Rock and Romance, 80s Cruise, and my other 2024 music adventures

[NinS]

An email just came in about the fall '25 Soul Train Cruise. It said that Charlie Wilson had been added, which certainly makes me more interested in going. It also said this about this cruise, which will get either a red or green light in June:

 

"We want to thank you for your continued support of this cruise. MANY of you have already shown your enthusiasm by pre-booking your spot for Fall 2025, but we still need your help to make this a reality! Please continue to share the news with your friends and family, and if you haven’t yet, make sure you book your spot soon!"

 

 

[Honolulu Blue]

22 hours ago, NinS said:

An email just came in about the fall '25 Soul Train Cruise. It said that Charlie Wilson had been added, which certainly makes me more interested in going. It also said this about this cruise, which will get either a red or green light in June:

 

"We want to thank you for your continued support of this cruise. MANY of you have already shown your enthusiasm by pre-booking your spot for Fall 2025, but we still need your help to make this a reality! Please continue to share the news with your friends and family, and if you haven’t yet, make sure you book your spot soon!"

Thanks for the note.  Mr. Wilson doesn't move the needle for me, so I'll continue to say "Sorry, Charlie".  🤣 This reference has a double meaning, which may be before your time.  I bet @George C knows what I mean - not that he cares. 🙃

 

While I have everyone's attention, a few notes:

 

• So far I've received 7 update e-mails from Jazz Cruises HQ about the upcoming McDonald LaBelle Cruise.  They've all been mildly helpful and somewhat interesting.
• Today's Weekender newsletter has more notes about the MLC.  Here's a direct quote (emphasis mine):

This event is a “One-Time Only” cruise, however. My guess is that we will try to do something like this again….perhaps soon.

Hmmmm.... we'll have to see what they come up with.

• The MLC has been declared fully reserved
• @NinS favorite Sheila E. was mentioned elsewhere in the newsletter.  I'm looking forward to seeing her on The 80s Cruise next year.
• TEC is noting that they're over 80% reserved for 2025.  That sounds good, until you go over to the Star Trek Cruise site and they're saying that they're over 95% booked. 😮

Edited April 6 by Honolulu Blue

[Honolulu Blue]

The weather looks nearly perfect for a mid week Bahamian getaway. Miami should be in the low 80s for highs and down in the 70s for lows with little chance for rain. Nassau is similar for our days there, though there is a chance of rain Thursday afternoon. We may or may not have left by then. 🙏

Edited April 9 by Honolulu Blue

[NinS]

Have a great cruise! I was surprised (given the short length) to see Lazaroff doing one of his Q&As. If you make it (and the 9:30AM start time would likely make it quite an if) I wonder if he'll offer more hints about possible short cruises. I also noticed that an earlier version of the schedule had Ms. LaBelle coming back on the ship on the second Nassau day to do an interview with Marcus Miller, but that's been scratched.

[Honolulu Blue]

1 hour ago, NinS said:

Have a great cruise! I was surprised (given the short length) to see Lazaroff doing one of his Q&As. If you make it (and the 9:30AM start time would likely make it quite an if) I wonder if he'll offer more hints about possible short cruises. I also noticed that an earlier version of the schedule had Ms. LaBelle coming back on the ship on the second Nassau day to do an interview with Marcus Miller, but that's been scratched.

Thanks! I hope I'm shown a good time by everyone.

 

Going to Mr. Lazaroff's newsletter release is a priority of mine. 9:30 isn't a problem for me. I'm almost always up well before then. I'll take notes and try to relay the news about any new one-off cruises when I can. I won't have ship internet on this cruise, so it might be a few days before I can report what goes on. By then you might have seen the newsletter in person and gotten the news from there.

 

I didn't see the earlier versions of the schedule, so I never saw the interview with Ms. LaBelle on it. I have to say I'm a little disappointed that there isn't one on the current schedule. Perhaps they'll add one at the last minute, when we're onboard?🙏

Edited April 9 by Honolulu Blue

[Honolulu Blue]

Yesterday I received my government mandated compensation for my week of jury duty. As one of @NinS's favorite philosophers might say, it ain't much, just enough to buy a drink or two on this upcoming cruise, should I want to do that.

