I was told to come here and report back about the cruise. I'll cross post what I wrote in MSM and make other comments as they come to me.
I must say that "G" I dropped for this trip was money well spent and I will do it again. I'll just mention some highlights.
The Boat
I'd never been on a cruise before so there were no expectations to lower, but the staff on the boat were gracious and the cutest thing was on Sunday night the dinner staff got together and sang (as best they could using note cards) Waiting on the World to Change. I too was super unimpressed with the food, but it wasn't road kill either. I ended up not needed the Dramamine for the entire trip, but as John said in the Q&A the boat was rockin' like a mother fucker. The "crazies" were there, but I don't think it completely hindered the experience. The weirdest moment was when John came to the Disco a couple of nights and EVERYBODY AND THEY MAMA broke out with the digital cameras flashing constantly. I just thought we would be getting away from that kind of thing, but I've come to the conclusion that those kind of situations and it is what it is.
I sadly admit that I missed the "Borat sighting, but hey you can't be everywhere. I think John proved over and over again that he knows how to not take himself so seriously, and celebrate like the rest of us. He was determined to have a good time with or without adequate clothing.
The only low point was actually at the last show on Sunday night. There were MAJOR seating problems down front and even though the audience calmed down after the show started, there were pissed people left and right and there were definitley more people in there than there needed to be and the "tables" where we were supposed to sit were a joke.
Oh yeah, and it was sad to see poor Micheal Chaves being rolled around in a wheelchair. Get well.
The Shows
Of course John's Sunday night show was fantastic. From hearing all of his best songs in my opinion, (Clarity, Gravity, The Heart of Life, and Wheel) to watching Martin Sexton play and sing with John, you just knew it was special. It was just a stellar night. The Gravity solo was exceptional. He was making that guitar cry like I've never heard before and the reggae intro to it was very cool. He threw in Be Still My Beating Heart in I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You). Wheel I've never heard live. He added Alicia Keys' Like You'll Never See Me Again at the end and it was the best way to close out the trip.
David Ryan Harris and Bob Reynolds were fantastic as well. David came in on the last song of Bob's set with at a song I believe called Compared to What. Bob sat in on Sweetestberry. Amazing is all I can say. I also caught Colbie Callett's "You Ought To Know" show, Teddy Thompson's' set in the oh-so-cool-and-intimate Adriatic Lounge. And I also saw Soul Live's late show on friday night (that fucking rocked!), Dave Barnes' Casino Bar set and this side-show-near-the-elevator with The DeWayne Brothers (where Pat was doing a contagious jig).
James Smith and Sherrod Small were HIGH-larious. Sherrod is smarter than people give him credit for listening to his act and my favorite part was him not only making fun us too saying we (mayer fans) were so fucking sensitive.
Final Thoughts
* I wish we could have had James Morrison on this boat, but hopefully next year he can come and I have a feeling it'll be even better if they follow through.
*Am I the only one who is super-duper impressed with that tote bag? I loved it. It was light weight, held a ton of shit, unisex and it has that kick-ass logo on it. Job well done Incase and John. Who knew that blog months ago would come to fruition?
*It was cool finally meeting all my "Internet friends" as my mother calls it.
ETA: Additional comments, they're coming bit by bit
There was additional crazy moment on Sunday night's show on the right side of the room when Katie Friesema was moving to the front to try and take pictures, girls were throwing comments of "who the fuck is she?" and "where does she think she's going?" Poor thing was shaking her head on the way back down the isle.
There are so many reasons Gravity was great but the one thing, aside from the kick-ass intro, that sticks out is him talking before the solo saying something to the affect that he realized within the last six months that he doesn't have his shit together. Does anyone? He was being so candid and real during this shows that I don't really know how he can top this performance. I even found myself getting a little misty-eyed during Wheel. It was the best I'd ever heard him sing it and play it with Bob Reynolds doing a little solo. It was just beautiful. I know that make me sound like a lame, fawning, drooling, pathetic sap, but I don't care. It was a magical.
Re: Mayercraft: Part One
Yay, Cia! Thank you for posting such an awesome review.
All these happy recaps really make me bummed to be such a poor person. I'm glad you had fun,though.
We are migrating to Yuku...but slowly.
