{"id":53011,"date":"2016-10-28T09:19:59","date_gmt":"2016-10-28T14:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=53011"},"modified":"2016-10-28T09:22:54","modified_gmt":"2016-10-28T14:22:54","slug":"monsters-of-rock-cruise-2016-monsterwood-concert-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2016\/monsters-of-rock-cruise-2016-monsterwood-concert-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Monsters of Rock Cruise 2016 \u2013 Monsterwood"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Erik Tweedy<\/span>
\n– Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"monsterwood-marquee\"<\/p>\n

Back in 2012, the fine folks at Chelsey Productions, began the Monsters of Rock cruise series with a great lineup based around some of the more popular, and still touring, bands from the \u201880s such as Tesla, Cinderella, Firehouse, Stryper, Y&T and many more. Fast forward to October 2016 and we are already on the 6th incarnation of this massive fan friendly event. Now being produced by On the Blue Productions, Monsterwood, as it is affectionately known, brought out another stellar lineup featuring a ship ton of Glam and Sunset Strip sleaze as it sailed out of the Los Angeles California harbor. <\/p>\n

\"Steve
Steve Whiteman of KIX<\/figcaption><\/figure>With over 35 bands\/artists performing on the ship and at multiple pre-cruise parties before and after the cruise, the casual music fan may have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of shows. I am sure you are familiar with the term \u201cSurvival of the Fittest.\u201d That\u2019s what a Rock and Roll vacation is like on one of these Monsters of Rock cruises. It\u2019s all about pacing. Most of the bands play at least twice and this year there were, even more, bands playing with additional shows after the cruise as the legendary Hollywood hotspot the Cathouse tied in their promotion of their 30th anniversary with the Monsterwood cruise.<\/p>\n

Our motley crew of 10 touched down in Hollywood on Wednesday afternoon with eyes wide open and ready for reckless abandon. What\u2019s the first thing to do when kicking off a rock and roll vacation in Hollywood? Hit Canter\u2019s Deli on Fairfax of course. This hometown delicatessen has been around for over 50 years and is the landmark diner where the boys from Guns and Roses used to hang out in the early years and is still a great place to catch the strip bands grabbing a bite, and the Reuben is the shizzle. After spending our first night chillaxing by the pool with a few drinks and some more great food at a friend\u2019s house in the Hollywood Hills, it was time to kick things up a notch as the first pre-cruise party was set to sail Thursday night at the Lucky Strike Bowling Alley. Yes, nothing says Rock and Roll like a good game of bowling. The Lucky Strike is really a rock club that has a bowling alley or maybe it is a bowling alley with a rock club. Either way, it was a great party. With a very limited number of tickets available, the cruisers that were lucky enough to get in were treated to performances by Paradise Kitty (GNR tribute), The London Quireboys and Ack, an all-star tribute to Ace Frehley. The tie in with the bowling alley was used as a fundraiser where cruisers could donate to a charity and bowl with musicians and other musical celebrities such as the one and only Eddie Trunk, who is not a good bowler. This was a lot of fun and a great way for some of the fans to mingle up close with the musicians and just hangout in a great atmosphere. As always, the London Quireboys were awesome and the ACK band had too many members to mention them all, but it was pretty much a who\u2019s who of Sunset Strip survivors in the L.A. area such as Izzy Presley, Gilby Clarke, Howie Simon, Sean McNabb, Ace Von Johnson, Johnny Martin, Chad Stewart, Jacob Bunton and many more all paying tribute to Ace Frehley as they ripped through 90 minutes of Kiss classics and songs from Frehley\u2019s numerous solo efforts.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Ronnie
Ronnie Atkins of Pretty Maids<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After a day of hitting some of the local Hollywood touristy stops and eating a monster lunch at Langer\u2019s Deli (order the #19) it was on to pre-party #2 at the Avalon Friday night. Doors opened pretty early and the show kicked off with local favorites Mycah hitting the stage followed up by a terrific performance by Tyketto that garnered new fans from our group. The main attraction of the evening was a reunion performance by Rough Cutt who have rarely played together over the past 30 years. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed their early releases until hearing the songs again. Another great night and we haven\u2019t even boarded the ship yet. A stop at Mel\u2019s on Sunset for a late night meal and it was off to bed.<\/p>\n

