Nieuw Amsterdam: BB King's Blues Club

[Spire2000]

I'm thinking that it may be worthwhile to have a consolidated thread where we can keep track of the musicians performing under the BB King's Blues Club banner. I've personally seen an awesome group and I've heard some others aren't so good.

 

Until such a thread is developed, has anyone had any very recent experience with the group on the NA? I've heard the last group wasn't good at all, but they have been swapped out. We are on the NA in three weeks and I'd love to hear what folks have to say about the current group.

[Liz54]

Me too! We leave on Sunday!

[OlsSalt]

Just off the NA last week, and there were nice crowds enjoying the BB King group, and all the other music venues. So hard to say then if this current BB King is better or worse than others. We only went to one regular entertainment cast show which left us pretty cold - little talent and unknown tunes (for us). Nicely staged and costumed, so someone cared. It was supposed to be some sort of Romeo and Juliet- Westside Story theme show, but we just did not get it.

[Francinecruisegirl]

Me too! We leave on Sunday!

So do we. I can't wait

[2LoveBikes]

We were on the NA on the Nov 27 sailing. The BB King band was technically good but not one of my favorites. What annoyed my wife and I was the guitarist (leader) had such a big ego and decided to fool around while performing with the bass and keyboard player. It was very distracting and disrespectful. I complained on the survey comment card after the cruise. The others were professional and talented.

 

On the other hand I have experienced some bands which were fantastic and memorable on ships such as the Oosterdam, Westerdam, Eurodam. Just off the Koningsdam , the BB King band was good but not memorable,

[CherryG]

We were on the 10 day sailing Jan. 29/17. The BB King band was good, but honestly, it is so loud, it's not enjoyable. We left almost right away because of the volume. We weren't the only ones to feel this way. There were people sitting outside in the hall on purpose, because it is so loud. One night we went to the Northern Lounge and left quickly, again because of the volume. There were only a handful of people there that night and I suspect the volume had something to do with chasing people away.

[colbe]

We found that the sound was so loud that it was distorted.

[OlsSalt]

We were on the 10 day sailing Jan. 29/17. The BB King band was good, but honestly, it is so loud, it's not enjoyable. We left almost right away because of the volume. We weren't the only ones to feel this way. There were people sitting outside in the hall on purpose, because it is so loud. One night we went to the Northern Lounge and left quickly, again because of the volume. There were only a handful of people there that night and I suspect the volume had something to do with chasing people away.

 

And here I thought BBKing must have been so good on that cruise, that people were stacked up outside the hallway because they couldn't get in. All the music venues were well attended I thought. I also hear they will be getting rid of the Northern Lights "disco" venue and putting in another sort of bar - it is an odd room. And I don't think they were well used on any HAL ship. But kind of obligatory to have this type of late night venue for the occasional night owls that just might be on board.

[the2ofus]

Two members of my family have experience with performance sound, as in musical theaters, dance/ballet and concerts. They have said that when people operating the equipment boost the volume they have little actual knowledge of the profession as volume distorts rather than making music more audible and enjoyable. The comments here testify that amplifying volume just drives patrons away. As a person whose hearing is diminishing with age, I am so grateful when I come across a music venue with real professional sound techs in place.

[Copper10-8]

........................ I also hear they will be getting rid of the Northern Lights "disco" venue and putting in another sort of bar - it is an odd room. And I don't think they were well used on any HAL ship. But kind of obligatory to have this type of late night venue for the occasional night owls that just might be on board.

 

What you heard is correct; the NL's are being converted into the "Gallery Bar" on all the Vistas and Signatures - Oosterdam and Eurodam already have it

[expectGREATthings]

If Carlos is the leader of the BB King all star group you'll be in for a treat. We were unfortunately on the NA for the last group and they were bad. The lead female vocalist was great. However the sets averaged about 20 minutes some of the guys were texting during the show. This is very disappointing to see and very unprofessional.

 

 

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[igraf]

I hope that some of you complained to the cruise director about the music being too loud or unprofessional performers.

 

igraf

[Spire2000]

We saw Stanley's group on the Zuiderdam 3 years ago, just at the beginning of the BB King's experiment.. They were fantastic.

