There’s something to be said for spending seven days at sea, watching and mingling with artists that revive well-worn memories of days gone by when terrestrial radio was king and soothing sounds were only a flick of a knob away. So credit StarVista Live, a champion of the theme cruise industry with sharing that sentiment and making its mark in the nostalgia niche with a number of themed cruises designed to pique the interests of those whose lives were nurtured by the sounds and sentiments of decades-gone-by.
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The company offers an array of outings — among them, The Malt Shop Cruise, a disco cruise, a ‘60s Flower Power cruise, and most recently, acquisition of Delbert McClinton’s Sandy Beaches Cruise — but Rock and Romance decidedly holds its own both in terms of the artists involved and capturing the appreciation of its audiences. It boasted an especially auspicious group of headliners — John Lodge of the Moody Blues, America, Todd Rundgren, Don Felder, former member of the Eagles, Ambrosia, Edgar Winter, Jefferson Starship, Stephen Bishop, Rita Coolidge, John Ford Coley, Jason Scheff of Chicago, Randy Bachman, Pablo Cruise, and for a one night special appearance, Cheap Trick — and with them, memories of AM radio, high school romance and sunnier times well reflect by the warm glow (mostly) of the Caribbean Sea in mid February. Yes, the ship rocked at times, but other than the insistent motion of the waves and complaints that Cheap Trick were too loud (really??), it was a smooth voyage all round.
American Songwriter was present for the proceedings and managed to capture the comments of several of the headliners during onboard question and answer sessions and sit down interviews. Here’s some of what was said:
America’s Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell took the opportunity to share their astonishment at the fact that 50 years had passed the trio (which originally included the late Dan Peek) convened as a group of like-minded army brats in London before striking immediate success with such early hits as “Horse With No Name,” “Sandman” and “I Need You.” However they cautioned that their current multi-city outing ought not be misconstrued.
“When we started this 50th anniversary tour, a lot of people misinterpreted it as our final farewell,” Beckley said. “Really, it’s just the kick-off for the next 50 years.”
“We’ve been doing his together most of our lives,” Bunnell added. “The first 25 years went so quickly. And now, 25 years after that, we often wonder, where did the time go?”
“Our intention is always to do a great show,” Beckley continued. “We don’t phone in it. The thing is, we have to. We can’t fall back on an America tribute band because there isn’t one.”
“In 50 years, we’ve never stopped touring,” Bunnell added. “It’s incredible really. We just keep moving on.”
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Randy Bachman added a liberal amount of commentary to his performance, which included hits spanning his early years with the Guess Who to his later career as part of Bachman Turner Overdrive. He also shared an interesting bit of trivia. When the band that would eventually evolve into the Guess Who sent out its initial pressings of their first foray, “Shakin’ All Over,” to radio stations and record label, they hadn’t yet come up with a name. So they wrote on the white labels that graced the 45s, “Guess Who” because they had no better way to identify themselves.
“That’s all we could come up with for a name,” Bachman recalled. Ironically, the tag stuck.
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Cheap Trick obviously don’t take themselves or, for that matter, anyone else too seriously. When they arrived on the ship for their one night/two performance stint, they appeared to be generally indifferent during their freewheeling Q&A session. Guitarist Rick Nielsen did most of the talking, such as it was, while his bandmates — singer Robin Zander, bassist Tom Petersson, Neilsen’s drummer son Dax and Zander’s kid Robin Taylor Zander — mostly sat silent or offered an occasional offhanded remark.
Asked how they were feeling at the moment, Nielsen said simply, “I feel sick.” “I always feel sick,” Zander replied.
An attempt at changing the mood proved insufficient. They were asked to remark about the fact that the band seemed to achieve recognition so soon after their early album, the landmark Live at Budokan, was released in the States.
“It was really overnight success,” Nielsen said sarcastically. “Our first album came out in 1973 and we made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 40 years later.”
So does that mean that the band can rest on their laurels? Apparently not. It was mentioned that the band has a new album — their third in four years, Dax Nielsen mentioned — and that making new music is something the band continues to do unabated.
“What, are you trying to get us to split up,” Nielsen replied with mock outrage. “You’re a real ball buster.”
“We’re going in a new direction,” Dax insisted. “We’re going to delve into Scandinavian death metal.”
“We’ve never improved,” the elder Nielsen insisted.
That said, the band did earn the respect of the late Beatles producer George Martin, who called Cheap Trick the best band he had worked with since the Fab Four.
“He must have liked us,” Nielsen mused. “He came up to Wisconsin in February to watch us rehearse. I guess we should have been nicer to him.”
Nielsen said that the band still maintains a busy road schedule and estimates that Cheap Trick has performed close to 6,000 shows to date. “It’s more than the Beach Boys,” he mused.
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Cheap Trick aside, Todd Rundgren was easily the most irreverent entertainer to make his way onboard the cruise’s host ship, the Celebrity Infinity. Of course, Rundgren is known for keeping a close connections with his fans, much of which stems from his natural affinity and off the wall humor. His show was littered with impromptu covers — “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by the Proclaimers, Melanie’s delightful little ditty “Brand New Key” and the stoner anthem, “Don’t Bogart That Joint.” At one point he did one of his trademark leaps, slipped and landed on his back. When the audience gasped at his dilemma, he shouted back, “I’m on a ship!”
After all, the waves rock as much as the performers.
“This is a regular thing for me,” Todd said of his billing in the line-up. “I’m always added after the show is sold out. I guess they’re afraid I’m going to have a bad effect on the sales. Maybe like I’m someone who swam to get on the ship.
Professing his admiration for the somewhat sullied Cheap Trick, Rundgren promised his performance would prove unpredictable. “There are songs you expect, some you don’t expect, and maybe some songs you’ve never heard. Some songs you’ll never hear because the bands aren’t around anymore.”
During the interview, Rundgren took time to cite his influences. Growing up in Philadelphia, he absorbed the sounds of soul and R&B. “Philly was the Mason Dixon Line of music. The further south you went, the more white the music became. Radio wouldn’t play R&B. My dad didn’t like so-called ‘jungle music’ played around the house. So I grew up listening to classical music and show tunes. Then came the Beatles. They didn’t know how to write music but they changed the model of the pop song. They were the first group where people knew everyone’s name. There was no front man. They made it possible for a plain-looking guy like me to find three other guys, especially those who could afford their own equipment and help write our own material.”
Despite all he has to be proud of in disown 50 year career, Todd is surprisingly modest. “I don’t necessarily feel pride in what I’ve done in the past,” Rundgren noted when asked if he ever reflects on his work. “I don’t look backwards. I used to be so shit on, and I don’t want to be on the defensive anymore. I look for challenges with any present project, and I’m proud that I choose to take them on. I’ve come up with some unusual concepts but time as borne out the validity. Even if I was dissatisfied, I couldn’t go back in time and remake whatever albums that didn’t meet expectations. I chuck it up to a learning experience. It’s not like you can go back to school and do it all over again.”
Photo courtesy of Alisa B. Cherry