[Honolulu Blue]

Since I have some time and decent Internet here in Nassau today, I'll give you a report on my first two days onboard. I'll split them into three posts.

 

Day 1 - embarkation 

 

I had a delay with the flight down, but made it to the port in thr nick of time. The nice thing about getting there very late (just before 2) 🫨 is that there were very short lines to get on the ship.

 

Eventually I did get on. After I got used to quirks of NCL and the Pearl, I settled down and unpacked. This was the embarkation day newsletter:

 

 

I stopped by coffee shop O'Sheehans for an early lunch. This is their 24 hour dining stop with sit down meals. I liked this place. I would later have my breakfasts there.

 

On this day I had BBQ chicken wings, a hamburger and fries, and carrot cake. The wings were very good and large. I recommend them if you happen to be in the area.

 

 

I liked the burger and fries too, though Mr. Fieri casts a long shadow. 

 

 

I finished most of my food, but it was all too much! I waddled back to the cabin and almost immediately fell asleep. It had been a long day. 

 

That nap meant that I missed these guys performing in the main theater.

 

 

Comedian Alonzo Bodden is on the left, with fellow comedian George Wallace on the right.

 

By the time I woke up it was too late to watch the livestream or indeed do much of anything. Sorry!

[Honolulu Blue]

Day 2 - Michael L., Alonzo, George, Patti, and Michael M.

 

The seas were choppy much of the time on our way to Nassau. We were only doing 9 knots or so, but we were bucking 15 plus knot head winds. 

 

The first activity of the day was what was advertised as a newsletter reading from our fearless leader Michael Lazaroff. It wasn't exactly that. This week's newsletter isn't written yet, so we received paper copies of last week's newsletter if we wanted them, and Michael (he told me to call him Michael when I talked to him) told the story of how he and his mom started the private music charter business. It's a great story and maybe I'll find time to tell it properly sometime. 

 

After his story and discussion about the other cruises from Jazz Cruises, he left time for questions from the audience. And there was quite an audience, I thought - over 50 people gathered to listen to the music charter god speak.

 

 

Here are the most interesting things he said:

 

* For @NinS: future one off cruises weren't discussed at all. I didn't ask because it seems they have their hands full with the cruises they have now. 

* Journey of Jazz looks to be a permanent addition to the Jazz Cruises portfolio 

* They're working on itineraries for 2026 and 2027

* The only possible opening Michael saw and discussed for 2025 was booking another cruise (Smooth Jazz or Journey) on the Summit back to Vancouver after its trip to LA

* There's currently 2400 people on the Smooth Jazz waiting list

* It's much more difficult to add a ship than we think. Most ships have to be pulled from regular duty in order to be chartered, and there has to be enough room in the main theater for half the expected passengers - among other considerations 

* He noted that the Norwegian Pearl is a full time charter for NCL - which he respected 

* The switch from HAL to Celebrity's M class ships came because the latter ships have better facilities and, with the refurbishment, competitive cabins

* Samara Joy will be on some of the cruises in 2026. They tend to rotate lead singers, even the most popular ones.

* They'd like to go back to Europe sometime- preferably in the Med and most likely on a luxury line

 

I took a minute to talk to Michael after his performance to tell him about my charter cruise history and thank him for his service to the cause. He seemed nice, very approachable. I saw him just outside the main theater before Ms. LaBelle's performance. He looked busy, so I didn't approach him. I doubt he noticed.

 

Soon after, I went to the pool to see a small part of Marcus Miller's interview with Michael McDonald by the pool. I found no seats and very little space by the stage. This one shot is the best of the lot:

 

 

Mr. McDonald is on the right, fir those who didn't know.

 

In the afternoon, I attended the session in the Spinnaker Lounge where Alonzo Bodden and George Wallace interviewed each other, and also took a few questions from the crowd.

 

And boy, what a crowd it was. We filled the lounge.

 

 

My seat was very poor. I could hear them well enough, but I could only see a little bit of Mr. Wallace:

 

 

Despite all the challenges,  I had a great time here. This was good comedy that really hit the spot.