Day 4 for us already and it is time to finally set sail. One of the more frustrating parts of these cruise vacations is the boarding process. It is just painfully slow. You arrive at the cruise port all amped up and ready to rock and then you have to stand in line for what feels like hours and hours before you can get your cruise cards and everything else you need to legitimize yourself. Monsterwood is the first of the Monsters of Rock cruises to leave out of Los Angeles, with the other five previously leaving from ports in Florida. The L.A. port in San Pedro was much smaller and easier to navigate through so the wait time to board was only about 90 minutes. It was definitely worth the wait for 4 days and nights of rock and roll on the high seas. Upon boarding, the Iron Maidens were already playing in the ship\u2019s atrium. Nothing more rock and roll than boarding a ship with \u201cTwo Minutes to Midnight\u201d blasting in the background.<\/p>\n

With 3,000 people on board, the NCL Pearl was ready to set sail, with one exception \u2013 we were still waiting for the Stowaways. Who are the Stowaways? This was advertised as a special guest unannounced band that was going to be the kick-off band for the Sail Away party as the ship was leaving the port. For a few days prior to sailing, rumors had been circulating who this band might be and after an hour delay, a reformed Ratt hit the pool deck stage to rock the ship into the sunset. Eddie Trunk introduced the band as \u201cI think you will recognize these guys\u201d since they are not legally allowed to use the name Ratt due to legal battles going on with drummer Bobby Blotzer. The band included Stephen Pearcy, Warren DeMartini, Juan Croucier and Carlos Cavazo with Jimmy Degrasso filling in on drums. Never been a huge Ratt fan myself; But, Stephen\u2019s voice was in great shape and it was a pretty solid performance. Due to the Stowaway\u2019s being on board, the ship left the pier about four hours late as everyone except Jimmy DeGrasso had to disembark before we sailed off into the night.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Loudness\"
Loudness<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once the Sail Away show starts on the pool deck, things begin to get crazy on these cruises. After you board the ship and you get to your room, there is a daily schedule with no less than 13 shows to choose from the first night along with plenty of other activities like Photo Meet and Greets, Q&A Sessions, Karaoke and Theme Parties along with the usual cruise bars, casino activity and more. So, you\u2019ve got some work to do to figure out what your itinerary is going to be for the rest of the night. The NCL Pearl had six stages rotating bands and other events throughout the days\/nights with the Stardust Theatre being the largest venue. One of the great things about these Monster cruises is the intimacy of the shows, even in the Theatre, where it was rarely full. There are so many shows going on at once that it\u2019s hard for any of the venues to really fill up. Sure, some of the bigger acts like Mr. Big will draw more fans, but everyone has their own favorites and Firehouse and Vain will still draw fans even though they are playing at the same time. 3,000 rockers spread out pretty well on these ships. On this first night, I caught shows by Kix, Mr. Big, Pretty Maids, LA Guns and Great White. One of the most anticipated shows of this cruise was seeing Pretty Maids for the first time. Hailing from Denmark, they have always been a closet favorite of mine since their EP came out in 1983. They rarely play in the US and it was awesome to see this band up close on the pool deck as we floated around the Pacific Ocean. On this night, others in our group went off to see Black N\u2019 Blue, Firehouse, Vain, Ted Poley, Slaughter and Rhino Bucket. Unfortunately due to a planning\/logistics issue (no equipment), one of the more highly anticipated shows of the night, the Cathouse Hookers Ball, featuring the Quireboys and Faster Pussycat was canceled. Day one in the books and we had an awesome time.<\/p>\n

