Motley Cruise Day 4

The final day of the Motley Cruise meant performances by Vince Neil and Skid Row plus a meet and greet with RATT and members of Slaughter.

First, the meet and greet.

It’s a shame that Stephen Pearcy has to be a jerk and ruin the fun. Right before the meet and greet a security guard told everyone that Pearcy wouldn’t be taking any photos – only singing autographs. Turns out, no one in RATT took any photos - presumably because of Pearcy’s rule. Well, I had nothing that needed autographed and I had nothing to say to Pearcy so I spoke to John Corabi and went on around the bend. There were other tales of Pearcy acting like a jerk during the cruise, too. Apparently, one Motley passenger told Pearcy she loved his music. His reply was something to the effect of “Good. Buy a CD.”

This doesn’t sit well with me. First, the people who sailed during the Motley Cruise spent thousands of dollars for the opportunity to meet with band members and get photos. Second, Pearcy should be glad that people are still interested in RATT and his music. Third, a little tact goes a long way. I’m sure if I was quasi-famous, I’d get sick of being approached non-stop, but that goes with the territory. After all, it’s better to be a has been than a has never. Perhaps Pearcy should be grateful people still know the words to “Nobody Rides for Free.”

After Pearcy put me in a bad mood, I got a very nice photo with Mark Slaughter and Timbo of Slaughter. The photo didn’t really improve my mood but I was glad to see that Mark Slaughter is still pretty.

In an odd twist, Skid Row and Vince Neil performed in the middle of the afternoon. Skid Row sounded pretty good but there were times that Johnny Solinger’s voice was weak. The band played nine songs total, which included all the obvious hits like “18 and Life,” “Monkey Business,” “I Remember You,” “Slave to the Grind,” and “Youth Gone Wild.”

Skid Row (minus Solinger) also performed “Psycho Therapy” by the Ramones. This seemed pointless to me, but whatever. The song sounded good and I guess that’s all that matters in the end.

Vince’s concert was set as the centerpiece of the entire cruise. The performance was marred by technical difficulties from the start. Somehow the audio went south between Skid Row and Vince. Jeff Blando’s guitar didn’t work at the beginning of the show, speakers were blown and feedback was common. As the show wore on, the sound got better but not before Vince was forced to play a guitar that barely worked. Per usual, Vince did not sing any of his solo songs. Here are some of the songs from the set:

Live Wire
Dr. Feelgood
Piece of Your Action
Looks that Kill
Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Same Ol’ Situation
Whole Lotta Love
Rock and Roll
Kickstart My Heart
Girls, Girls, Girls
Wild Side
Teaser

By the midpoint of the set, the sound had improved immensely and Vince seemed to be in a better mood. The crowd wasn’t nearly as rowdy as I’d expected. After all, at least three of my fellow Motley Cruisers were either thrown off the boat or put in “cruise jail” for bad behavior. I guess I was expecting people to be jumping from the balcony but most people stayed relatively calm. The fact that Vince was playing around 5 in the evening probably didn’t hurt.

I can safely say this is the most interesting cruise I’ve ever taken. It has also been the least relaxing by far. Sadly, it’s time to return to the cold chill of Ohio. I need to go home so I can recover!

Comments

[Joe]

Sorry to hear about Stephen...How was Vince toward you?..few years back when i saw Vince's solo band i said hello and he brushed me off..But he was pretty drunk so I didnt take it personal..He only played for 45 minutes because he was so drunk..But then when I saw the Crue on the reunion tour..Vince gave me a high five and pointed to me when i was yelling fro mthe crowd..So that made up for it..Love the pics..Glad you and Eric had fun..Talk to you soon =)

[fletch]

Me too as far as offering sympathy about Steve's attitude. Over the years, I've met him a 1/2 dozen times. A few times he was a jerk, other times he was cool. Interestingly, it seemed that when he was in RATT, he was a jerk. When he was solo and in Arcade, he seemed cool. Basically, Steve "Thinks He's Tough" (get it?)

