ShipRocked 2011 Review

It's finally time! I know you've been waiting with bated breath to read all about my ShipRocked 2011 experiences. I can't believe the cruise was two weeks ago... seems more like months, but alas, here we are in early December. The last couple of weeks have been insane, thus the review tardiness.

First things first, I was a staff member on the boat. That means I got to wear a "staff" shirt (many thanks to the Captain). ShipRocked sailed on the MSC Poesia out of Ft. Lauderdale. We left on Monday, November 14 and returned on Saturday, November 19, so there was plenty of time for rock chaos.

On the first day, the Glam husband and I -- along with several other staffers - helped get the bands on the boat. This was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. I got to hand out laminates! As you can imagine, this wasn't necessarily a seamless process, but in the end, it all seemed to go smoothly enough. After all, we didn't leave anyone behind or anything. That first day I got up at 5, was at the pier by 6:30... and stood for hours. When I finally took my shoes off that first night my feet were swollen from standing with an "artist check-in" sign for hours.

Hinder did the sail-a-way show on the deck and yes I watched them for awhile... until I needed to eat and sit down (see the previous comment about my feet). We had really good weather for much of the trip... but it did rain during Hinder, cutting their set short. This rain also made things rough for the guys running sound. The equipment has to be covered because it isn't cheap.

All of my favorite shows of the week took place on the deck stage. That is, open air. I loved when Lynam, Sevendust, In This Moment and Candlebox all performed their deck shows. Candlebox was amazing because that was the first time I'd seen them and they were huge to me when I was in high school. The day they performed on the deck also happened to be a port day. The glam husband and I just happened to share a cab with one of the guys from Candlebox and his girl. Now if the 16 year old me knew that the 32 year old me would get to have a private conversation with a member of Candlebox and not even think twice about it... well, let's just say the 16 year old me would have freaked out.

Lynam has a new bass player now. His name is Cody Elliott and he can really sing. I was blown away by his AC/DC cover.  The band sort of looks like Black Veil Brides now. I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be ironic... I think. I hope.

It was cool seeing In This Moment perform "The Gun Show" live. And I swear, one of the band members (I won't say who) looks like a person who has been reading this website from basically the beginning. It kept freaking the Glam husband out a little.

As for the theater shows, Buckcherry was my favorite. The set list seemed different from the last time I saw them live which was maybe a year or so ago. While I saw nearly every other artist wander the ship constantly (and they would nod and wink because I was wearing a staff shirt), I barely saw any of the Buckcherry guys. I did observe Josh Todd sitting alone on the VIP deck watching Sevendust. I was away from the crowd myself. I hope he was having a good time. I will say he is very quiet when he isn't on stage. I've interviewed him (in person) before and he's kind of shy. It seemed that people were respecting his need for privacy.

ShipRocked passengers got to meet and get a photo with every band. As you can imagine, those lines were long. I was the person (along with a big security guy) that stood outside along those lines for each meet and greet. The Glam husband took photos. I wish there was some chaos to report here - there was none. I guess that's a good thing.

My absolute favorite part of the trip was getting to know the Cancer Sucks! folks better. It's a great charity and its founder, Rick, is a great guy. Click the link and check it out - they do many festivals and bike shows. If you've ever been to Rocklahoma, chances are you've seen their booth. 

The other big highlight was making some completely new friends and sharing crazy stories at dinner. Some of the people I met were just awesome and I remain stunned at all their famous music industry connections.

To be honest, I didn't watch every show (it wasn't possible) and I'm okay with that. There was other fun highlights that weren't show related, like bingo which involved the members of Lynam making very bad jokes and a couple of artist Q&A sessions that revealed just how messed up the music industry truly is these days. It also dawned on me while writing this that I only got in the hot tub once while on the boat. I did ride a jet ski in Costa Maya, Mexico (remember the shared Candlebox cab?) but the surf was rough and it sort of sucked. I was most grateful for the heat. Ohio is cold in November but it was hot in Mexico! So that's that. The next rock n' roll trip is to Cleveland in April to see Guns n' Roses get inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. Then it's off to M3 and Rock on the Range both in May... then, who knows?

If you want to attend ShipRocked 2012, pre-booking starts Monday. Go the website for more information.

I was going to post photos here, but you can more easily look at the entire gallery online.

ShipRocked 2012 Dates Announced

Tomorrow I will post my full 2011 ShipRocked review complete with photos! Today, news about ShipRocked 2012. Here's the details:

ShipRocked 2012 will set sail out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL onboard the luxurious MSC Poesia, from November 27th thru December 1st! Additional details about the cruise, including our destination, cabin pricing and arist lineup, will be announced in early 2012.