-Heather<br>
<br>
<!--EZCODE LINK START---<a href="http://www.leavethegreatindoors.com" target="top">Great Indoors</a><!--EZCODE LINK END---<br>
<!--EZCODE FONT START---<span style="color:teal;font-size:xx-small;">Deal with it. It's rock'n'roll.</span><!--EZCODE FONT END---
But then, the circle of your friends will defend the silver lining
Jocelyn2003 I was there, you weren't!
Posts: 33
(2/10/08 2:52 pm) Reply
you owe it to yourself
reposting from MSM, et al.:
i got back from the cruise this afternoon, after a lovely round of standby musical chairs. my flight home was originally booked for 5pm, but since my friend and i debarked at ~8am, we had a lot of time to kill. i can't believe the cruise is over, especially after looking forward to it for such a long time. i am so happy and thankful that i got to take this trip & it was refreshing in more ways than i can count. now onto my semblance of a review:
my friend colleen and i got down to florida on thursday, so we boarded the victory mildly-to-very-much-so sunburned. aloe, check! i saw some t-shirts for crazy t-shirt day that made me wince, recoil and check my gag reflex. there were some good ones, though, like the series for a family of 4 - two little girls and their parents with various photos of john. on the back, it said "[random] family from [san jose?] loves john mayer." i know that if i were a kiddo, that would be a crazy vacation, but certainly one i'd remember for my lifetime. the most hilarious one i saw was one worn by a dude who photoshopped john's head onto the rolling stone cover with christina aguilera's naked, guitar-holding body. he changed the headlines, but unfortunately i can't remember them.
john had a deck cordoned off above the back lido deck pool, and it was certainly an exercise in human dynamics on friday when i was watching all of these people (mostly women, but i'd say the ship was gender split 75F/25M if i had to take a guess) watch john. they were yelling and doing things just to get his attention and i was somewhat ashamed to be on the same vessel with them. it made him seem like a caged animal, and that depressed me for him. i understand the fascination of fans, but i neither understand nor identify with the behavior. that said, i pretty much expected it. fortunately, things got much better once the music began.
i caught the tail end of brett dennen's set on the lido deck and i think his music fits well with a cruise atmosphere. i'm a fan & love his live shows, though they took awhile to grow on me. i can understand why he's not everyone's cup o' tea, but such is music. after brett was done, colleen and i shifted back to the siren's pool a.k.a. the back of the lido deck, where we ran into some old friends and made new ones.
then we moved on to the first of john's shows. i saw an earlier review that said the crowd wasn't into it and there weren't die-hard fans there. i beg to differ, not only because i'm obviously one myself, but my seats were also near the front and people were absolutely into it. sure, there was a drunk girl or two that talked way too loudly during guitar solos, but i'd say that's the minority.
this is tied for the sunday night show as the best one i've EVER seen/heard from john. the dynamic between him and the crowd was amped up because everyone in that room loved his music, at a minimum, or they wouldn't have been on the boat. aside from the killer guitar solos that were prevalent throughout the set, i loved john's banter. he asked the crowd how many of them got passports just for the mayercraft, and a ton of people screamed. in not so many words, he said that underscored how cool and memorable this whole experience was. that people were heavily invested and it was going to be amazing. he reminded us to put all of our other shit on hold.
he explained that he was out at some club with [9 cologne bottles in the bathroom, and after he washed his hands, the attendant said, "have a good night. you owe it to yourself." this became the mayercraft mantra, and it made an appearance in last night's set as well, though not nearly as pronounced. you owe it to yourself to check what's weighing you down at the door.
i loved the reappearance of coldplay's we never change, though it was weird to hear it in a song other than not myself. good love and why georgia both appeared in the set as they usually do, but no matter how many times i hear them, i don't get sick of either. one of my favorite moments of the set was wait until tomorrow solo. also, bob reynolds had a ridiculous solo somewhere in the set, but i cannot remember the song. overall, it was some of the tightest playing i've ever seen and the set lasted for two hours.
my friend and i woke up really early on saturday and took advantage of the hour by grabbing some chairs on the lido deck for relaxation and hilarious conversation throughout the day. after all of the lounging around, we caught dave barnes' set, which featured matt mangano on bass. for newer fans of john, matt used to be john's guitar player and roommate (in both boston and atlanta). [speaking of old band members, michael chaves was also onboard.] gabe dixon also joined in on the keys and played some of his songs for the crowd per request from dave. i'm definitely going to investigate his music more. dave was excellent & hilarious as usual. i can't wait to hear his new album, which is slated for release this april.
