What a Trip!
Imagine a week sailing through the teal-tinted waters of the Caribbean on a luxury cruise ship full of fellow travelers who love music from the Golden Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Now add some of the top artists of that era, fine cuisine, stops at sun-filled ports, and you’ll have an inkling what it was like on this year’s Malt Shop Memories Cruise.
Holland America’s m/s Eurodam sailed out of Ft. Lauderdale at 4:00 p.m. on November 2; two-and-a-half hours later Herman’s Hermits featuring Peter Noone kicked off the music festivities. Peter opened by declaring that his dream as a young boy in Manchester, England was to grow up and one day play on a Malt Shop cruise, and that his wish had finally come true.
He and his topnotch Hermits band rocked their way through many of their hits—including a rousing, audience participation “I’m Henry VIII, I Am”—as well as faithful renditions of British Invasion favorites such as “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” and “I’m Telling You Now.” Peter, as always, kept the laughs coming with one liners and spot-on impersonations of Tom Jones, Mick Jagger, and others.
After the show, in the two-deck-tall Rembrandt dining room, I was seated with Pat, Larry, and Tim from Kenai, Alaska, who were on their third Malt Shop Memories Cruise, and Pat’s sister Carol from Portland, Oregon, a first-timer. Larry and Pat had logged over 40 excursions before going on the Malt Shop Memories Cruise 2012 for their 50th wedding anniversary and now rank the Malt Shop Memories Cruise experiences at the top of the list. All singled out the high quality of the Artists for praise; Tim added a key feature echoed by everyone with whom I talked: off-stage access to the entertainers.
Around us, folks from previous cruises renewed relationships and Malt Shop Cruise newbies met others on board with whom—judging by stories exchanged around the tables—they’d likely form fast friendships.
Some of the cruisers were related by birth or marriage, others—myself included—were accompanied by longtime friends, and some were traveling solo. Among the latter group was Lea from Long Island. She had originally booked with a friend, however, illness interceded and the StarVista LIVE team set her up with a roommate. Even though this was her first Malt Shop Memories Cruise, Lea found it “very easy to connect with others” and noted how friendly everyone was to her.
I, too, experienced the warmth of fellow cruisers. By meal’s end, our dining companions had invited us to get together again later in the week.
In the usual Malt Shop Cruise fashion, our first day out of port wrapped up with a bevy of fun activities to suit every taste: singing along with the music of Al “Lil Fats” Jackson and his crack combo, catching a late night showing of a classic rock ‘n’ roll film in the Screening Room, dancing to the sounds of DJ Joel in the Northern Lights Nightclub, or hanging out with the Elvis Tribute Artists in the Crow’s Nest. Sunday’s late night special event featured the comedy and music (yes, music) of the talented Mr. Joe Piscopo.
One standout of the cruise was the nightly Elvis Tribute Artists event. This “Brotherhood of Elvis” included six very talented guys, fronted by jokemeister MC Jeff Lewis, and backed by the EAS band, which laid down note-perfect instrumental beds with backing vocals provided by the band’s Cheryl Crenshaw and various combinations of the “Elvi.”
Typical of the spontaneous happenings on a Malt Shop Memories Cruise was Friday night’s surprise visitor to the Elvis “All-Request” Show. Moments after finishing her own Mainstage show, Brenda Lee dashed from deck 2 to deck 11, where “Elvis” serenaded her with “Are You Lonesome To-night?” (her favorite) and she—backed by the band and Elvi—wowed the crowd with “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.”
At her main stage feature show, Brenda proved that she’s still “dynamite.” The crowd gave her a standing ovation to start and Brenda, in turn, showed that she was worthy of it, from her opening “Bring Me Sunshine”—a song she first waxed in 1969—through many of her rock and pop classics.
Brenda’s love for her fans is unparalleled. She sang “One Rainy Night In Tokyo” to a man who’d journeyed from Japan to the Eurodam to see her, and singled out a few others for “hello’s.” Among the latter were Zoe and Melvyn from Sheffield, England, whom I’d coincidentally chatted with poolside, where they’d shared how they’d become close friends with Brenda when Zoe met her years before in the UK.
Brenda even told some fan-submitted jokes to which the crowd responded with howls of laughter, included Dion who said, “She’s so funny, she could open for herself!”
Charlie Thomas’ Drifters got things going ahead of Brenda’s show with their own Standing O. Sporting powder blue suits and matching handkerchiefs, Charlie—whose tenure with the Drifters dates back 55 years—led his smooth-stepping Drifters through smash after smash from “On Broadway” to “Under The Boardwalk.”
On stage, Dion served up a scintillating set of favorites: his distinctive voice soaring and scatting over the powerful sound of his band. “This song has contains all you need to know about love,” Dion declared, before launching into “A Teenager In Love.” He saluted his rock ‘n’ roll heroes Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran, and brought the whole thing home with “The Wanderer,” punctuated by Uptown Horns founder Arno Hecht’s blistering sax solo.
