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Matt DiRito of Pop Evil
REVIEW: SHIPROCKED 2012 DAY 1 – 11/27/2012
Gweedo
First rule of ShipRocked: Don’t talk about ShipRocked.
Second rule of ShipRocked: There are no rules!
With that out of the way, let’s get to what we can talk about – the bands. This is my second year attending ShipRocked, and it is addictive to say the least. For the Colorado folks, I would compare it to Rock Jam except on a boat. Sailing from Ft. Lauderdale, FL on the MSC Poesia, this year took us to Key West, FL and Nassau, Bahamas. There was a stellar lineup to accompany everyone – Godsmack, Korn, Five Finger Death Punch, P.O.D., Sevendust, Filter, Fuel, 10 Years, Pop Evil, Lit, Helmet, In This Moment, Geoff Tate, The Halo Method, Gilby Clarke, The Letter Black, Pianotarium, and Andy Wood along with a slew of special guests that I’ll mention throughout the reviews. This year was an epic year for ShipRocked. This was the first year that the entire boat was occupied by ShipRockers. How can you tell me that a boat full of rockers is a bad time? You just can’t.
Gweedo
First rule of ShipRocked: Don’t talk about ShipRocked.
Second rule of ShipRocked: There are no rules!
With that out of the way, let’s get to what we can talk about – the bands. This is my second year attending ShipRocked, and it is addictive to say the least. For the Colorado folks, I would compare it to Rock Jam except on a boat. Sailing from Ft. Lauderdale, FL on the MSC Poesia, this year took us to Key West, FL and Nassau, Bahamas. There was a stellar lineup to accompany everyone – Godsmack, Korn, Five Finger Death Punch, P.O.D., Sevendust, Filter, Fuel, 10 Years, Pop Evil, Lit, Helmet, In This Moment, Geoff Tate, The Halo Method, Gilby Clarke, The Letter Black, Pianotarium, and Andy Wood along with a slew of special guests that I’ll mention throughout the reviews. This year was an epic year for ShipRocked. This was the first year that the entire boat was occupied by ShipRockers. How can you tell me that a boat full of rockers is a bad time? You just can’t.
Sully Erna of Godsmack
As you boarded MSC Poesia, Pianotarium was being played by Scott D. Davis at the center of the ship. Now was the time to get your hands on the oh-so-important drink tickets, find your room, and grab a bit to eat. The voyage was kicked off by a special performance by Godsmack on the new Monster Energy Deck Stage. Located on the upper deck of the ship, this stage was built bigger than the previous stage to accommodate the bigger bands and had one of the pools covered for standing room. There was a long thorough sound check by the band but what ensued was totally worth it. Their acoustic set had the best sounding acoustic guitars I have ever heard at a concert. Even with all the sound checking, they still ended up having issues with microphones and guitars. It was a very raw, candid performance, and I loved every minute of it. The lead singer, Sully Erna, confessed that this was his first time on a cruise and was ready to have a blast with the fans. This was the best performance I’ve seen from Godsmack because it was so fun and different. There were a lot of people that came out to stand on the deck, sit in the hot tubs, and line the railings just to see them. They also played some well-done covers of Doobie Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles. The set list seemed to be very off-the-cuff. For a few songs, Sully hopped in a little percussion area with congas and cymbals. Much of the time, he was on an acoustic guitar. There was an awesome edition of “Voodoo” where he played the opening drum part on various parts of his guitar. Toward the end, Sully finally got mad about his microphone problems, guitars crackling, and the lack of prompt drink service.
 Robbie Merrill of Godsmack |  Sully Erna of Godsmack |
Before 10 Year's set.