\"monsterwood-marquee070115\"<\/p>\n

Sunday morning we woke up at the beautiful Catalina Island and ready to hit shore. After taking one of the tender boats to the island pier, we rented one of the slowest six person golf carts ever made and set out to tour the island. After touring around the island for a couple hours and literally pushing the golf cart up hills, it was time for a bit of shopping, a quick bite, and a beer and then back to the ship. While the ship was docked there were plenty of activities going on for those that didn\u2019t get off the ship with bands playing, more Meet and Greets and a 5K run with Sirius XM DJ Luc Carl. And of course, there are the pools and bars to just kick back and relax. Today\u2019s Sail Away show was by MORC favorites Kix. The bad boys from Maryland always put on a fun show and they always seem to be extra special out on the pool deck. The previous night in the theater they were great, but there\u2019s just something a bit more special about them playing on the pool deck. Steve Whiteman is one of the best and goofiest front men out there. With 16 shows to choose from along with all the other activities, day 2 provided a lot of entertainment and value for everyone on board. After setting sail I caught shows by Shark Island, Slaughter, Babylon A.D., Mike Tramp, Britny Fox, Richie Kotzen and Black N\u2019 Blue. The Richie Kotzen show in the Atrium was amazing and my 2nd favorite of the cruise. With killer vocals and massive guitar chops, Kotzen has garnered a slew of new fans by being on these MOR cruises as a solo artist and with the Winery Dogs. Other highlights of the night for me were Babylon A.D., who sounded very fresh and should have had a bigger career and a surprisingly great show by Britny Fox who had about 20 scantily clad nurses on stage as they ripped through \u201cGirlschool\u201d to close out their set. Others in our group went off to see Quiet Riot, an acoustic show by Conny Bloom from the Electric Boys, Vain, Tyketto, Vixen and Faster Pussycat. Hitting the rack about 3:00AM and day 3 is going to come pretty early as we land in Ensenada, Mexico.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Quireboys\"
Quireboys<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of my favorite parts of being on a cruise ship are the port stops and the different excursion types and opportunity to do activities that may not be available back home. Since all previous MOR cruises have been in the Caribbean, excursions were pretty easy to figure out as most of them either have something to do with being in or on the water as it is so beautiful there. The Pacific Ocean doesn\u2019t lend itself to these same type of excursions as the water is much colder and not as clear. Because of this, we avoided water activities and chose to take a bus tour around the area that landed us at the La Bufadora Blowhole south of the city. This overhyped tourist stop is nothing more than a few blocks of shops selling the same overpriced merchandise as pretty much every other tourist city in Mexico. We did have fun here doing some shopping and having plenty of cheap beers. I did pick up 3 killer Iron Maiden Eddie masks that will look awesome on the wall of our rock room. We got back on the ship early with just enough time to catch Loudness in the theater for a mid-afternoon show. Akira Takahashi is an incredible guitarist with amazing technical skills and Loudness simply crushed the few hundred MOR cruisers that chose to start the party early. The Sail Away show on the pool deck for day 3 was the Winery Dogs. They have been playing the MOR cruises for several years now and have always been one of my favorites to see. After the killer solo Richie Kotzen show on day 2, the Winery Dogs show seemed a bit dull and didn\u2019t pull me in at all. They are a great band, but I just wasn\u2019t feeling it. The rest of the night for me included shows by the Iron Maidens, Warrant, Autograph, Vixen and Steelheart. The highlight was easily the Steelheart show. They were fantastic and it is incredible to even think that the voice of the Rockstar movie, Milijenko Matijevic (Mili) can still hit all those high notes. Every song and every note was perfect. #3 show for me on this cruise. Others in our group went to see John Corabi, Great White, Mike Tramp, Eric Martin & Pat Torpey, Tuff and a very late night show by Britny Fox. 5 straight days of music so far and 50 shows to choose from. Remember when I mentioned \u201cSurvival of the Fittest\u201d? Day 4 will put that to the test as it is a full day out at sea with 37 different shows or other band related activities planned. Better get your sleep!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Steelheart\"
Steelheart<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Waking up early and the ship is already rocking and rolling as the wind has kicked up and the ocean is pretty active. A fairly kick back day today as we are in no real hurry to get moving. The first show is Shark Island at the pool deck at noon under the gloomy skies that were not in the forecast. Richard Black is great on vocals and the band is pretty tight considering they don\u2019t play together very often. Richard is quite the comedian on stage and the show is very enjoyable. Today we also get another shot at the London Quireboys who had to cancel earlier in the cruise as part of the Cathouse equipment fiasco on day 1. If you have no clue who the Quireboys are, they are a mix of early Rolling Stones (the good stuff), the Faces and Aerosmith. The enigmatic Spike on vocals leads this outfit from London England who quickly pulls you in with his smoky Rod Stewartesque vocals and his Steven Tyler swagger. Always a lot of fun to watch and listen to, the Quireboys always rank high on my list of must-see bands on these cruises. They are a fan favorite and can be found in every bar on the ship 24-hours a day. I don\u2019t think Spike ever sleeps. Buy him a shot of J\u00e4germeister and he will tell you plenty of great stories. The rest of the day for me included shows by Pretty Maids, Firehouse and LA Guns. And for some reason, I chose to play in a blackjack tournament that led to the derailment of the rest of my shows for the day. The Pretty Maids show in the theater was my #1 show of the cruise. They sounded great, it was intimate and up close and the set list order was better than the first show on day 1 as they ripped through several of my favorites. Others in our group went to the Atomic Punks, Winery Dogs, Rough Cutt, Rhino Bucket and Warrant. As the last night of the cruise was coming to a close we reflected back on how much fun these cruises are and how much real value we get out of them. Sure, they seem expensive on the surface, but when you total up all the shows you attend, plus the endless food options, lodging, and other fan related opportunities, the value is easy to understand. There is a reason why the majority of the MOR cruisers are repeat customers. The MOR cruise is truly a rock and roll vacation and so much more than just a bunch of concerts on a boat. We are on day 8 of our vacation and it\u2019s time to get off the ship and back on shore for more rock and roll as the party rolls out to the Sunset Strip in Hollywood with more shows on Wednesday and Thursday night.<\/p>\n