[gerry gittelson]

hey great report!

I'll never forget the time 20 years ago Pearcy kicked a fan out of an arena show in Los Angeles for flipping him off. I thought Pearcy was kidding, but he really did have a guard pull the kid out of the floor section and toss him out the door! Years later, Pearcy remembered it when i asked him about it ... but did NOT apologize!

gerry gittelson, Los Angeles

[George]

Yeah, I think Pearcy should be happy that anyone cares to meet him at all. Not that it would be excusable if this was 1983 and Ratt were one of the biggest bands in the world, but they're not exactly chart toppers anymore. You know he'll screw this reunion thing up soon anyway and then he can go back to playing for 50 people in dive bars in small towns. It's probably better off not to get a picture with him anyway, he hasn't aged very well.

[Big Robbo]

I've always been a huge RATT fan, and it pissed me off to hear that Pearcy was like that to a fan. I've heard alternating stories about him, how he can be cool or an a-hole, but for the money people are paying to be on that boat he should have been more considerate. Glad you had a good time girl!

www.mamasfallenangels.com

[Gary B]

Doesn't surprise me in the least about Pearcy. One an azzhole, always an azzhole. Give it time, he'll pizz of Warren and Bobby and be back out of "the pack"and playing at the Do Drop Inn in Bilgewater Arkansas, hoping for a "crowd" of 25....

[Chey]

omg i so have the shirt that you are wearing in the slaughter pic. lol im not totally sure where it is at this moment though. ha ha ha

[JT]

Ratt was terrible opening for Poison last summer. Not only has Pearcy not aged well, the music doesn't sound as good live. Vince is awesome live, even with his solo band, but I would like to hear some of his solo stuff..."You're Invited But Your Friend Can't Come" is one of my favorite Vince songs.

[Makel]

Sorry to hear about Stephen, but I've heard mixed reviews. Like someone else said, I guess sometimes he's just an asshole and other times he's the coolest guy around. I thought it was pretty cool he called me when my mother asked (who he was nice to...so maybe it just depends?) and he seemed pretty nice on the phone.

Also, I didn't think RATT was bad this summer. Saw them twice. Obviously Stephen's voice isn't what it used to be, but I didn't find it bad either.

[Makel]

Allyson,

I was wondering if you watched EndeverafteR, what their setlist was, and how they did?

[Grant]

Makel

it fuckin rocked!

[Allyson]

Makel,

Yes, I saw Endeverafter. I started to keep the set but my husband and I were both feeling "rough" so we went to sleep. From what I did hear, they really sounded great. Every time I saw Michael Grant walk around the ship I wanted to chuckle. He wasn't kidding during a recent interview about being "pretty!"

Allyson

[All Access]

The information that was given on "After all, at least three of my fellow Motley Cruisers were either thrown off the boat or put in “cruise jail” for bad behavior"is incorrect.
There where two fellow cruisers that had been thrown off the boat when we docked in Cozumel for breaking a window and throwing a valuable piece of art overboard.

[Allyson]

All Access,

Thrown off and or put in cruise jail. Not just thrown off as the original post clearly states.

Allyson

[Jenna]

I heard that Stephen was an ass to many people on the cruise, but I approached him in a hallway and and he was very nice about taking a picture. I got a few pictures with Bobby as well, he was all smiles and hung out for a while. Skid Row and Corabi were defineately the life of the party though. The guys from Endeverafter and Lynam were pretty awesome too, so if Stephen was a jerk, who cares? There were much cooler people on the boat to hang out with.

[All Access]

Cruise Jail is a holding area on deck 3 where these 2 individuals spent a few hours prior to being thrown off the boat with their bags in hand and finding some way to get back to the States on their own accord from Cozumel.
They did recieve a very large bill from Carnival and the the window incident was over the person loosing their cell phone, so they threw a bottle into the window. So they lost a cell phone, got thrown off the boat and got a HUGE bill from Carnival and missed the best show when Skid Row hit the stage.
I'm just glad that Carnival will let The Motley Cruise back next year.