Back in March of 2013, Decibel Geek writer Rich
"Meister" Dillon attended the Monsters of Rock Cruise. But, his
reporting on the events and artists of this tour-de-rock on the seas goes back
further than that. Remembering how great a time he had on the 2012 Cruise,
Meister started his "Views of the Cruise" series in advance,
interviewing artists that would be aboard as well as giving previews of the
bands playing. Of course, while on the cruise, Meister kept a diary and
reported back to us at DBG headquarters. In all, the Views of the Cruise series
swelled to 19 volumes!
Aaron and Chris were so impressed with Rich's amazing
documentation of the MOR Cruise that we wanted to give our listeners a
first-hand account from Meister himself. So, Rich sent us his Monsters of Rock
Cruise Top 20 Memories and we got him on the horn (ie. Skype) from Canada to
recount his days of debauchery on the high seas. Below you will see the actual
Top 20 that Meister sent us so you can read along with us as we recount his
Monsters of Rock Cruise Memories.
20-The
whole damn thing!
19-JSRG(Vixen)-The biggest pleasant surprise of the cruise. They were astoundingly
awesome at the pre party show. I did not expect them to rock like that! Gina is
an excellent guitar player and there was a decided absence of the keyboards
that make the records kind of flaccid. Their pool stage set was the same
although you could see they were tired (it was a 1am show). These girls kicked
my ass!
18-The
guy at the pool party who started at a $20 offer for my 20 year old Four Horsemen t-shirt and was up to $115 when his wife dragged him away. Talking to
same guy at Saxon pool deck show, laughing about shirt I pass him a card and he
stops and looks at me and says "are you The Meister? I've been following
your blog!" Holy crap....lol
17-Helix-my
fellow countrymen always put on a great show and they rocked the Zebra Lounge
Set on the last day.
16-Keel-both
of their shows aboard ship in the Theatre and Zebra Lounge. Awesome band live.
Other performers often join the stage for Right to Rock-Zebra was Steve Riley
and Lita Ford, theatre was Oz Fox, Brian Vollmer, Ted Poley and Jason McMaster.
Many pics from all players too and autographed set list.
15-Making
tons of new friends in the rock & roll party environment and meeting and
chatting however briefly with performers like Jason McMaster, Share Ross, Nikki
Blakk, Russ Dwarf, Brian, Kaleb and Fritz of Helix, Lorraine Lewis, Courtney
Cox, Graham Bonnet, Nigel, Biff, Doug and Paul of Saxon, Dave Meniketti, Gina
Stile, Georg and Brian of Rhino Bucket, Maz Mazza, Pat Fontaine and of course
Ron, Dwain, Geno, Brian and Marc of Keel.
14-Alcatrazz-also
a surprise. They were quite good both shows in the theatre and the Zebra. I
would certainly go see them again if I had the opportunity.
13-TNT-their
show in the theatre was surprisingly awesome. I was not sure what to expect and
they were great. I caught a bit of their second set another day in the Zebra
Lounge and they were not as good. Singer Tony Mills looked angry or drunk not
sure.
12-My
"in progress" sleeve tattoo-a guitar case with all my favourite band
logos. Keel, Saxon, Russ Dwarf and Helix all took pictures of their logo and
asked for pics when it's finished. Dave Meniketti looked unimpressed, but he
was extremely drunk at the time.
11-Having
the pleasure of introducing Dwain Miller (Keel drummer) to his hero, Nigel
Glockler (Saxon drummer). A fun night drinking with Nigel and Biff and Doug of
Saxon, Dave Meniketti, Ron, Geno and Dwain of Keel. Watching the two drummers
chat and also watching Ron Keel interview Biff Byford for his radio show.
10-DangerousToys-closing the pool stage. Many are putting them up as the best show on the
boat, incredible, yes but I think Saxon was better. I was distracted by beers
and a young lady during this set however, so I may not have been paying full
attention.
9-The
Mojito Bar-on the top deck this is the spot to be late at night after all the
performances as cruisers and performers alike drink until the wee hours,
especially on the last night aboard ship.
8-Loudness-I
only caught half to 3/4 of this show on the pool deck and I'm not a huge fan of
their newer material, but they were unbelievably tight and Akira Takasaki's
solos were blistering. They sounded awesome. Also a highlight-Akira Takasaki's
hair!
7-Breasts-A
young lady asking me to autograph her breasts before the first Saxon show. I
don't know if she thought I was someone important, but I happily obliged. Also
another young lady in a teal blue bathing suit exposing her magnificent breasts
to a crowd of male onlookers during Cinderella and friends!
6-Y&T-their
show the first night on the pool deck is something I have long looked forward
to, tragically missing them last year. They were blistering and as their latest
album says, Facemelting. Also leaning on front of stage for this show.
5-The
AC/DC Beer Can Guy-this is a bit of nonsense, but still fun and a cool idea.
AC/DC marketed a beer and this guy has started a FB page and is taking the
empty AC/DC brand beer can to see the world. I met the can and had my pic with
it. It has been as far as the south pole to date.
4-RhinoBucket-both of their shows in the small Zebra and Pigalle Lounges were
flawless. Straight ahead rock, no gimmicks, call themselves "The last real
rock & roll band". Got Forsythe pics and drumstick at Zebra show.
3-The
island of Coco Cay-I'm not an overly "beach type" of guy, but this
place was beautiful and quiet, private for our cruise ship. It was great to see
stars like members of Helix, Keel, Queensryche, Wendy Dio, Loudness, Femme
Fatale and others enjoying themselves on the beach.
2-Keel-riding
in a limo with 3 of them to watch their rehearsal prior to cruising and singing
a line of Speed Demon with Ron and later Right to Rock with Brian Jay. Totally
incredible day!
1-Saxon-their
show on the pool deck on Sunday-I was front row, leaning on the stage and lost
my voice after that show. They were awesome, borderline erotic!
If you've been won over, book your spot on the 2014 Monsters of Rock Cruse HERE!
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