You can begin pre-booking on Monday, December 12th at 9:00 am PST.

Here are some benefits of pre-booking:

Why Should I Pre-Book?
Pre-booking will guarantee your spot in line so that when it's time to book your actual cabin early next year, you'll get priority treatment based on where you are in line, and whether you're a ShipRocked veteran, or a first time guest.

Another reason to pre-book, if you pre-book between December 12th and January 9th and you will be entered to win* an iPad 2, fully loaded with ShipRocked 2011 photos and video from our official photographers and video team!

How Much Does It Cost?
Pre-booking requires just a single deposit of $199 per cabin, which will be applied towards the final cost of your cabin. Only one pre-book deposit will be applied per cabin. The final total cost of your cabin will vary depending on cabin size, location, number of occupants, etc.

What If I Decide To Cancel?
You will have 30-days from the initial ShipRocked 2012 artist lineup announcement to cancel your pre-book and receive a refund (minus a $50 administrative fee). 30-days after the initial announcement, the ShipRocked 2012 cancellation policy applies according to our terms and conditions.

If you have any questions about our presale, you can contact us via email at info@getshiprocked.com, or by phone at 888-438-9509. We hope to see you and all your friends onboard the cruise in November!

Game Change: Rock Hall Inducts Guns n' Roses

Boom!

It happened. I said it would: Guns n' Roses will be inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame this coming April. Other artist inductees include the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, Donovan, Laura Nyro and the Small Faces.

Now, the real fun begins. The rumors. The panic. The crazy Tweets from GnR members, both past and present. The media tours. The arguments. Oh, it will be Glam joy to see how this plays out. But the most important thing of all is the induction ceremony and the constant refrain of "Will Axl show?"

If anything prompts an all-original Guns n' Roses reunion, it will be the Rock Hall induction ceremony. If the media scrutiny and hoopla surrounding the induction ceremony can't force Axl and Slash back together, I don't think anything else will. This year, the induction ceremony will actually happen in Cleveland, home to the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. I'm planning on going to the induction ceremony just to witness this all with my own two eyes. Some things in life just can't be missed. But don't worry: if you can't travel to Ohio in April, HBO will air the ceremony at a later date. I'm looking forward to writing about this over the next five months!

Steel Panther Invade the UK, Team Up with Motley and Def Lep

Steel Panther have announced that they'll be returning to the UK in March 2012 for a headlining tour.

The band is currently on the road in the UK with Def Leppard and Motley Crue. If I had the cash, I'd fly over to the UK for this in a heartbeat!

The March 2012 dates are as follows:

TUESDAY 27 MARCH O2 ACADEMY BIRMINGHAM

WEDNESDAY 28 MARCH O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW

FRIDAY 30 MARCH MANCHESTER ACADEMY

SATURDAY 31 MARCH O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON

Tickets are priced at £16 regionally and £18.50 in London and go on sale this Friday 9th December at 9am. Steel Panther have also confirmed that their highly anticipated second single, JUST LIKE TIGER WOODS, will be released on 12th December via Universal Records. Classic Rock stated that the track is "relentlessly catchy with filthy lyrics". The track is taken from the band's acclaimed second album, BALLS OUT, which was released in October.

The band is also playing shows with Def Leppard and Motley Crüe!

THURSDAY 8th DECEMBER NOTTINGHAM ARENA

FRIDAY 9th DECEMBER GLASGOW SECC HALL 4

SUNDAY 11th DECEMBER MANCHESTER ARENA

TUESDAY 13th DECEMBER SHEFFIELD ARENA

WEDNESDAY 14th DECEMBER WEMBLEY ARENA

Frontman Michael Starr commented "To rock with Lep and Crüe is a dream come true!! This will be the best tour package all year hands down - Now we got to learn our songs from the new CD". Not be outdone, guitarist Satchel added "Getting the tour with Def Leppard and Motley Crüe is the best thing that's happened to Steel Panther since we got the Viagra endorsement - we're hard already!”

Whitesnake with Adrian Vandenberg in Enschede, The Netherlands - Live Review

Today's post comes from a dedicated reader in the Netherlands. The reader doesn't want me to reveal his name so I will oblige. Enjoy the review!

"Adje, Adje, Adje!'' When Adrian Vandenberg walks out on stage with Whitesnake in his hometown Enschede, The Netherlands, the crowd cheers in support of their local hero. It's the first time Whitesnake performs in this town and Vandenberg's guest appearance has been widely publicized in advance. Whether it is because of this or not, the 1,800 capacity venue was sold out a week before the show on Saturday, December 3.
 