\"Warrant\"
Warrant<\/figcaption><\/figure>For months leading up to the cruise, Riki Rachtman, owner of the Hollywood nightclub the Cathouse, had been advertising 2 special shows celebrating the 30th anniversary of the infamous club (look it up). When tickets went on sale they sold out immediately and become a hot topic for discussion on Facebook. The shows were advertised as \u201cYou won\u2019t know which bands are playing until they hit the stage.\u201d The first show was set to go off at the Roxy on Sunset, Wednesday night, the same day the ship pulled back into the Los Angeles Harbor. If you were lucky enough to have a ticket for this show, you were treated to something really special. Only 1 person in our group had a ticket for the show at the Roxy that featured performances by Kings of Spade, Gilby Clark, Jetboy, Junkyard, Little Caesar, Faster Pussycat and a surprising performance by Twisted Sister. Don\u2019t know how Riki pulled off having TS close out this show, but that is some cool shit. All of this was for a $30 ticket price. Amazing and a great job by Riki.<\/p>\n

The last Cathouse show ever was being held Thursday night at the Whiskey a Go Go on Sunset. Everyone in our group was able to get tickets for this show and we were treated to an opening set by Frankie and the Studs followed up by Rhino Bucket, Bang Tango, L.A. Guns, Faster Pussycat, Buckcherry and an all-star tribute to Lemmy Kilmister to close out the night. L.A. Guns featured a return to the band by founder and lead guitarist Tracii Guns who are recording new music and heading out on tour together in 2017. The all-star jam in honor of Lemmy featured Gilby Clark, Shooter Jennings, Damon Johnson, Ricky Warwick, Corey Parks, Sean McNabb, Riki Rachtman and Tiny Biusso. As with the first night, Riki put this show together for the fans with a $30 ticket price. No media, no guest list, no freebies. You either bought a ticket or you were not getting in. I respect that and appreciate the hard work that went in to putting this 2-day 30th-anniversary celebration together in two of Hollywood\u2019s most iconic music venues. I feel quite privileged to have been able to attend the last Cathouse show. After 8 straight days of music and over 40 shows, sadly, it was time to call it a night and an end to the Monsterwood \u2013 Monsters of Rock cruise 2016. <\/p>\n

We had a very long, yet rewarding and amazing time. We made new friends, met up with old friends and introduced some in our group to new music. We went to over 40 shows, checked off Pretty Maids from my bucket list and attended the last ever Cathouse show. It was worth every penny we paid for our rock and roll vacation.<\/p>\n

Keep an eye on the MORC website for information regarding 2017 and 2018 cruises: www.monstersofrockcruise.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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