 

Evening approached and I went to the Patti LaBelle concert about half an hour early. I got decent seats on the main floor,  though a bit off to the side.

 

She had a very big crew accompanying her - between backup singers, a trombonist, and the more normal instruments, there were at least a dozen people to help jer out.

 

 

Patti put on a good show. She didn't play New Attitude,  which was disappointing, but she was really fun to watch. She mentioned her birthday (May 24). A gentleman never discusses a lady's age, but it raised my eyebrows. I guess she has been around a while.

 

 

After the show I went back to my cabin and ordered room service. I ordered a hamburger and a fruit plate. It was quite good, worth the $12 tariff. 

 

Morning came and now we're here. I did one quick test of the Net. It feels faster than this.

 

 

The Carnival Legend and MSC Seaside have joined us:

 

 

 

I'll do a more complete report of my day in Nassau tomorrow. Thanks fir stopping by.

Edited April 12 by Honolulu Blue

[Honolulu Blue]

I have a long time to spend at MIA waiting for my flight. I've done some other things on my to do list, and now it's time to catch up on my day in Nassau. 

 

From the ship, I took a walk through the center of Nassau's terminal area. Nice amphitheater. 

 

 

I did some stuff, and then I went souvenir hunting. There was only one store selling trinkets and their prices I thought were high. So I gritted my teeth and headed outside the gated area to two shops that looked like they held bargains. There were some vendors hawking tours and such, but also some police nearby. They didn't bother me. At one of the shops I bought a magnet and a couple of postcards. They're kind of my thing to pick up, especially at places I haven't been to before. I paid a fair price for these, certainly no great bargain.

 

I then moved back inside the safety of the port area. I felt a few drops of rain at this point. Nothing was sustained and my clothes didn't come close to getting wet.

 

From there I moved back to the ship. I thought it looked pretty good from outside. 

 

 

Later I attended what was billed as George Wallace hosting gambling lessons in the casino. That's not quite what it was.

 

What really happened is that George discussed gambling, played a few hands of blackjack (with phony chips; we were just leaving Nassau and the casino wasn't quite ready to take real money bets) and maybe went off in search of the ship's craps table.

 

 

On the way there he took selfies with the fans that wanted one. Some did, and I did too. I'm too camera ahy to post it here, so you'll have to settle for this:

 

 

A couple of hours passed and it was time for me to attend the Michael McDonald concert. Again I left the cabin about a half hour early and got a decent seat in about the same location as yesterday. I didn't see the other Michael this time.

 

Mr. McDonald put on a very good show. He played a mix of Doobies songs, solo stuff, Motown tunes, and even some gospel. The fans were pleased. The lady to my immediate right was even more of a fan of him than I was.

 

 

He also had a big band surrounding him, including bassist/music director Marcus Miller and saxophonist Eric Marienthal.

 

 

 

I counted 10 people besides Michael out there in support. 

 

 

After the show, I had dinner at O'Sheehans. I opted just for the wings and apple pie. They were both good and there wasn't much of a crowd.

 

I watched channel 29, which was billed as the Jazz Cruises feed, and hoped that the comedy show that I missed two days before would be broadcast. It was not. ☹️

 

I'd better discuss the one other sour note on this cruise. I had been waiting for a flyer with disembarkation instructions since yesterday morning. It didn't come with the room cleaning and it didn't come before the Michael McDonald concert.

 

Our cruise director Mario Vines mentioned that we each got this flyer or would soon get it. Nope and nope.

 

BTW, let me get a picture of Mario in here. He did a great job of keeping us informed through his morning show and announcements. And I thought he was a handsome devil.

 

 

So after dinner I looked for that flyer. Nothing. And I didn't see anything in anyone else's slot in my section (about 30 cabins). 

 

I got up around 2 and looked in my mail slot. Still nothing. I decided to go to guest services to see if they could help. Surprisingly, no one was in line. I told the poor rep what I needed and he pulled one right out for me. Points to NCL for that, but there's no way I should have had to do this. Somebody screwed up and I hope it gets fixed before the next cruise.