Folks were dancing at their seats, including Rich and Cheryl of Millburn, New Jersey, for whom dancing is as essential to life as air and water. They first spotted each other across a crowded club floor 25 years ago and have been dancing together several nights a week ever since. Their in-sync moves coupled with the obvious affection they have for each other drew the rapt attention of other cruisers who nicknamed them “THE dancers.”
Being a big Dion fan, Rich’s cruise highlight was when Mr. DiMucci joined Dean Torrence on stage at the end of the second Beach Boys set for another one of those moments that only happens on a Malt Shop Memories Cruise.
Dean’s dry, sharp sense of humor and his band’s excellent instrumental and vocal chops had been on display at the Lido pool our first day at sea. Emcee Jerry Blavat got the overflow T-shirted crowd in a party mood with shout-outs and dancing, then Jan & Dean’s Beach Party kicked things into high gear with a set of surf and island tunes. All the great Jan & Dean hits, and some by The Beach Boys as well, Dean saved for his Mainstage shows with the emphasis on sparkling harmonies and singing-along fun.
The Mike Love/Bruce Johnston Beach Boys brought the endless summer shipboard on Friday night with a hit-filled set that featured vintage home movie and concert clips, including one in which the live band backed an on-video Carl Wilson for “God Only Knows.” By show’s end, the excitement was already at a fever pitch when Dean strolled out and joined Mike at the mic for “Barbara Ann,” bringing a roar from the ecstatic crowd.
Among the songs The Beach Boys brought alive on stage was “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” which they’d recorded in 1964 and that was originally cut by another of this year’s featured performers The Teenagers. Many cruisers love the sound of group harmony, including Vince and Diana, originally from Brooklyn, now residents of Pinehurst, North Carolina. Vince spends hours listening to his collection of 30,000 doo-wop/R&B songs and particularly enjoyed The Excellents and The Cameos, who wooed everyone with their a cappella vocalizing. The Duprees, too, garnered much praise for their smooth pop harmonies.
Many on board were thrilled at the opportunity to hear legends not commonly booked into their hometown venues. Vince, for instance, never thought he’d get to see Lloyd Price. At age 81, Lloyd can rightly claim to be the original teen idol, having scored a No. 1 R&B hit when he was just 19. Looking and sounding fine, Lloyd brought down the house with “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” “Stagger Lee,” and “Personality,” joking that, “This boat is really rockin’ and I don’t even drink!”
Motown’s Martha and her Vandella sisters along with The Temptations continued the soul explosion sparked by Lloyd with Martha asking, “How’s your love life?” and then bringing back a whole lot of memories. The Temptin’ Temptations, now in their fifth decade as a working act, would have needed several hours to run through all of 89 of their R&B chart sides. They thrilled the crowd with classics such as “My Girl,” the audience singing along to every song from the opening note.
So many wanted to see Matthew and Gunnar Nelson’s Ricky Nelson Remembered that a third show was added and even that one was filled to overflowing. Rick’s twin sons brought along video clips, performed acoustic versions of their dad’s hits, and finished with a fitting musical love letter to him, “Just Once More,” which left the audience in tears.
Still, all of the featured artists concert events made up just a fraction of what Judy and Mark of Frederick, Maryland, singled out as their high point of a Malt Shop Memories Cruise: “the best entertainment all day long.”
There were the nightly themed parties by the Lido Pool with Jerry, DJ Joel, and special guests, including Little Peggy March, the star attraction for this year’s Prom Night on Deck. (Peggy also teamed up with Brenda on Saturday afternoon for a “women only” seminar.)
Each day the stars fielded audience questions during exclusive live interviews. Hardcore and casual trivia aficionados gathered to watch vintage video clips and test their musical knowledge, and bingo buffs played their favorite game, often times with celebrities on hand. Matthew and Gunnar Nelson joined Joe Piscopo as hosts of an onboard Gong Show. Joe also hosted a football viewing party for Giants/Colts fans (the Colts won 40-24). And, rounding out the list of incredible luminaries, “Buddy Holly,” “Marilyn Monroe” and “Cher” also entertained.
It was literally impossible to attend all the activities. (I know, ‘cause I tried and failed.) Put quite simply: it doesn’t get any better than this! Don’t take my word for it. This was the third Malt Shop Memories Cruise for Marsha and George of Grand Blanc, Michigan. They will “never go on another non-StarVista LIVE cruise” and are looking forward to next year’s “great” lineup.
Lorna and Andy of Guelph, Canada are also already signed up for the Malt Shop Memories Cruise 2015 extravaganza.
As Vito (of Lucy and...) from Staten Island put it, “Music takes you back to a particular time and place. It’s truly the universal language.”
We couldn’t agree more, Vito. See you and Lucy and all of you MSMC cruisers in 2015. Till then, keep on rockin’!