Picture
this. It's Thursday morning and the Caribbean sun beats down on the sun deck of
the 86,000 ton Costa Mediterranea as she sails toward Grand Turk. Across the
deck, Righteous Brother Bill Medley is having a late breakfast with his son
Darren, lead singer of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Joe Butler of the Lovin'
Spoonful is filling a cup at the outdoor coffee station while Davy Jones of the
Monkees can be seen strolling across the deck above, possibly en route to an
appointment at the Ischia Spa
 |
| 2008 Concerts At Sea Top from left to right, Big Jack, Tamy Selee, Davy Jones, Bill Medley, Darren Medley, Bob Harmon bottom row, Jerry Yester, Joe Butler, Paul Revere and Steve Boone |
A rock & roll fantasy? No. Just down time
aboard Concerts At Sea's 15th Annual Rock & Roll Cruise.
The Fort Lauderdale Cruise
Ship Terminal was a welcome sight to my husband and me who escaped a brutal New
York winter for a 7-day Caribbean sailing to San Juan, St. Thomas, La Romana
and Grand Turk. We joined the other 2,098 passengers for check-in procedures
and found hundreds of them sporting the blue and white Concerts at Sea t-shirts
that identified them as participants in the special 50's and 60's rock &
roll celebration that would take place during the sailing. On board, the
program's popularity was even more evident as we sought our cabin and noticed a
Concerts at Sea flyer affixed to the door of each cabin occupied by a fellow
rock & roller.
Once inside our own digs, we found the official
Concerts at Sea program, a 40-page booklet containing general information, bios
on each star, an ambitious schedule of events, trivia and a listing of our
1,050 fellow Rock & Roll cruise passengers and their home towns. That
evening, we weary travelers would get a small preview of the week ahead with a
poolside performance by Idaho legends The Fabulous Chancellors and Elvis
impersonator Stacey Wayne.
Sunday officially set the stage, so to speak, with
a taste of some of the events that would become regular favorites throughout
the week. Big Jack Armstrong of Boise, ID's K00L 104.3 and trivia guru Wayne
Ridgeway gave early risers a destination with The Morning Show, a hilarious
two hours filled with music, good-natured banter and trivia. Like watching a
live classic rock radio show, Jack & Wayne would appear most mornings of
the cruise, attracting an intimate crowd of bleary-eyed fans who wanted some
entertainment with the breakfast they'd toted along from the buffet located on
the deck below. Dance lessons with the Concerts at Sea Dancers and Trivia
Contests (which quickly convinced me that this was the first cruise I'd ever
been on where other people -- lots of other people -- knew more than I did
about the British Rock Invasion) were also popular features throughout the
sailing.
But it's the concerts at sea that makes Concerts
at Sea, and my first taste came later that day in the form of Paul Revere and
the Raiders.
First, a bit of a confession. I'm basically a
music snob. If it's not the Kinks, Strawbs or Bruce Springsteen (my one nod to
the 70s), I tend to wrinkle my nose and slap on headphones through which I can
immerse myself in the sounds of one of the aforementioned performers. Though
keenly intrigued by Concerts at Sea, I was not looking forward to Paul Revere
and the Raiders in concert. Okay, to be honest, I was dreading Paul Revere and
the Raiders in concert.
It was with this ambivalence that I took my place
on the "preferred seating" line 40 minutes before the 1:30 p.m. show
time and marveled at the sight of two rather mature women sporting full
"Raider" regalia, complete with fur-trimmed three-pointed hats, knee
length boots and military jackets ("All that luggage space!" I
asked). Ten minutes later, I was admitted, claiming a front-row orchestra seat
in the ship's elaborate two-level Osiris Theater and ordering a glass of wine
in an effort to make the show more bearable.