we moved on to the 80s & trivia about that wonderful decade when jem and the smurfs ruled the world. team "members only" had a strong showing, but unfortunately we couldn't pull out a victory. the 80s outfits were seriously impressive. all the hairspray, glitter, sequins fuschia and mullets. matty nay would have been proud.
after grabbing some food (the only mediocre part of the cruise for me), we caught a few of teddy thompson's songs on the lido deck. his voice is great & i liked his sound a lot, but i couldn't stay for too long because i wanted to see martin sexton play in the caribbean lounge. i hadn't seen martin play in over 2 years, and it was great to hear his voice again. in addition to his own tunes, he pulled out a johnny cash cover.
next it was on to the bomb squad at the lido deck and they were fuckin' awesome. i loved their sound and their vibe, and since they're NY-based, i know that i will be checking them out again. brad mason & his brother are in the band, along with many others. brenda gethers of american idol fame is their vocalist & i loved her stage presence. when i ran into her the next day, she was incredibly sweet.
then we hit the adriatic lounge to laugh our asses off. first up was james smith, who hails from australia. my stomach literally hurt from laughing so hard throughout his set. his boy-band thing nearly had me on the floor. i'd seen him once prior at the comedy cellar, and i definitely want to check him out again. sherrod followed and the crowd roared the most when he brought john's name into the set. my favorite john-based joke had to do with the ridiculous girly dance that females do at john's shows. holy louisiana purchase is another favorite of mine. if you have no idea what i'm talking about, then you should see one of sherrod's sets.
we capped off the night with colbie caillat's set at the caribbean lounge. i like her voice, but need to give her lyrics a closer listen. the crowd seemed to latch on to her, and then john appeared during battle (i believe that's the title), and the insanity level ratcheted up. it was cool to see john step onstage that way, as it wasn't expected when we got there for the set.
we woke up early the next morning, yet again. this time, though, the lido deck was completely saved and/or filled by 830am by people that had been camped out since 530am. it's possible there were people there earlier, but that was the craziest time i encountered. crazy crazy CRAZY. that's the only word to describe the madhouse. since we actually wanted to enjoy some time outside, we made our way back to siren's pool, where there were plenty of empty lounges at the time. great conversation with friends again, and a good time chillaxin'. at some point in the morning, john went up to the deck that was cordoned off for him. my friend and i were thankfully under his deck, as opposed to the gawking side.
when john came down to go to the bathroom, it got a bit crazy again, but that was nothing compared to when he stepped out in a bright neon something. there was a sarong involved and it looked like neon suspenders to me. it made no sense, but whatever. i realized how wrong i was when i heard the crowd of ~50 people scream/laugh and snap photos. john had dropped the sarong and broke into a jog around the deck. if you've seen borat, that's all you need to know. if not, look it up. i'm guessing photos will pop up here or elsewhere soon, if neon non-bathing suits are your thing. i've never laughed so hard in my life; cheers to john for his willingness to, uh, let it all hang out for the fans.
after that hilarity, we headed to the L83 Q&A which was surprisingly insightful. some questions i can recall are, "what's on your bucket list?" and "having written daughters, what's your favorite thing about your mom? what would she say is her favorite thing about you?" i did crack the hell up when someone asked a question and then said they'd "envisioned" themselves asking john the question. use the filter and keep that part in your head. pee yourself internally, as john explained.
then it was onto the lido deck for cooper, tim bradshaw's band. i really enjoyed seeing a different facet to the musicians from john's band. i hope cooper keeps at it, and i look forward to hearing more from them. once they finished their set, it was onto john's 2nd show.
the chairs had been removed at 1, so the all-day campers had to stand or lean. the set was hilarious and i loved it. who wouldn't love a random medley with sucker > love soon > man on the side > only heart > say? (order may be wrong in the middle). thank goodness for the full bladders onstage or we wouldn't have gotten that medley or DRH's pretty girl with john joining in once he returned. if you're looking at whatever pictures have been posted, it looks like there's a new tattoo on his arm, but it's just a drawing. it was gone by the final set last night.