After Godsmack, there was a VIP Cocktail Party and a Singles Mixer. I opted to check out more bands. Regrettably, I didn’t get to see much of the next few bands. 10 Years took the stage next, and they sounded decent. They moved about the stage quite a bit and had a lot of energy. That was my first time seeing them, but I only got to hear a couple songs. Their crowd dwindled as I, and others, made our way towards the bottom of the ship to get in line for Five Finger Death Punch. While in line, you could watch The Letter Black play in the Zebra Lounge or, as I like to call it, the Feedback Bleeding Ears Lounge. This was the first year that this lounge was utilized, and I hope that the sound will be fixed in the future. Despite the bad acoustics and overpowered speakers, what little I saw of The Letter Black was impressive. Lead singer Sarah Anthony is very attractive and talented, but it was hard to see the band because of the low the stage and the amount of people gathered around. They had a decent crowd, if you don’t count the people standing in line. The guitar seemed a little off beat, but due to the sound, it was hard to tell if that was actually the case.
 Jesse Hasek of 10 Years |  Sarah Anthony of The Letter Black |
Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch
Five Finger Death Punch made their ShipRocked debut in the seated Carlo Felice. This was a nice theater with comfy theater seats – not the best for a Five Finger Death Punch show. Despite seating, the acoustics were great, and they had an awesome show. This was another raw and candid show that makes you feel like you witnessed something one of a kind. Due to the limited seating in the venue, the concert was simulcast for people to watch on the upper deck – a cool new feature this year. Lead singer Ivan Moody brought some kids from the crowd up on stage and had them give everyone the middle finger. He also mentioned that he couldn’t believe they would have their show in a seated area. 5FDP rocked really hard and was one of the best performances I’ve seen from them. Newly acquired bassist Chris Kael killed it. 5FDP was able to get a small mosh pit going at the front of the stage. Moody, not being one to follow rules, repeatedly threw bottles of water into the crowd against the no beverage policy of the theater. One flaw with the show was they did an acoustic song, and Jason Hook's guitar didn't sound good. I suspect that something happened to it during transit because there was an awful lot of buzzing. Beyond that, it was a cool addition. Since there was no band to follow on this stage, they played a lot of songs. Most of the theater was filled, even with an upper balcony, but towards the end of the set, people started peeling off to catch some of the overlapping concerts.
 Jason Hook of Five Finger Death Punch |  Zoltan Bathory of Five Finger Death Punch |
Lajon Witherspoon & Morgan Rose
While I was enjoying some Five Finger Death Punch, Pop Evil was playing a set over in a small venue called the Pigalle Lounge. As you exited 5FDP, In This Moment had taken the stage of the Zebra Lounge and had about a quarter of their set left to play. From what I got to hear, they played quite a few songs from their latest album, Blood. These guys were a big reason I hopped on this cruise. I’ve seen them every chance I get, and this go around, it seemed like their stage production had increased. They all had costumes and makeup that looked really good. Of course, with this lounge, the sound was not great. Also, singer Maria Brink’s voice was very raspy, as though she may have been sick or just needed it rested. They played one of my favorite songs, “The Gun Show”, and Maria’s signature scream just wasn’t very strong. Again, it was hard to see the stage due to the venue, but it seemed like there was a lot of down time while Maria swapped outfits. However, there was a very cool sequence where she shadow danced and sang.
John Connolly of Sevendust
On the upper deck, at the Monster Energy Deck Stage, third year veteran Sevendust did what they do best – Rocked! Somehow, they played even better than when I saw them last year on the boat. Their live show is always great and full of energy. They have a lot of respect in the music industry, and that is partly due to the respect they give. Singer Lajon Witherspoon expressed their appreciation of the fans and acknowledged that, without them, they couldn’t pay the bills. They had a big crowd for their late night performance that even saw the likes of various other band members. Bassist Vince Hornsby was bouncing all around as usual, and Morgan Rose was doing great behind the drumset with his signature backing vocals.
A. Jay Popoff of Lit
The night was not over after Sevendust. Drinking continued by all and A. Jay Popoff of Lit DJed a late night deck party. I didn’t know what to expect, but it was cool. He set up a little booth by one of the bars and did some of his own mixes that included some classic rock songs. Everyone seemed to be having a great time that extended past 3am. After some late night eats, people started fading back to their cabins in preparation for the next day of mayhem. This was a great start to this year’s ShipRocked.
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