 |
| Paul Revere with lead singer Darren Medley |
I suppose it's never too late to learn what you've
been missing. Part theater, part comedy (even poking fun at the Speedos favored
by most of Costa's male Italian guests no matter what their size), and a big part
great music, at 70 years old, Paul Revere is living proof that you're never too
old to rock & roll. Perched behind keyboards obscured by a Stars &
Stripes-emblazoned motorcycle facade, donning the same Raider costumes he made famous in the
60s (albeit a bit larger), surrounded by powerful musicians and featuring
Darren Medley, Bill Medley's son, as lead singer, the band entertained -- and I
do mean entertained -- for well over an hour, performing "Cherokee
People," "Just Like Me," "Kicks" and other Raiders
classics before ending with Mitch Ryder's "Devil With a Blue Dress"
and the Kinks' "You Really Got Me." (The latter was the equivalent of
a personal ejector seat, propelling me on to my feet to dance like a maniac in
front of the stage.)
It's really no wonder Paul Revere's performance
aboard this sailing was so explosive. Concerts at Sea can trace its roots back
to Paul who, 16 years ago, was approached by NCL with the rock & roll theme
cruise concept. Paul liked the idea and contacted Bob Harmon of Harmon Travel
who was both a Boise neighbor and Paul's travel agent for the previous 30
years. Together they worked on the concept and developed Concerts at Sea which,
to this day, is operated by Harmon Travel with a great deal of hands-on assistance
from Paul.
The Concerts at Sea schedule of events is
exclusive to participants in the program. Available only through Harmon Travel
or one of its partnered travel agents, a cruise rate is quoted based on cabin
category and includes all taxes and fees, onboard gratuities, and the
entertainment package (the concerts and all other activities). Additionally,
"preferred seating," an arrangement that offers premium seating
through early admittance to concert showrooms, is available for an additional
$200. (This "preferred seating" charge is waived for anyone who books
the following year's cruise while on board the current sailing.)
The shows may be the big draw, but additional
star-studded events are also included in Concerts at Sea's activity line-up.
Blow the dust off your old LP covers, tuck them in your suitcase and offer them
and a Sharpie to your favorite classic rocker during the outdoor autograph
session by the pool. A crowd favorite that attracts a seemingly endless line,
on our sailing, each artist patiently signed album covers, t-shirts and more,
and often took a few moments to chat. One particularly poignant moment came
when a woman presented Davy Jones with a U.S. passport to sign. "Will I be
arrested?" he asked, eyes wide. The woman explained that the holder of the
passport intended to join her on the cruise and even paid her passage but in
September, tragically, he passed away. Davy's autograph, she explained, was to
be a bittersweet momento. The ex-Monkee signed the document, took the woman's hand
and recited a touching poem in her ear about loved ones living on in our
memories.
10:00 a.m. was an early start to Question &
Answer Session with the Stars and some of the humor was in watching a panel of
rock musicians attempt to be alert enough to field audience questions before
noon. Despite the hour, Bill Medley, Davy Jones, The Lovin' Spoonful and Paul
Revere responded comically and candidly to questions about their careers and
their personal lives as Concerts at Sea staff prowled the audience with
wireless mikes for those wishing to question their idols.
 |
| Righteous Brother, Bill Medley |
On Tuesday evening, Bill Medley took the stage for
the second of the week's four signature concerts. In a moving tribute to
co-Righteous Brother Bobby Hatfield who died nearly five years ago, the show
began with classic footage of the two performing "Unchained Melody."
The elegant smiling Medley then appeared, salt and pepper hair flowing, and
captured us not only with the expected hits but with personal favorites like a
powerful blues number. Later in the show, he summoned members of his talented
family to the stage. Darren, who we had been treated to during the Paul Revere
& the Raiders concert, joined his father to perform Righteous Brothers'
megahit "You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling" and daughter McKenna
delivered an electrifying rendition of Etta James' timeless classic, "At
Last."
 |
| 50' and 60's sock hop |
I nearly skipped the keynote event of the
following day for the same reason I initially dreaded the Paul Revere & the
Raiders concert. How could, I, for pete's sake, attend something called Mike
Harvey's Super Gold Sock Hop?? "I'm going to stay 15 minutes," I
insisted, "A half hour at most." Dress for the occasion suggested 50s
or 60s attire and I emerged from my cabin donned in an op art silk mini dress
and 60s make up. En route to the Cadmo Pool, I passed a virtual sea of poodle
skirts. Fashion faux pas, I feared.
