grabbed" by the guitarist of Queensryche at the bar after their show...I suppose he was trying to cop a feel from a much younger female? Who knows....but not nice Mister! We don't care who you are!!


Counting down the final hours seems quite a blur to us.  We decided not to go to bed and just stay up until disembarking time….This might have been a mistake since it took so damn long to get off the boat (three hours to be exact!). Vacation depression was already setting in, knowing that in only a few short hours we would be boarding a plane back to……REALITY.  No more concerts at your beck and call, no more spotting your favorite bands being just people, no more pool deck, no more Jamaica or Caymans, no more conversations that make you realize that there is more to musicians than just a pretty face with a guitar or drum stick or a voice that gives you chills, and no more up all night, sleep all day……..

So what do we do now?  Well…..only Mr. Koenig knows the answer to that.  Which brings us to use terminology that makes sense to us….”THREE-PEAT”?  Can there be a “three-peat” when it comes to RockNroll cruises?   Can 2011 top both the Motley Cruise and the maiden voyage of Shiprocked?   Rumors are already flying about who might be joining this already hyped rock n roll cruise.   If we are in for what/who we think will be playing 2011, then go ahead Shiprocked staff – charge our credit card! We are certain that everyone that was a part of both the Motley and Shiprocked cruises will be ready to put Mr. K to the challenge of bringing on a third year of absolute insanity at sea.  We know that we are ready to put our money down for 2011!  After reading this……wouldn’t you?  Better yet – just ask Santa!!!

GET YOUR ASS SHIPROCKED IN 2011 !

BACKSTAGEDIRT told you so!