i'd be hard-pressed to pick which set i enjoyed more - friday's or sunday night's. sunday's gravity was absolutely INSANE. the jams were incredibly intense again and i distinctly remember my eyes widening during a particular guitar solo. i couldn't believe what i was hearing or watching. i found both clarity and wheel to be perfect for the set. i was thrilled to hear wheel because i'd only heard it once, in 2004. it was as gorgeous as i'd remembered. it was especially fitting given john bringing martin out during the encore, with martin having inspired john when he was just beginning his career.
clarity encapsulated the whole feeling on the mayercraft:
by the time i recognize this moment
this moment will be gone
but i will bend the light pretending
that it somehow lingered on
john enthusiastically stated a bunch of times that he'd absolutely be up for this again next year. judging by his face when he was playing in the caribbean lounge both nights, i could tell that he was having a blast on stage. i can easily say it was my best weekend ever, no pun intended.
if there is indeed a mayercraft II, book yourself a cabin. you owe it to yourself.
Re: you owe it to yourself
If I come into a large sum of money over the next 12 months and don't need it for other purposes, I'll be there. And I plan on getting a drink with Cia and a soda with Joc.
-Heather<br>
<br>
<!--EZCODE LINK START---<a href="http://www.leavethegreatindoors.com" target="top">Great Indoors</a><!--EZCODE LINK END---<br>
<!--EZCODE FONT START---<span style="color:teal;font-size:xx-small;">Deal with it. It's rock'n'roll.</span><!--EZCODE FONT END---
you owe it to yourself
Sorry Heather, but you'd be gettting a soda with me too. I wanted a Bahama Mama so bad on the boat, but as a diabetic, I had no other choice but to be on my best behavior.
But then, the circle of your friends will defend the silver lining
Jocelyn2003 I was there, you weren't!
Posts: 34
(2/10/08 11:57 pm) Reply
ya owe to ya-self (this time with the accent)
hey cia -
my friend got the bahama mama and she said it was waaaaaay strong. i stuck with H20 and unsweetened iced tea for the whole trip. i did like the nifty cups the drinks came in. i did not like being continually harassed every 5 mins. re: whether or not i wanted a drink. my g-d, i'm trying to chillax here!
Re: ya owe to ya-self (this time with the accent)
Yeah, I heard them say all the drinks were strong on the boat. The worst part was when they'd be asking repeatedly during someone's set where the artist was playing and they'd be in the way weaving in and out of isles.
They really didn't need to be there during the shows in the Caribbean Lounge. People in there were already nuts and the last thing they needed was a drink.
By the way, I meant to introduce myself to you a dozen times, but just never found the right time or knew the appropriate way. I'm trying to come out of my shell little by little though. I will most certainly be there next year and will make up for it.
But then, the circle of your friends will defend the silver lining
Jocelyn2003 I was there, you weren't!
Posts: 35
(2/13/08 12:05 am) Reply
~
Quote:
By the way, I meant to introduce myself to you a dozen times, but just never found the right time or knew the appropriate way. I'm trying to come out of my shell little by little though. I will most certainly be there next year and will make up for it.
aw you spotted me? where/when? next time, just say hi! :o)
Sodas all around! My treat Edited by: HBeeClarity at: 2/13/08 1:38 am
Elysium Ab Ovo Not only will I fire you,
I’ll rehire you, pull your hair & fire you again!
Posts: 2178
(2/13/08 1:22 pm) Reply
Re: ~
I was on the same boat (Victory) for the next cruise (Cayamo). I kept hearing the security talk to one another about how much of a nightmare the Mayercraft was on their end! I talked to this one guard who said he's been on four consecutive cruises and that was by far his hardest. Over the course of four days, he said he only got 10 hours of sleep b/c they were seriously not prepared for how much security JM was going to require himself. Sixteen guards total - and 6 were with him whenever he moved around the boat. Two were stationed 24 hours a day by his cabin.
Reviews of the shows that I've read on the boards seem really awesome. I'm glad you girls were able to go and enjoy it! And with all the craziness, I'm relieved you all made it off in one piece!
I think all the security was really glad they had such a nice break with my cruise. It was so laidback that I think my puny arms and I could have worked security just fine!
Re: ~
I spotted you a few times. I was at the 80s Trivia and wanted to say hello, but I was busy being a runner for my team. I think I saw you seated in the front at Dave Barnes show on the Lido deck, but it would have been difficult to get to you then.
I'll say hello, next time. I'm promise.