 

Breakfast time came and I had another breakfast at O'Sheehans. The good news is the food remained solid. The bad news is the service, both getting into the restaurant and getting served, was slow. It's almost as if nobody told them that hungry cruisers would be coming for an early breakfast. 

 

After returning to the room,  I finished packing and headed out to one of the hangouts on deck 6. Eventually I heard that self disembarkers were cleared and were to follow this crew member. There hadn't been any announcements yet, but at this point we had been docked for at least an hour. 

 

So, I followed this group and the rest of the disembarkation process was familiar from my other cruises. They still like my pretty face! 😁

 

Outside the terminal was a few taxis. I don't see a spot for rideshares, so I took the path of least resistance. The ride to the airport was eventless and came to $60 with tip. Transportation is getting so expensive these days.

 

With that, I will declare an end to this trip report. Thanks for reading. I don't have any more music themed cruises scheduled for the rest of this year, though I do have some concerts in the spring and summer.  

[Honolulu Blue]

Waiting in my email box was news about Paula Abdul. I plan to see her on concert this August. I'll quote the girl herself:

‐‐----------

VIP Meet & Greet Upgrades for the Magic Summer Tour will be available starting 4/19 at 10 am local in limited quantities – don't miss your chance! VIP package includes:

🎉 Official Paula Abdul Meet & Greet
📸 Strike a pose with Paula - one Polaroid photo and one professional photo
💎 A VIP-exclusive piece of Paula Abdul jewelry, including a rare charm

----‐---------------

All this sounds good to me. I know where I need to be next Friday. ⏰️

 

[George C]

Cruise sounds fantastic George Wallace is one of the funniest comedians I ever saw and also love Michael McDonald who signed his new cd for me on R&R a few years ago. I will see both anytime they are in out area.

[Honolulu Blue]

1 hour ago, George C said:

Cruise sounds fantastic George Wallace is one of the funniest comedians I ever saw and also love Michael McDonald who signed his new cd for me on R&R a few years ago. I will see both anytime they are in out area.

The cruise was indeed fantastic. I'm still toying with seeing the Doobies with Michael when they come nearby. I'll let you know if I decide to pull the trigger. 

[NinS]

Thanks for all of the great reports, HB. I have to say I did not enjoy the food on the Pearl when I did Cayamo except for the one breakfast I had at O'Sheehan's, so you did well by having a few meals there.

 

Today's newsletter did reiterate that it was a one-time sailing. I'm planning on seeing the Doobie Bros here in Boston -- they're at a huge shed and the show is very very far from sold out, so I'll wait and see if any promotions or good secondary market deals pop up. (There are already $25 lawn seats, but I'd like an actual chair if I can get one.)

 

While you were out at sea there has been a lot of commotion over The Guess Who. Of course you and @George C caught Randy Bachman doing some Guess Who songs on R&R. Now Burton Cummings is suing the version slated to be on the 2024 R&R and Flower Power cruises, and he's infuriated by the current GW that he has withdrawn permission for ANYONE to play the Guess Who classics live, forcing the current GW to cancel a number of concert dates. You can read all about this at your favorite online music news source -- Rolling Stone interviewed Cummings and there's been quite a bit of coverage elsewhere as well.

[Honolulu Blue]

On 4/13/2024 at 5:27 PM, NinS said:

Thanks for all of the great reports, HB. I have to say I did not enjoy the food on the Pearl when I did Cayamo except for the one breakfast I had at O'Sheehan's, so you did well by having a few meals there.

 

Today's newsletter did reiterate that it was a one-time sailing. I'm planning on seeing the Doobie Bros here in Boston -- they're at a huge shed and the show is very very far from sold out, so I'll wait and see if any promotions or good secondary market deals pop up. (There are already $25 lawn seats, but I'd like an actual chair if I can get one.)

 

While you were out at sea there has been a lot of commotion over The Guess Who. Of course, you and @George C caught Randy Bachman doing some Guess Who songs on R&R. Now Burton Cummings is suing the version slated to be on the 2024 R&R and Flower Power cruises, and he's infuriated by the current GW that he has withdrawn permission for ANYONE to play the Guess Who classics live, forcing the current GW to cancel a number of concert dates. You can read all about this at your favorite online music news source -- Rolling Stone interviewed Cummings and there's been quite a bit of coverage elsewhere as well.

