A Journey to the 90s, 80s, 70s, and beyond? My 2025 Music Adventures

[Honolulu Blue]

As I plan for my next musical adventure (which I should have a post or two on in a couple of days on my 2024 thread), I got an e-mail just now from the Super Legends Cruise 2.0.  They set a date of June 14 for the pre-sale and they promise to have the lineup for it on that date.  Let's see what they come up with.

[Honolulu Blue]

Last night I attended the Abducted to the 80s concert that featured four bands from that decade.  How did it go?  I'll slowly get through all the details.  Please be patient.

 

I drove down yesterday from home.  It took about 6 hours to get there.  Part of the reason I agreed to go to this concert that's a long way from here was to test out both my car (which I bought in April) and my ability to drive long distances.  Both worked out well, the car better than me.  It sipped fuel (scans crowd) like a lady on a first date and generally rode, steered, and braked well.  As for the driver, I had some minor navigation issues and I had to go through some construction in several places.  But those were to be expected and I managed to survive them all.

 

Anyway, back to the action at the Amphitheater.  It was a nice place with good seating and views. 

 

 

I did indeed have a front row seat.  I was close to the action - almost TOO close.  The stage was about 5 feet above ground level, which meant that I had to look up at the stage and the camera angles were a little strange.

 

OK, the show started at 7 on a warm night (that turned a little cool and windy after dark) with Naked Eyes.  

 

 

They had the honor of playing the session's best song (IMHO), "Promises Promises".  They played it second to last to their biggest hit.  

 

I thought they were good, but then again, I thought all of these performers were good.  Keep that in mind.

 

Next up was The Motels.  Their two big hits had a unique sound that made them haunting to me.  And their lead singer Martha Davis was a big part of that.  I was glad to see her still hanging in there.  She was a quirky one.  I bet she would be a lot of fun in a Q&A session.  BTW, she and her band were on TEC in the past.  And did you know she plays guitar?  I did not know this.

 

 

One of my VIP perks was a photo op with Ms. Davis after this show.  There were about 18 people who were in line with me and I was #3 to go back stage.  She autographed my poster (also a VIP perk) and we took a photo.  It turned out nice.  Modesty does not permit me to post it. 

 

 

She seemed really nice throughout our brief interaction.  I was able to get back to my seat in time for the next show.  Some other VIPs... were not so lucky.

 

The next show was with Men Without Hats.  I had written these guys off completely.  That was a mistake and the biggest surprise of the event.  I actually liked this show and would go see them again sometime.  It helped a lot that their lead singer was very enthusiastic and moved around a lot - though it hurt my ability to photograph him.  

 

 

Also helping was the fact that MWH played their One Big Hit both at the start and the end of their set.

 

 

Another help was the fact that they had a lady on keyboards.  She looked to be a bit young to be an original band member from the 80s; maybe she was born in that decade.  

 

 

After they played their set, there was the longest delay between bands of the whole evening - about 40 minutes.  And then Wang Chung came out.

 

 

I had seen these guys in concert on The 80s Cruise back in March.  They played most of the same songs, though one of the songs they dumped this time was "Don't Let Go", which was the song that introduced me to this band.

 

They played a cute cover of "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?" before breaking into their big hit, which closed the show.

 

After the show, the crowd cleared out quickly.  But us VIPs had another backstage session - this time with the Wang Chung leads.  

 

 

I told them about how much I enjoyed them on the TEC, and they told me a story about how much they liked playing in Studio B instead of by the pool as they were scheduled for.

 

They also autographed my poster and this time I got several pictures with them.

 

The drive back to my hotel was surprisingly pleasant and drama free with very little traffic.  The only bad part is that it was at night, and I don't do well with night driving in unfamiliar cities.

 

Overall I had a wonderful time in Decatur and wouldn't mind spending more time down there to see a band or two (or more) that I liked.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Edited June 10 by Honolulu Blue

[Honolulu Blue]

The Super Legends Cruise 2.0 edition for 2025 announced their lineup a couple of days early:

 

 

Of the relevant performers, the Isley Brothers, Sheila E., and Jody Watley are all duplicated from the one I booked.  Only WAR moves the needle for me among the additions.  This one is missing Heatwave, Tavares, and the Mary Jane Girls from the other cruise.  I think I'd take that trade and officially am not interested in switching ships.

Edited June 12 by Honolulu Blue

[wwcruisers]

Hi HB! Have you seen Sheila E on a cruise yet? I got to see her in January '23 -- on what turned out to be the last Blue Note at Sea sailing. She was just dynamite! (really hard to believe that she's over 65!) I keep hoping that Michael Lazaroff will persuade her to sign up for a future Smooth Jazz Cruise.

[Honolulu Blue]

5 minutes ago, wwcruisers said:

Hi HB! Have you seen Sheila E on a cruise yet? I got to see her in January '23 -- on what turned out to be the last Blue Note at Sea sailing. She was just dynamite! (really hard to believe that she's over 65!) I keep hoping that Michael Lazaroff will persuade her to sign up for a future Smooth Jazz Cruise.

