Ever-changing music venues

[jimgev]

I need to begin with a disclosure. I love music, especially live music. I do not care for big show productions on the "main stage".

With that said, I would like to offer my take on the ever-changing music venues on HAL.

When I first cruised on HAL the live music was in two vuneus. There was a classical ensemble (very good) and a HAL band of more contermpory music that usually only played on the Lido deck. At the crows nest there was a Karioke set up for people to sing along to recorded background music. Later the Karioke began to die down in favor of a piano bar where the pianist encouraged audience participation. Around 2017 or so, HAL began to experiment with a live blues band format which they named the "B.B.King Band". Those bands played in the Crows Nest on a few ships. As that caught on it expanded and, eventually the newer ships had their own dedicated space for the B.B. Kimg bands and also for some classical rock bands. 

With my love for live music, I was in heaven when I was able to go to listen to a blues band, rock band, audience participations piano bar and also classical ensemble all on the same cruise. It seemed that there was something for everyone and also everything for a music nerd like me!

I need to register my personal dismay in that HAL seems to be retreating from this dedication to live music venues. I hope that this is not going to be an ongoing trend.

Edited May 18 by jimgev

[julia]

11 minutes ago, jimgev said:

 

I need to register my personal dismay in that HAL seems to be retreating from this dedication to live music venues. I hope that this is not going to be an ongoing trend.

Not sure what you are referring to, but HAL is not "retreating from live music"...  there are multiple options to enjoy nightly. While BB Kings is not on the smaller ships, the Rolling Stone Lounge, dueling pianos, and main stage are.  We had an excellent vocal quartet in the main stage on Noordam last week; the two piano players in Billboard were great; Ocean bar had a lovely trio, and RSL band rocked the house. No shortage of music!!

[mawvkysc]

On Zuiderdam now. The Rolling Stone band is incredible! There is a 1 player piano bar with audience singing along. There is a jazz trio in Ocean Bar. The band for the main stage shows is also very talented as are the singers. I get that production shows may not be your thing though. They have had guest performers on the main stage as well. No daytime music. 

[pirate cruiser]

When we were on Oosterdam last Sept. the RS and BB Kings bands were the best I have heard on a ship plus our DJ Valentino played great music.

[Sir PMP]

3 hours ago, jimgev said:

I need to begin with a disclosure. I love music, especially live music. I do not care for big show productions on the "main stage".

With that said, I would like to offer my take on the ever-changing music venues on HAL.

When I first cruised on HAL the live music was in two vuneus. There was a classical ensemble (very good) and a HAL band of more contermpory music that usually only played on the Lido deck. At the crows nest there was a Karioke set up for people to sing along to recorded background music. Later the Karioke began to die down in favor of a piano bar where the pianist encouraged audience participation. Around 2017 or so, HAL began to experiment with a live blues band format which they named the "B.B.King Band". Those bands played in the Crows Nest on a few ships. As that caught on it expanded and, eventually the newer ships had their own dedicated space for the B.B. Kimg bands and also for some classical rock bands. 

With my love for live music, I was in heaven when I was able to go to listen to a blues band, rock band, audience participations piano bar and also classical ensemble all on the same cruise. It seemed that there was something for everyone and also everything for a music nerd like me!

I need to register my personal dismay in that HAL seems to be retreating from this dedication to live music venues. I hope that this is not going to be an ongoing trend.

There was never a band on the Lido deck, except for a party or sometimes at lunch time.

There was a live band in the Crows nest and the Ocean bar. The ocean bar still has live bands on the older ships and the BBK and Rolling St. band are on the pinnacle ships.

[57redbird]

I prefer BBKings in a smaller venue than the K offers...

[Kay S]

HAL at the very least seems to be retreating from their branded "Music Walk."

[REOVA]

While it's nice to have the multiple bands on Pinnacle ships, it gets a bit redundant if the RR band plays the same songs each night, and of course the quality of the musicians varies on each cruise. (Like any place). I prefer the ocean bar bands or even the old HAL cats/ship band they used to have on stage or in Crows Nest and single piano,  quality musicians. In the Lido it was usually special events from a visiting group or the ship musicians that would play but not a regular venue. While Pinnacle still has Blues Band, the Rock band on smaller ships was supposed to incorporate some of the songs but it loses appeal without the horn section or R&B factor. But there are a few musicians we've seen that scan pick up a song (if on HAL'S approved list) and make it shine. HAL switched its old entertainment dept after 2018 and entered in contracts (costly) with agencies that have been slowly expiring. Things do change and some of the old and new will be shuffled as Corp gets its bearings (and feedback). 

[Copper10-8]

Got off the Eurodam two weeks ago. They had the Rolling Stone Rock band nightly (except one dark night) playing three sets in the (now called) Rolling Stone Lounge (the former Queens Lounge and B.B. King's Blues Club). They had two outstanding piano players nightly/three sets in Billboard Onboard (except one night when they were dark) and they had the Ocean Trio playing American Songbook classics and jazz nightly/three sets in the Ocean Bar.

 

I do remember a live band inside the Crow's Nest on S and R-class ships a long time ago (nineties) but it did not last very long and turned into a guitar player and late night D.J. for entertainment and some rug cutting.

