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REVIEW: SHIPROCKED 2014 DAY 1 1/26/2014
Gweedo
Finally! After a long wait it was time for ShipRocked 2014. This was a very special year because there were new locations, a new boat, and new dates. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pearl was our new vessel which took us to the private island of Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas for two days. Our port was out of Miami, FL. Due to the new ship and location our trip was from 1/26 to 1/30. This was a much welcomed change. I and others that I talked to were much happier on the Pearl. Even the boarding process was quicker and smoother. My comrade and I got on as soon as we could to partake in some beverages and food. It was nice to get comfortable on the boat before the schedule ran your life.
Gweedo
Finally! After a long wait it was time for ShipRocked 2014. This was a very special year because there were new locations, a new boat, and new dates. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pearl was our new vessel which took us to the private island of Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas for two days. Our port was out of Miami, FL. Due to the new ship and location our trip was from 1/26 to 1/30. This was a much welcomed change. I and others that I talked to were much happier on the Pearl. Even the boarding process was quicker and smoother. My comrade and I got on as soon as we could to partake in some beverages and food. It was nice to get comfortable on the boat before the schedule ran your life.
 Insurance to get you back. |  The balcony. |
As we set sail from Miami, veteran ShipRockers, Five Finger Death Punch took the Monster Energy Deck Stage. I can’t think of a better way to kick off this voyage. They rocked so hard! Their performance was fantastic. Five Finger Death Punch was the only band playing which helped pack the upper decks. Somewhere there’s a physics equation to explain how we didn’t capsize that boat with so much metal on top. A mosh pit even broke out on the covered pool, which was a no no. Lead singer Ivan Moody brought on stage a little girl from the front row name Ocean to do a little rocking. She was very cute and shy. Bassist Chris Kael has been making some big waves in the band being the King of Twitter. He’s been trying his damnedest to positively affect lives while secretly raising an army. Lots of people on the boat were wearing Kael Army shirts with a Kiss Army inspired design. Mr. Kael is a bad ass humble guy.
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After the Five Finger Death Punch workout, hunger struck. With a little break in the concert schedule we used the opportunity to check out the sit down restaurant Indigo. That was really cool. You just went in and everything on the menu was free so we had a great three course meal. The portions were a little small which was fine by me because I didn’t want to feel really stuffed and go hit a bunch of concerts. The wait staff was great. They were very friendly and enjoyed joking around with you. We ended up missing Young Guns and Aranda during this time and prepping for the next show.
The next show we made it to was In This Moment. They were playing in the Stardust Theater and had a lot of energy. This was one of their better performances. Singer Maria Brink did a WAY better job with her costume changes. This was a great improvement because the delay before really took away from the show. The thing I would love for them to change is to not have so much fog! In This Moment are on a very theatrical kick right now but you mostly look at a wall of smoke the whole time. You mostly see Maria Brink but she has a fantastic backing band that never gets showcased. Drummer Tom Hane had a killer drum solo but you could barely see him. There were lots of people at the show. Brink had two girls dancing next to her. It was alright but unnecessary. I think they need to sell more rock and less sex. My other bother is the poppy head set that Brink started using. I really miss her old mic stands.
During In This Moment I missed performances by Black Stone Cherry and American Fangs. I caught a chunk of Nonpoint on the Monster Energy Deck Stage. It was really good but a small crowd. After that I headed over to see Three Days Grace in the Stardust Theater. It was the quality performance you would expect. Most of the boat was at this show. I was a little jaded by the performance because it was the exact same show I’ve seen from them throughout last year. Same stage and same set list. I just wish they would mix it up a little bit. But beyond that it was a great show for someone that doesn’t go to a ton of shows like I do. I also stopped by Butcher Babies at the Headbanger Wine Spinnaker Lounge. It was very good with a small crowd. The venue was a bit of a pain because it was really hard to see the artists since they were pretty much on the same level as the crowd. At the exact same time No Fun Intended was playing so I did not make it to their set.
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This was a fantastic first day. As with any year of ShipRocked you are overwhelmed with concerts and activities which thwarts any kind of a dull moment. I indulged a little too much throughout the day so my evening was cut shorter than I would have liked. This caused me to miss The Halo Method, Hells Belles Burlesque, the comedy sets, and DJ Lippy Rage. But the point of this boat is to cut loose and go with the flow so no regrets. Day one down three to go!!
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