Just got back too. First things first, I knew there was no way this would be run as good as ProgPower and it wasn't. Glenns personal touches and impeccable planning cannot be beaten nor matched it seems. That said THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL AND EPIC. Overall, I give the experience a 9.5 out of 10. With Glenns touches it would have been a 99 out of 10.
The best way to put it is to say a VIP experience for every attendee for all 4 days. It was exhausting, there was simply no way to enjoy everything that was going on and frankly at the end of the day you did and saw so much you were almost glad for the respite (as the singer of Sabaton said, he is from Sweden, and 16 hours of metal a day is too much, he needs at least 2 hours of Abba, lol).
There were 3 stages, the chorus line theater was a huge plush venue with large chairs, plenty of standing area, etc. The pool stage was outdoors and you could stand all around the stage (including above and behind and feel like you could almost touch the drummer). The small club stage was a bit short, kind of like jj kelleys (where PP1 was) but it made up for it with huge plush chairs and you could always get near the front if you wanted (there was some occassional moshing and crowd surfing at each but not much).
All 3 stages had drink service. Want shots of tequila while you stand up front? No problem, they will bring them to you.
The great part was the 3 stages. As soon as one band was done another was starting. So you had very little "waiting" for anything. There were usually 2 bands playing at once so you could bounce back and forth. Everything was closely located with lots of elevators so travel around the boat was effortless and smooth. It would take less then 5 minutes to get to each stage. There was no sound bleed between any of them which is amazing. And since so few filler bands were booked, if you like most metal styles like I do, it was constantly entertaining.
Everyone was super well behaved, never saw a fight, never felt uncomfortable, never got pushed. Which was a relief from the normal tension at shows. The fans were obviously all die hards. You could strike up a conversation with anyone at anytime and they were cool. It was not unusual to be invited somewhere from someone you just met or get bought a drink from someone you were standing next to. None of the venues ever felt overly full (nor empty unless it was very very late), you could basically sit or stand where you wanted at all times. When I got tired I'd just relax back in a big plushy and jam out while the waiters brought me beers (or waters). It was also truly an international affair with fans from all over the world, as a matter of fact I would say americans to other nationalities was probably 1:1 or less.
There was also a Karaoke bar we only went to one night but should have gone every night as it was a blast and also huge and comfortable. There were many other various bars around the boat.
The restaurants were ok, I'm a foodie so I thought they sucked, but for the masses I'm sure they are fine. The fine dining restaurant was kind of funny, hundreds of black metal shirted long haired metal heads drinking wine and being served by tuxedoed waiters!! The nice thing is food was free, so you just order and eat all you want all the time. There was a 24 hour pizza place. The staff around the boat was generally very good. Some seemed irritated at times but overall excellent. It was fun watching some of them jam out to the music or at least pretend to. The guy that fixed up our room each day always left something funny in the room and was good spirited. Surprisingly, it was pretty quiet at bedtime (3-7am for me) so I never had trouble sleeping.
There was a casino where you could gamble, play poker, etc. I busted the drummer of marduk in texas hold em lol
There were many other activities but I'm not sure most people gave a hoot (for example spa, classes, etc).
I was shocked at the number of women in general and especially good looking women. Old, young, etc. Lots of bikinis, one chic who wore a black thong the ENTIRE cruise (and was hot), at least one hottie I saw going topless (allowed in certain areas). The hot tubs by the pool stage always had some scantily clad women hanging around. I would say men to women was somewhere between 3 and 4 to 1.
The sound at all 3 venues was excellent. Occassionally excessively loud (if its too loud with earplugs to the point where my ears are ringing with them in in its just too damn loud) and the usual occassional sound issues but overall no complaints. All the bands seemed excited and had lots of enthusiasm. Many said how much fun they were having and they hoped the promoters would do it again. I was surprised especially how good the outdoor stage sounded.
Most bands mixed up setlists between the two days. Saxon, Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, Finntroll and many others played almost completely different sets which was awesome. Also most bands seemed to give the fans "what they want" which was the best material which isn't always necessarily the newest. For example I think for 2 days Iced Earth played 2 songs after Something Wicked. Blind Guardian the same, only 1 or 2 songs after Nightfall. Sorry I thought Sanctuary was disappointing, and I love both Nevermore and Sanctuary but I just didn't think Warrels voice is suited for it anymore. It was a relief go to upstairs and hear Simone after I had enough of that. The singer from Unleashed didn't show up so kudos for still coming but did not enjoy their performance at all. I thought Iced Earth stole the entire show with two absolutely top notch performances. Getting Barlowe back was probably the best thing Shaffer has ever done.
Band members were constantly milling around, I saw Jon Shaffer, Jeff Loomis, Barlowe, Thomas(sp?) from BG, Alex Skolnick for example about 25 different times. They were hanging out all week. Same goes for many other band members and as long as you waited for a lull in the conversation they seemed to be quite amenable to taking pics. Some like Hansi, I never saw at all.
Bad things:
Ok this was a CRUISE. Which was had its charm, but at times it was uncomfortable. The room was a closet and the shower, well hell I have no idea how some people even fit in that thing. It was tiny (but I never smelled BO so I guess people used the pool or something). The bed was a freaking stone slab. The boat rocked back and forth a LOT. Even the staff said it was unusual to be so rocky and this did make for some interesting stumbling around and some disorientation. I never got sick or saw anyone get sick but it was generally unsettling (and a lot of band members made jokes about it). The outdoor deck was VERY windy at times and on the colder side. Somehow though at times these "challenges" seemed appropriate when listening to metal. I have no idea what they would have done if it would have really rained on the outdoor stage since it didn't have a roof. That all said, most of these things seemed a bit "unusual" so they may not happen in the future.
Check in check out was a pain, but not as bad as getting on or off a plane.
The food like I said above, if your a foodie, was about a 4 out of 10. No matter where you ate. If you are not picky, you would probably like it.
The MERCH area was what pissed me off absolutely the most. I brought a WAD Of money for merch and never got anything. The thing was open the oddest hours (10:30 to 1:30 the last day, seriously!!??? I wasn't even up by then) and the one time I was over there when it was open I waited in line 30 minutes and gave up when it was clear there was another hour to wait thinking I'd hit it again the next day). That was about the dumbest thing I've EVER seen. Still pissed I don't have any merch to show from this (if anyone reading this has any extra shirts from any bands with dates or mention of 70000 on them please contact me!!).
A LOT of the bands seemed to end their sets early or start late. Many shows started 15 minutes late and this seemed to include the usual "we have cut a song but will make it up tomorrow." Now there was so much music to be had you honestly didn't really care if a band played 1 hour 10 minutes instead of 1 hour 30 or 45 instead of 60. But some more consistency in the schedule would be nice. I know this sort of thing must be ridiculously daunting but I know it can be done better.
Improvements that need to be made:
Better time management of bands schedules (see above)
Merch at least 10 hours a day and get a bigger room for gods sake!!!
More and better information provided in a more timely manner ahead of the cruise (they need a spokes person)
Pre party !!
Hire Glenn as a consultant lol
More unique merch and personalized touches
Overall the entire experience was amazing. What went into this event must be truly daunting and for a first time especially I can't give them enough respect. You felt like you were in metal heaven for 4 days and I think everyone was a little depressed the last day. I'm proud I was able to be part of this historical event. Everyone who attended (bands and fans) took a "gamble" and it paid off in a big way I think. I have no doubt that this will become absolutely LEGENDARY and that it will sell out easily every single year forward if similar quailty bands are booked. Nothing will ever beat ProgPower 1-3 for me but this was very close.
Aaron