 

The B.B. King's Blues Club concept debuted on Eurodam in March 2013 and, due to its popularity, expanded in 2014 to Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Noordam and Nieuw Amsterdam. In March 2016, when the lead Pinnacle-class ship, Koningsdam, joined the dam fleet, she also had the B.B. King's All-Star band onboard inside her B.B. King's Blues Club on Deck 2, port side. In the early years, besides their sets in their club, they had one night reserved as the main entertainment inside the show lounge. That performance started out as a so-called "jam session" as if the band members were playing on Beale Street, "the home of the blues",  in Memphis, TN

 

In April 2015, HAL tried out the B.B. King's Blues Club concept on ms Rotterdam VI, a R-class ship, inside her Crow's Nest. Since she did not have a B.B. King's Blues Club/Queen's Lounge, it was either her Crow's Nest or Ocean Bar for the "BeeBee's" since the Explorers Lounge, Wajang Theatre and/or Mix Bar were found unsuitable as venues. This experiment did not work out, mainly due to live band noise complaints from the occupants of nearby cabins to the Crow's Nest, but also acoustically due to the low overhead (ceiling). The concept was subsequently ground filed without being tried on the other R-class (or two remaining S-Class) ships. As such, Rotterdam VI turned out to be the only non-Vista, non-Signature-class and non-Pinnacle-class ship that ever had the B.B. King's All-Star band.  

 

What most definitely has disappeared on dam ships is the classic quartet/quintet or trio known as Lincoln Center Stage. There was a rumor floating around in 2023 that the group behind the classically-trained musicians were negotiating with HAL for a return to the ships, not per se in their own venue, but as Main Stage performances. That, so far, has not happened

[VMax1700]

13 hours ago, REOVA said:

it gets a bit redundant if the RR band plays the same songs each night,

I went to Bruce Springsteen gig last week and had been to one a few years ago.  Even he played a lot of the same songs each night.  It is the nature of the beast.  Going to Van Morrison at the end of the month and he just better be singing the same songs as last time 😉

[REOVA]

2 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

I went to Bruce Springsteen gig last week and had been to one a few years ago.  Even he played a lot of the same songs each night.  It is the nature of the beast.  Going to Van Morrison at the end of the month and he just better be singing the same songs as last time 😉

Lol. They have their own songs and set list and usually (although I have seen it) don't cover other people's songs.  When you are a cover band with decades of songs to choose from, usually you don't play the same 30 songs every night. They have an approved list of 100+ to choose from.  A cruise ship is a captive audience for 7 plus nights so there should be variety, even the Dead change up their sets each night since many follows went multiple nights. Most artists don't expect people to come every night (many do)  but on ships it limits the options of entertainment and it becomes redundant. From posts, that has been a complaint but there are people that just like music and then others just like to sit and drink. 

[FlaMariner]

21 hours ago, jimgev said:

With my love for live music, I was in heaven when I was able to go to listen to a blues band, rock band, audience participations piano bar and also classical ensemble all on the same cruise.

 

I must travel in some alternate HAL reality.......

 

Just off the Oosterdam (April 2024) and live music was our evening entertainment....every night....and we loved it and we had choices.

 

We enjoyed Billboard Onboard piano player, Rollings Stones band, classical trio, Ocean Bar band and the World Stage spotlighted live music a few nights with a vocal performer, a very good flutist and other live music acts I cannot recall.....

 

After 25 nights, we were never without live music....and choices.

 

[VMax1700]

1 hour ago, REOVA said:

They have their own songs and set list and usually (although I have seen it) don't cover other people's songs.

Well, the exception which proves the rule, was Bruce on Thursday night. It was a typical Irish spring evening with misty rain between the downpours.  So he opened with John Forerty's "Have you ever seen the rain/who will stop the rain" and ended with The Pogues' "Rainy Night in Soho".  In the middle he covered "Nightshift" by the Commodores and "Twist and Shout" made famous by the Beatles.   He also performed Patti Smith's "Because the Night" but then he was co writer!

Still a great night even with the 'covers' 😉 😁

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

I went to Bruce Springsteen gig last week and had been to one a few years ago.  Even he played a lot of the same songs each night.  It is the nature of the beast.  Going to Van Morrison at the end of the month and he just better be singing the same songs as last time 😉

We will be going to a Santana concert and a John Fogerty concert at Bethel Woods (the site of the original Woodstock concert) this summer.

 

Having seen Santana several times there over the years since their breakout performance at Woodstock, I can say he basically plays the same set. As for John Fogerty, I hope he plays a lot of the old Creedence Clearwater Revival songs.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

23 hours ago, mawvkysc said:

On Zuiderdam now. The Rolling Stone band is incredible! There is a 1 player piano bar with audience singing along. There is a jazz trio in Ocean Bar. The band for the main stage shows is also very talented as are the singers. I get that production shows may not be your thing though. They have had guest performers on the main stage as well. No daytime music. 

I agree with you.

[Kay S]

5 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

 

 

 

Just off the Oosterdam (April 2024) and live music was our evening entertainment....every night....and we loved it and we had choices.

 

 

 

 

 

This is encouraging.