Before David Coverdale and his band take the stage, The Answer from Belfast, Northern Ireland played an energetic set. Their looks are not glam at all, but their honest to the bone hard rock, with high pitched bluesy vocals, should definitely appeal to the readers of BBG. Cormac Neeson is one of the best new hard rock singers of the last couple of years. He is a hard working front man and carries the whole band. The other members play their parts well, but they look more like a high school band than a group who has toured the world with AC/DC (which they actually have).
 
As Whitesnake start their show, it's instantly clear they're in a good mood. The band members all have smiles on their faces as they come on stage. The sound in the venue, which is actually a posh theatre and not a rock club, is pretty bad. But Whitesnake manages to win over the crowd right from the start. Coverdale is very talkative and invests a lot of time in interaction with the audience. He even picks up written song requests from people in the first row. He sings parts of "Love Is Blind" and "Now You're Gone" a capella. He is having a ball, pointing at beautiful girls in the audience and even expressing his love for "tits." Sixty year old Coverdale even makes fun of himself by pretending to have forgotten the words to "Is This Love."
 
Drummer Brian Tichy also turns out to be a comedian. During his ten minute drum solo, he throws his drumsticks out into the crowd, to replace them with... chopsticks. One minute later the chopsticks fly into the audience. What's next? Butcher knives! The first rows start to get a little uneasy now... But Tichy decides to put them safely away, after he's actually played his drums with them.
 
And then finally it's time for Adrian (Adje) Vandenberg to join the band he toured the world with in the late eighties. It's by no means the first time he's on stage with Whitesnake again, because he seems to be doing this just about every time the band plays in or near The Netherlands. What's new though, is that this time it's been announced beforehand and that it's a show in his hometown. So people are kind of expecting something special tonight. Vandenberg has been out of the limelight for years now, but he's still somewhat of a celebrity in Holland and definitely a famous man in Enschede. He gets a great reception from both the audience and the band. But he almost seems a little shy, picking a spot close to the speaker cabinets, rather than standing near the front of the stage. It's almost funny to see how his successor Doug Aldrich keeps pushing Vandenberg to the front. And Coverdale just about drags him to center stage. But Vandenberg is a modest Dutchman and he keeps walking backwards to stand next to Aldrich, who looks so much like him they could have been brothers. With Vandenberg on stage the band plays "Fool For Your Loving," "Here I Go Again" and "Still Of The Night," with 'Adje' performing the guitar solo of the second song. And it must be said, the guy can still play. Nothing really special happens though. No shredding five minute guitar solo, no acoustic song with just Coverdale and Vandenberg, no special announcement. But it doesn't matter. It's a glorious night for Vandenberg, reportedly even attended by the mayor of Enschede.
 
The biggest surprise comes after the guitars are put away: all members of Whitesnake plus Vandenberg sing "(I'm Dreaming Of A) White Christmas" together on their Christmas style decorated stage. A fitting end to a very relaxed and friendly Whitesnake show.

Guns n' Roses Live Review

On Friday, December 2, I saw Guns n' Roses live at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. As you know, I was very excited for this show because I've never seen Guns n' Roses (okay, Axl Rose) live.

When the Glam husband and I arrived at the venue, he was less than pleased to learn it cost $20 to park, but whatever. I didn't want to walk far as it was cold.

We decided to go out to eat and skip the opening act D Generation. I do not regret this, even though I got a few emails saying how great the band was live. I'm sure they were, but I was just too wary of waiting and waiting and waiting. When we finally rolled up to the venue, it was just before 10. Instead of floor, I opted for the front row of the seats. This meant I was two inches from the floor but still had a seat to sit in while waiting for Axl. The air conditioning was cranked so high at U.S. Bank Arena that I shivered the entire time - my hair was moving the air was blowing so hard! That was a definite negative.

Axl's spirit must have moved him early - the band went on about 10:40 and I'm pretty sure that's earlier than any of the other tour stops. DJ Ashba has a lot of energy, but I've been a fan of his for a long time. He didn't disappoint while with GNR either.

There were lots of songs off Chinese Democracy, which is expected and I enjoyed. I really like the album but I still think the older GNR songs translate better live. Before the music started, I had told the Glam husband that the songs I wanted to hear most were "Estranged" and "November Rain." I was pleasantly surprised to hear "Estranged" so early in the set. It was awesome! Another song I really loved was "Don't Cry." That was probably my favorite part of the show. Here's something weird: Axl didn't banter hardly at all. He alluded to "the last time we were in Cincinnati..." and that was about it. And he told the story about Paul McCartney's kids saying "Dad, it's so cool you do a Guns n' Roses song!" -- a story I'd heard many times before.