 

Hoping that we get a group like that.

 

Volume isn't an issue for me, too many years at rock concerts, but it certainly would be for the rest of my family.

[expectGREATthings]

We did drop off a note for the entertainment director and the cruise director to no avail. I think someone needs to keep an eye on these guys. Without supervision there's no responsibility. Sad but true.

 

 

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[Copper10-8]

We did drop off a note for the entertainment director and the cruise director to no avail. I think someone needs to keep an eye on these guys. Without supervision there's no responsibility. Sad but true.

 

 

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I know from experience that the CD, the Event Manager, the Hotel Director, Beverage Manager and many other staff/crew visit the Queen's Lounge on a regular basis while the B.B. King's are performing their sets. Members of the band "texting" during a performance in front of their audience is completely unacceptable and extremely unprofessional!

 

To the left side of the stage is a dressing room where the band takes its breaks in between sets. If they want to text there, that's their prerogative but, come on, you don't to that in full view of an audience. I'm very surprised this was not brought to their attention and put a stop to by staff and that those band members involved in it were allowed to continue with that activity

 

In addition; 20 min sets? Also unacceptable; the avg set is close to 40-45 min with a 15-20 min break in between

Edited February 16, 2017 by Copper10-8

[3rdGenCunarder]

Two members of my family have experience with performance sound, as in musical theaters, dance/ballet and concerts. They have said that when people operating the equipment boost the volume they have little actual knowledge of the profession as volume distorts rather than making music more audible and enjoyable. The comments here testify that amplifying volume just drives patrons away. As a person whose hearing is diminishing with age, I am so grateful when I come across a music venue with real professional sound techs in place.

 

Your family members are so right! Loud is NOT a substitute for good. In fact, loud can destroy good music.

 

On our first cruise on Maasdam, one of the featured performers was a pianist/comedian. Somehow, only Victor Borge could pull off stopping mid-song for a joke. This guy couldn't. But the worst part was that the amplification was up so high that it distorted a grand piano's sound, making it sound "tinny" like a kids little toy piano. No HAL showroom is so large that a grand piano can't fill the room with sound. I couldn't take it after a while, and left. I wandered into the Ocean Bar, where the Neptunes were playing. Great music, appropriate volume, and that became our after-dinner entertainment.

 

My hearing is not yet diminishing with age, and I guard it carefully. Note to those who love the loud tunes: Medicare does NOT pay for hearing aids.

[igraf]

I always put a small wad of tissue in my ears when listening to the HAL shows or BB King Blues. Apparently the sound technicians have already suffered hearing loss!

 

igraf

 

 

 

Your family members are so right! Loud is NOT a substitute for good. In fact, loud can destroy good music.

....

My hearing is not yet diminishing with age, and I guard it carefully. Note to those who love the loud tunes: Medicare does NOT pay for hearing aids.

[OlsSalt]

........

 

My hearing is not yet diminishing with age, and I guard it carefully. Note to those who love the loud tunes: Medicare does NOT pay for hearing aids.

 

Medicare HMO's - like the AARP Secure Horizons option -- do discount hearing aids to approx $350 for each ear. The HMO also covers the cost of the audiologist exam. They recognize hearing loss is now considered a health problem which they are linking to loss of socialization, isolation and a resultant possible link to early dementia onset.

 

Additionally, others have found Costco a good option for lower cost hearing aids. It is becoming an issue since the devices themselves are relatively inexpensive yet the audiologist trade groups still require their sales to be bundled with an expensive follow-up visit program which drastically increases the overall initial costs.

 

For a very crude approach to simply hearing amplification some have used very low cost "Hunter Ears" found at sporting goods outlets like Cabela's. This is an evolving field and it will be interesting when the loud sound saturated baby-boomers start facing the typical aging-associated hearing loss issues en masse.

 

Both DH and I use hearing aides now and we find it remarkable that people can enjoy themselves at the larger dining tables. Those would be impossible for us, even with our hearing aides. We look forward to HAL lecture/movie venues to be "T-Coil" facilitated venues, which has been a major breakthrough for those whose hearing aids that are T-Coil enabled. Direct and far clearer received amplification.