I have not. I guess I have a lot to look forward to. Thanks for the heads up!

[Honolulu Blue]

On the Blue Cruise has announced that they're going to do something a little different with their 2025 cruise.  It will be August 22-29 on the Norwegian Gem.  It'll sail round trip out of Boston and head to Canada and New England.  

 

Funnily enough, I have a Canada-New England cruise in a couple of months.  It's not a charter cruise, a themed cruise, or a music cruise, and it's not on NCL.

 

This is the first music cruise that I've heard about that's going to that region of the world.  It's also an unusual time for a charter; most are between October and April.  The last On the Blue Cruise was in April.

 

They expect to make an announcement in mid-July with more details - including the exact itinerary and some of the performers.  

 

OTBC has been one of the cruises I've been following even though I haven't booked it yet.  I'm unlikely to pull the trigger on this one, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.  If something happens with this, I'll let you know.

[NinS]

Wow! That is interesting news. I live in Boston so of course that has my attention. (Because I only do music charter cruises I've never actually sailed out of or through my own hometown.)

 

Often the OTBC has a bunch of artists I really like and a bunch that are of zero interest. But those dates are so close to the '25 Journey of Jazz that I can probably only swing one. Will OTBC's convenience make me want to cancel JoJ which has a great lineup? Unlikely, but you never know! Please keep me posted HB since I'm not on their email list and their social media presence seems to be sporadic. 

[Honolulu Blue]

26 minutes ago, NinS said:

Wow! That is interesting news. I live in Boston so of course that has my attention. (Because I only do music charter cruises I've never actually sailed out of or through my own hometown.)

 

Often the OTBC has a bunch of artists I really like and a bunch that are of zero interest. But those dates are so close to the '25 Journey of Jazz that I can probably only swing one. Will OTBC's convenience make me want to cancel JoJ which has a great lineup? Unlikely, but you never know! Please keep me posted HB since I'm not on their email list and their social media presence seems to be sporadic. 

OK, I'll keep you updated here when I get some news, but you might as well sign up for their mailing list on their homepage.  That's all I've done so far.

 

BTW, the OBTC's date is also close to the Super Legends Cruise, which reduces my interest in it.  But they COULD round up a nice lineup that would force me to spend the $$$ on it.  We'll see.

 

P.S.  Except for the McDonald LaBelle Cruise, all the music charters I've been on have had several artists that weren't of interest to me.  Obviously, it didn't stop me from booking them.  I'm perfectly willing to let others have their fun, as long as they let me have my fun in my own way. 😛

 

[George C]

On 6/22/2024 at 9:08 AM, Honolulu Blue said:

OK, I'll keep you updated here when I get some news, but you might as well sign up for their mailing list on their homepage.  That's all I've done so far.

 

BTW, the OBTC's date is also close to the Super Legends Cruise, which reduces my interest in it.  But they COULD round up a nice lineup that would force me to spend the $$$ on it.  We'll see.

 

P.S.  Except for the McDonald LaBelle Cruise, all the music charters I've been on have had several artists that weren't of interest to me.  Obviously, it didn't stop me from booking them.  I'm perfectly willing to let others have their fun, as long as they let me have my fun in my own way. 😛

 

Wife gave me Michael McDonald new book ‘What a fool believes “ it was co-written by comedian Paul Reiser. I like that he has been married for a very long time , on rock and romance cruise a few years ago his wife was one of his backup singers.

[Honolulu Blue]

3 minutes ago, George C said:

Wife gave me Michael McDonald new book ‘What a fool believes “ it was co-written by comedian Paul Reiser. I like that he has been married for a very long time , on rock and romance cruise a few years ago his wife was one of his backup singers.

Thanks for the notes.  That reminds me that I need to order the Kindle version of Mr. McDonald's book so I can actually read it sometime soon.  I've been busy with other things, so I've let it go by the wayside.  I'm sure he's lived an interesting life.

[Honolulu Blue]

The 90s Cruise announced today two of their theme nights for their inaugural cruise in January.  Since I don't think I did a note for the first one, let's cover them all together:

 

• All That 90s Party (general 90s theme)
• Smells Like Teen Spirit (grunge)
• Hip Hop House Party (hip hop and dance)

 

They're all vague enough that I could find some matching items in my closet if I chose to.  Assuming they won't have a theme for the final day (as TEC does not), there's only one theme night left.  And it's going to be a formal night, unless they think grunge wear or hip hop apparel are formal.  I do not, so we'll see.

 

BTW, the one theme night TEC has announced for its cruise IS the formal theme - the Fat Tuesday Prom.  My official rection is meh.

[Honolulu Blue]

I got an e-mail from Sixthman with some links to their charter cruises that still have availability.  I might as well do a list of the music cruises (sailing in 2025 unless inidicated):

 

• Lindsey Stirling, Master of Tides - the violinist
• Little Steven's Underground Garage
• Boots on the Water
• Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wresting Rager at Sea
• EDSea (2024)
• Headbangers Boat (2024)