Sorry for the late follow up.  I've been busy with other things.

 

Thank you for your input, as always.  I'm sorry you didn't enjoy most of the NCL food when you sailed on the Pearl.  Where did you eat?  Buffet?  MDR?  Specialty restaurants??  I think I found a good thing in O'Sheehans and I hope it stays good for my cruise on the UDC in February. 🙏

 

I'm still not sure if I want to head out for the Doobie Brothers in concert.  There do seem to be some good tickets in the places I might go.

 

I read about the Guess Who mess on the CBN or CBC site.  It's a cluster and I feel sorry for everyone involved.  Randy Bachman was pretty good.  Let's close this with another picture of him.

 

[NinS]

Hi HB! I ate mostly at the buffet on Cayamo as those Sixthman cruises don't really offer dinner breaks the way that StarVista and Jazz Cruises charters do. It wasn't the worst food I've had on a charter -- I'm looking at you, Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise on Royal Caribbean -- but there were a lot of repeat offerings over the week and it grew tiresome. The Indian food, which I usually live off of on cruises, seemed especially lacking in flavor and variety.

 

I did make it into the MDR about three times and everything there was solid if not memorable. (So few people were there I wasn't pressured to join anyone else's table and there were quite a few solo diners.)

 

I should mention that I eat fish but not meat or shellfish. It's not the most restrictive diet, but it means that most of the O'Sheehan's offerings are off the table for now. I have eaten in a specialty restaurant on a charter exactly once -- at a luncheon with one of the bands on the Country Music Cruise quite a few years back. A Sixthman staffer mentioned that there's a nightly vegan menu in the MDR that has to be ordered a day in advance. I did so, and it was really just a few vegetables, and of course the next time I came in the special diets director and hostess remembered me and tried to serve me the vegan meal again which I had to awkwardly decline as I ordered fish with creme brûlée for dessert! They were doing a great job -- it's not their fault I was just experimenting with veganism for the night. I did try the vegan menu one other night and it wasn't much better, so in the future I'll just leave that food for the actual vegans.

 

For how I usually eat -- mostly buffet, with a few MDR trips if I can squeeze them in -- I'd say that for the charters I've been on Holland America has by far the best food, followed by Celebrity, with Norwegian a very distant third and RC in last. I have never been on a non-music charter cruise. If someone ever books a music charter on a Virgin ship they'll have my attention, although I'm not sure the venue setup would be conducive to a floating festival.

[Honolulu Blue]

3 hours ago, NinS said:

Hi HB! I ate mostly at the buffet on Cayamo as those Sixthman cruises don't really offer dinner breaks the way that StarVista and Jazz Cruises charters do. It wasn't the worst food I've had on a charter -- I'm looking at you, Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise on Royal Caribbean -- but there were a lot of repeat offerings over the week and it grew tiresome. The Indian food, which I usually live off of on cruises, seemed especially lacking in flavor and variety.

 

I did make it into the MDR about three times and everything there was solid if not memorable. (So few people were there I wasn't pressured to join anyone else's table and there were quite a few solo diners.)

 

I should mention that I eat fish but not meat or shellfish. It's not the most restrictive diet, but it means that most of the O'Sheehan's offerings are off the table for now. I have eaten in a specialty restaurant on a charter exactly once -- at a luncheon with one of the bands on the Country Music Cruise quite a few years back. A Sixthman staffer mentioned that there's a nightly vegan menu in the MDR that has to be ordered a day in advance. I did so, and it was really just a few vegetables, and of course the next time I came in the special diets director and hostess remembered me and tried to serve me the vegan meal again which I had to awkwardly decline as I ordered fish with creme brûlée for dessert! They were doing a great job -- it's not their fault I was just experimenting with veganism for the night. I did try the vegan menu one other night and it wasn't much better, so in the future I'll just leave that food for the actual vegans.