I could have done without the AC/DC cover of "Whole Lotta Rosie" and preferred to hear something like "Yesterdays." I also think that the guitar solos in "Sweet Child O' Mine" came up a little short. Yes, I love DJ and yes, Bumblefoot is awesome... but they are not Slash and I felt like he was missing on that song. The Glam husband got annoyed by all the solos -- and I do agree. By cutting down on the solos, we could have had more GNR tunes, but Axl needs the time to rest, so it is what it is.

Now, for the bad stuff: Axl looked weird in all his various hats but that annoyance was nothing compared to the two people that were next to me. They came in late, so I was loving the show until they rolled in. Let's just say the girl leaned on the wall between the floor and the seats the entire time, shoving her butt into my hip... and her husband felt compelled to lean into her. Like, they weren't even facing the stage 90% of the time, so why pay for tickets? They necked, spit and swore incessantly... but the best part was when they chain smoked and tried to hide it. Ohio has a smoking ban, so lighting up at indoor venues is illegal. Because they were "sneaking" their smokes, they would hunch down, light up, take a few puffs and put out the cigarette. This went on for two hours and by the end of the show, my eyes were running from smoke. I was so fed up, the husband and I left right after "Nightrain" meaning we skipped the encore. I'm sad I missed "Patience," but I still feel like I fulfilled a dream. I've been wanting to see Guns n' Roses for more than two decades and it finally happened for me. If the Guns n' Roses tour rolls through your town, check it out. I just hope you have a better class of people in the crowd than I did. Geesh.

Win A Copy of Slash's Double Disc CD 'Made In Stoke 24/7/11'

Want a copy of the new Slash double-live Made In Stoke 24/7/11? The title comes from a show Slash played when he went home to Stoke on Trent, England this past summer.

The disc features tunes from Slash's solo debut, his time with Velvet Revolver, Slash's Snakepit and Guns n' Roses. Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge provides the vocals.

Here's the track listing:

1) Been There Lately
2) Night Train
3) Ghost
4) Mean Bone
5) Back From Cali
6) Rocket Queen
7) Civil War
8) Nothing To Say
9) Starlight
10) Promise
11) Doctor Alibi
12) Speed Parade
13) Watch This
14) Beggars & Hangers On
15) Patience
16) Godfather Solo
17) Sweet Child O’ Mine
18) Slither
19) By The Sword
20) Mr Brownstone
21) Paradise City

Looks good, right? I'm giving away three copies of the CD set and you can enter as long as you live in the U.S. or Canada. All you need to do to win is drop me an email to allyson@bringbackglam.com and leave your legal name, mailing address and telephone number. Winners will be selected at random draw. Put "Slash" in the email subject line. The contest is open through Wednesday, December 7 at 11:59 p.m. ET.  Good luck.

Here's more information on Made In Stoke 24/7/11:

Eagle Rock Entertainment is proud to announce the U.S. release of Slash’s first ever live solo album Made In Stoke 24/7/11. The double-disc CD, and a special-edition 2CD+DVD package (featuring five bonus tracks and an exclusive interview with Slash) in stores now!

The iconic, Grammy-winning rock guitarist and songwriter Slash has perfected the science of the six-string for over 20 years as an integral component of Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver and as a hugely successful solo artist. On July 24, 2011, he made a very special visit to Stoke on Trent, England, where he was raised, at the end of the 2010-2011 tour in support of his globally chart topping and critically acclaimed self-titled solo debut.

Captured at Victoria Hall as part of an intensive world tour, this 21-song set is a celebration of a legendary career. Joined by Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge on vocals, Slash ripped through cuts culled from his GN’R days, Velvet Revolver, Slash’s Snakepit, and his solo album, (including the single “By The Sword”). His band line-up included bassist Todd Kerns, drummer Brent Fitz and guitarist Bobby Schneck.

With favorites like “Back From Cali,” “Slither,” “Sweet Child ‘O Mine,” and many more reverberating the crowd-filled rafters, this proved to be one rockin’ homecoming.

Eagle Rock Entertainment is an international media production and distribution company operating across audiovisual entertainment programming. Eagle Rock Entertainment works directly alongside talent to produce the highest quality programming output covering film, general entertainment and musical performance. Eagle Rock Entertainment has offices based in London, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Hamburg, & Paris.