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During the Ultimate Disco Cruise, I went to concerts by Kool and the Gang, Expose, Russell Thompkins Jr. and the New Stylistics (matinee, 1:30 PM), KC and the Sunshine Band, The Jacksons, and The Spinners. These were all in the main theater at 6:30 PM, except the one matinee. In addition, I saw the Ex-Chic ladies and Urban Guerilla Orchestra by the pool in the afternoon.
I also saw shows by Expose and The Spinners in my room through the ship’s live feed. Yes, they broadcast the video of the concerts to the room. I thought this was wonderful, as a pandemic-forced contact-minimizing tactic, a way to review shows before I could see them live, and a way to maximize the use of my time.
I thought Expose’s show on TV was disappointing, but much better live. I’m not absolutely sure why; it could have been any number of several things. They didn’t play my favorite song from them (“When I Looked At Him”) at either show.
The Spinners put in a high quality performance both times.
I saw the Q&A live in the Sky Lounge with the Ex-Chic ladies, The Spinners, and Family Stone. I also saw portions of recorded Q&As on TV with KC, Robert “Kool” Bell, and The Spinners. Those were fun and at times funny. KC was praised by one of the fans for coming and wanted him to come back again next year. KC basically said thanks and didn’t commit. That seemed like a missed opportunity. KC and the Sunshine Band are an iconic disco band, and if they’re not there, it’s just a dance cruise, IMHO.
Moving on to the pool concerts. It wasn’t that hot or humid on the pool deck (one day was 80, the other 82), all things considered, but with the sun out, I could see how those conditions could be punishing for both the musicians and the fans. The fans, of course, had seating options that were either partially or fully covered. I was impressed by how well all the musicians coped. The fans too, I suppose. I didn’t see or hear of anyone requiring medical attention in that area. By the way, I was on the pool stage seating both times. The weather didn’t bother me physically, but the sun made camera view finding extremely rough to the point where I basically pointed the camera where I hoped to shoot and hoped I got good pictures. They generally came out all right.
One last pool story… at their live show I saw, Expose noted their displeasure at being placed by the pool on the initial schedule, mentioning female issues, among other things. I can understand how it wouldn’t have been great for them. But I actually like their slower songs, and those wouldn’t have played very well by the pool. Perhaps this is why they played what they played.
There were concerts in other locations and at other times, but I didn’t attend them. You’ll have to find someone else to tell you about those. âšī¸
There was piped in music all over much of the time. There was karaoke. There were DJs. And there was Studio 55, StarVista’s attempt to clear out the MDR and make a nightclub out of it. That wasn’t my scene, so I never partook.
Overall I thought all the concerts were great in their own ways. As I expected, this was an excellent way to hear great music from several different artists in a compressed period of time with only a minimum of running around. Thumbs up, way up! đ