 

For how I usually eat -- mostly buffet, with a few MDR trips if I can squeeze them in -- I'd say that for the charters I've been on Holland America has by far the best food, followed by Celebrity, with Norwegian a very distant third and RC in last. I have never been on a non-music charter cruise. If someone ever books a music charter on a Virgin ship they'll have my attention, although I'm not sure the venue setup would be conducive to a floating festival.

Thanks for the food details!  I imagine the MDR was busier on the McDonald LaBelle Cruise and most of my other cruises.  You can probably figure out why.

 

There was a lot of meat on the O'Sheehan's lunch and dinner menus.  I'm a big meat eater, but don't eat fish or shellfish at all.  That must be why I liked it.

 

I haven't done any specialty dining on any of these music charters.  I keep saying I'm going to try it, but scheduling is a problem - my evening concerts are usually around 6, which is about when the better restaurants open.  I've heard it's best to reserve early for the maximum selection of times, but those schedules come out only a few weeks beforehand.  I might surprise everyone and do it sometime.  One never knows.

 

I mostly dine at the trough on these music cruises with occasional dabbles with room service and my adventures with O'Sheehan's.  I've only done one regular cruise on HAL, and I didn't think the food was notably good.  I think Celebrity has the best food.  NCL, Royal, and Princess are in a group behind Celebrity, IMHO.

Edited April 16 by Honolulu Blue

[Honolulu Blue]

A couple of items caught my eye.  First, the 70s Rock and Romance Cruise released their official photos from this year's edition at 2024 Cruise Photos | Rock and Romance Cruise.  I didn't see @George C or his lovely wife, though I could have missed them. I saw one of me.  I'm in the foreground of one of the photos in the day 7 group.  I'm not sure what concert I was at; probably Creedence Revived, but I'm not certain.

 

The other is that I received an official (group) e-mail from Jazz Cruises thanking me for attending the McDonald LaBelle Cruise.  Unlike ECP and possibly others, they don't do surveys, instead preferring to have us e-mail Michael Lazaroff directly.  Interesting.

 

Another interesting thing is that we, as guests of the MLC, get some perks for booking one of the 2025 cruises:

 

• The Jazz Cruise - invitation to the Big Band and Hall of Fame Show rehearsals
• Botti At Sea and Journey of Jazz - reserved seats

 

In addition, those who choose to sign up for the Smooth Jazz Cruise 2026 pre-sale will have the highest priority for reserving a cabin on one of those cruises.  They're for new bookings only and can't be combined with any other offer.

[NinS]

Those are some pretty nice perks -- especially the reserved seating. I'm a big fan of just waltzing in five minutes before showtime instead of waiting in line every night. (But I'm also happy that I snagged a J of J inside single as they're already gone.)

 

It's funny because on one of Lazaroff's pre-cruise teleconferences someone asked if they could sit in on big band rehearsals. The Man paused and said "I'm not sure, but I don't think so." I guess the idea stuck in his head! I think sitting in on a rehearsal might be mildly fun for a land-based concert, but I can't see skipping an actual concert to go to one, which would be required on TJC.

 

@Honolulu Blue Are you in one of the 12 featured photos, or would one have to shift through the 250 or so pictures in the downloads?

[Honolulu Blue]

14 minutes ago, NinS said:

@Honolulu Blue Are you in one of the 12 featured photos, or would one have to shift through the 250 or so pictures in the downloads?

I'm not in any of the featured photos.

[Honolulu Blue]

Oh happy day - The 80s Cruise released their photos on the heels of Rock & Romance.  In going through them (they're generally more organized than the R&R group - not only grouped by day, but by activity), I'm featured in one and in the background of 5 more.

 

Covering the background first - I'm in three of the Sheena Easton concert photos on day 1.  Since I was standing in the second row, I guess I was hard to miss.

 

I'm also in two of the photos at Sheena's interview on day 3.  I was pretty close to being up front there also.

 

The one where I'm featured is in the Stephen Pearcy breakfast group on day 2.  It's not a large group (less than 50), so @NinS, that's probably the one you want to sift through if you want to know what I look like.