I was at the pool, dressed inappropriately and
positioned for a quick exit. when suddenly songs I hadn't heard in 30 years surrounded
me. I found myself and my go-go dancer dress dancing on the dancefloor, near the bar and with a group of
new-found friends -- and that 15 to 30-minute time limit I imposed was
completely shattered. The ship's hotel director approached me and said
"Looks like you're having a REALLY good time!" which is probably not
a good thing for a travel journalist to be told but when "Born to Be
Wild" came on, I simply didn't care.
I never made it to the Jack & Wayne Morning
show the day after the Sock Hop but, to be honest, I'm not sure if Jack &
Wayne did either. A noon arrival at Grand Turk meant sleeping in a bit before
arriving at the island to find the Concerts at Sea takeover of Margaritaville.
Located right at the pier, the popular chain's Grand Turk outpost was
commandeered by Big Jack Armstrong and his trusty sound system blasting out
hits of the 50s and 60s. In no time, music loving passengers from the other
visiting cruise ships learned about Concerts at Sea, watched and wished they'd
booked the Costa Mediterranea that week.
Thursday night's performance was Rock & Roll
Hall of Famers the Lovin' Spoonful who reminded us just how many smash hits
they've had: "Do You Believe in Magic," "Daydream,"
"Nashville Cats," "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice,"
"Darlin' Come Home Soon," "Jug Band Music" and so much
more. Even devoid of original front man, John Sebastian, the distinctive sound
of the autoharp and the Spoonful's trademark feel-good lyrics catapulted all of
us back to 1966.
 |
| Davy Jones |
For many, particularly the woman who lined up at
10:00 a.m. for the 4:00 p.m. performance, Davy Jones' show on Friday was the
highpoint of the cruise. Exhibiting antics not unlike his character on the
phenomenal Monkees TV show of the 60s, the older, but not taller, Jones
criss-crossed the stage, dancing, singing and playing the tambourine and guitar
while his energetic back-up band brought a decidedly present-day slant to the
90 minute show. The set, which featured Monkees tunes sprinkled with a few
standards, often had a Broadway feel, calling to mind Jones' roots on the
stage. But it was the hits that drew the greatest reaction, particularly
closing number, "Daydream Believer," which brought the crowd to its
feet in a deafening, though melodic, sing-along while Davy crossed the stage
shaking the hands of those lucky enough to have claimed first row.
The 15th Annual Concerts at Sea sailing may have
drawn to a close on Saturday, January 26th but most of its participants can
already look forward to next year, having booked on board. And I'm not
surprised. The program is run flawlessly with communication and organization
given the utmost attention. From a hospitality desk manned twice per day to
immediate attention given to those who commit no-nos like attempting to save
seats at concerts, the capable on board team tackles everything quickly and
completely.
With today's average cruiser of 49 years of age, I
say it's about time that 50's and 60's music take center stage aboard ship. Why
endure the typical production shows, puppeteers, magicians and tired
entertainment so often found on board when Concerts at Sea delivers the music
that we grew up loving and still love today.
On my Concerts at Sea cruise this week, I not only
saw Paul Revere, Davy Jones, Bill Medley and the Lovin' Spoonful, but I also
saw the future of cruising. And let me assure you, folks, it rocks.
Thanks Judy Cuervo for this great article. Judy is a freelance writer for Porthole Magazine
If you have a picture or story would like to share, please e-mail me at tammy@concertsatsea.com
Keep Rockin'
Tammy
Producer
Concerts At Sea