ETA:
It's a shame about security working hard, but that sort of is their job. At the Disco, it was weird because there were these guys in yellow shirts blocking off an area "in case" John wants to come down and of course he did and it was cameras flashing non-stop from the minute he walked in. It was very weird. A girlfriend who was there said, "I can't have any fun when he's in here" (the disco). It was very surreal to say the least.
Elysium Ab Ovo Not only will I fire you,
I’ll rehire you, pull your hair & fire you again!
Posts: 2181
(2/13/08 3:45 pm) Reply
Re: ~
Quote:"I can't have any fun when he's in here"
Haha, this had me chuckling.
I agree about it being their job. I just felt bad for them b/c from what I heard, they were kind of blind-sided with how intense it was going to be. JM only brought one security guy himself and the six guards he had with him the rest of the time came from boat security. But assuming everyone stayed intact for the duration, I'd say they did a damn fine job considering they were outnumbered
I'm totally green that Dave Barnes was there. I love his music and I have yet to see him live.
Re: ~
Jenny! I swear, my next pilgrimage to NYC will need to include either a Matty Nay show or a Dave Barnes show. It will be brilliant. I am SO glad you got to go on the Cayamo cruise! Did you have fun?
The security nightmare was most of the reason I didn't want to go this time. I think by the next one, they'll have all the wrinkles ironed out and it will be a little more laid back. At least, I hope so! It would have been AMAZING if John could have just hung out and mingled in the crowd.
-Heather<br>
<br>
<!--EZCODE LINK START---<a href="http://www.leavethegreatindoors.com" target="top">Great Indoors</a><!--EZCODE LINK END---<br>
<!--EZCODE FONT START---<span style="color:teal;font-size:xx-small;">Deal with it. It's rock'n'roll.</span><!--EZCODE FONT END---
Jocelyn2003 I was there, you weren't!
Posts: 36
(2/13/08 10:45 pm) Reply
secure
i heard a 12-14 yr old girl say to a security guard at the bottom of john's deck, "if i give you a hug, will you let me up there?" i laughed so hard i almost pissed myself.
jenny, so you know: if you went to the siren's pool and entered by the chess set, his deck was the "balcony" to the left.
i think the main reason mayercraft was a bigger issue than the other cruises is that BNL, lynyrd skynyrd, TRB -- they're all multiple headliners! BNL is a band with 5 (?) members, so the "adoration" is spread evenly. john is just john, and while people certainly clamor to meet the band, too, john held the headline all by himself.
cia, so you saw me in my robert palmer 80s get up? HAHA! and yup, i was in the very front at dave barnes, on the right side in yellow-green.
Re: secure
Joc, can I just say your custom title is oh so fitting right now.
-Heather<br>
<br>
<!--EZCODE LINK START---<a href="http://www.leavethegreatindoors.com" target="top">Great Indoors</a><!--EZCODE LINK END---<br>
<!--EZCODE FONT START---<span style="color:teal;font-size:xx-small;">Deal with it. It's rock'n'roll.</span><!--EZCODE FONT END---
Elysium Ab Ovo Not only will I fire you,
I’ll rehire you, pull your hair & fire you again!
Posts: 2183
(2/13/08 11:06 pm) Reply
Re: secure
Cayamo was a great time. I managed to get a wicked sunburn and a cold towards the end of the trip, but the music and atmosphere were awesome.
Joc, I agree with your assessment on the different dynamics of these music cruises being in large part based on the fact that the fanship is more evenly distributed. But I think that with JM, he also attracts a different kind of fan than, say, the Cayamo headliners (Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris). He has the "heartthrob factor" - complete with ear piercing squeals! - which brings out the crazies to the event. On Cayamo, there were hardcore Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris fans but as far as I knew, there was no pushiness going on. But I have to say, crazies make for really really awesome stories and memories I don't have any of those stories from my boat unfortunately.
That giant chess set was very cool. If I played, I'd totally have challenged people!
me
I'm going through a little withdrawal too. My husband said I was going through some sort of post-cruise funk. I'll get out of it soon though. I'm just preparing for the next one is all.
![0]](http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/alien.gif)
cologne bottles in the bathroom, and after he washed his hands, the attendant said, "have a good night. you owe it to yourself." this became the mayercraft mantra, and it made an appearance in last night's set as well, though not nearly as pronounced. you owe it to yourself to check what's weighing you down at the door.
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