 

Also, there weren't any pictures of the Animotion concert on day 1, or any of the early show concerts, which was slightly disappointing. ☹️

[Honolulu Blue]

Here's a picture from the Sheena Easton concert on The 80s Cruise that ECP took.  I'm somewhere in this crowd.  Good luck finding me! 🙃

 

Edited April 17 by Honolulu Blue

[Honolulu Blue]

I found the time to sign up and pay for VIP access to Paula Abdul at her concert in Columbus on August 23.  It cost $333 and includes a little more than I thought it did.  Taking it directly from the Ticketmaster site:

 

"FOREVER YOUR GIRL" MEET & GREET UPGRADE

- Official Meet & Greet with Paula Abdul!
- Strike a pose with Paula - receive one Polaroid photo AND one professional individual photo with Paula Abdul. Your favorite dance move is welcome!*
- Autograph session - bring your favorite memorabilia to be signed by Paula Abdul**
- One special Paula Abdul jewelry charm
- Commemorative VIP laminate & lanyard
- Dedicated VIP road crew available on-site to ensure a smooth concert experience
- On-site perks such as priority check-in, VIP priority lane into the venue for ease of entry, and an on-site customer service mobile number

*One Polaroid and one professional photo per transaction

**Limit of one item signed per guest. All items are subject to review. Any prohibited items will not be allowed into the venue or meet & greet area, in accordance with venue policies. Please check your venue policy for more information on prohibited items.

 

Some comments:

 

• I assume the meet & greet, photos, etc. are after the concert, though they could schedule it before.  I'll let you know for sure when I find out.
• Polaroid?  Really??  Polaroids were out of fashion when Paula was hot, and I don't think they've gotten any more popular in the 30+ years since then.  I'd rather have a selfie; it would save a step.
• The autograph session was not mentioned in previous notices about this VIP session.  It's nice.  I'll have to find something for her to sign.  I have the "Forever Your Girl" CD; I'm sure she'll see A LOT of those. 🙃
• It's nice that I get VIP access for the venue through this.  I'm not sure how many of its services I'll need to use.
• I'm not a big lanyard wearer, but on this occasion it's appropriate to have one.  I might even wear it.
• The charm... whatever.  I'll probably give it away as a gift.

 

Overall I'm very happy to be able to add to my concert experience with this VIP package.  Thanks Paula!  Don't underestimate how much I like and have liked Ms. Abdul and her music.  I like her more than Sheena Easton, and I'm sure you're sick of me talking about her. 😄

Edited April 19 by Honolulu Blue

[Honolulu Blue]

I want to spotlight a couple of articles I read while randomly surfing the internet.

 

First is a list of summer music tours at https://ultimateclassicrock.com/2024-summer-tours/ .  Chicago is listed, as is Pat Benatar, Sebastian Bach, Styx/Foreigner and Doobies/Steve Winwood.  I'll be attending Chicago's show in May.  I saw PB last year and will probably skip her this year.  Mr. Bach was on TEC earlier this year.  He got generally good reviews for his appearances, but I still don't want to buy whatever he's selling.  I saw Styx last year and Foreigner this year.  I'll probably skip their show this year, even though I know I'll enjoy them both.  And, of course, I just saw Michael McDonald last week on the cruise with his name on it.  I'm still toying with the idea of heading over to see him and the Brothers and Stevie.  It should be a good time.

 

Left off the list was the NKOTB thingie. ☹️  But that's OK.

 

The other article is about some music cruises that will be sailing later in 2024 and early in 2025 at Music cruises set sail on the high seas in 2024 and 2025 - The Points Guy.  Jamrock, OCC, UDC, and R&R were listed, among others.  TEC was NOT listed. ☹️  Again, it's all right.

[NinS]

It is funny that the Paul Abdul Polaroid would have been retro in her heyday! But I think it's still a fun and unique twist on the usual meet and greet option.

 

Speaking of news about cruises: https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/music-festivals-on-cruise-ships

[NinS]

And here's one that does mention TEC: https://www.chron.com/gulf-coast/article/galveston-music-cruise-ships-18588969.php