several months ago, as i was rocking out to one of my long-time favorite bands in the kitchen (not the garage), i decided to consult said band's official interwebbery to catch the latest album/tour news, only to discover this beautiful event was going down on the high seas.
that's right. WEEZER. on a cruise. AND Ozma (another great band i like). AND some other likely-to-be-good bands that were too cool for me to have heard of before (future bragging points!).
i was sold. now i just had to find someone to go with me.
the wife was a pretty immediate "ehhhh" (not good enough if you're going to get ON A BOAT with ~17 bands rocking out).
...most others asked had "better things to do."
losers.
fortunately, my tried-and-true travel buddy Will (of Antarctic, Argentine, and Middle-East fame) was game. what's great about Will is that he's ready-and-willing to go to most of the crazy places i get it in my head that i must go (but my wife and/or other friends). what's not-so-great (sadly and truthfully) is that our travels are progressively getting tamer inour my old age (it's a state of mind that Will has not yet "settled down" on). regardless, i'm pretty sure we'll be going to the Mall of America next year (assuming the Dandy Warhols are playing there, because honestly, what can i say? heroin is so passe).
but let's get back to it.
4 days of rock. on a boat. up close and personal. with drinks. in the sun. throw in some random towel animals, and that's about as good as it gets. here are some pictures (unfortunately, the fancy-awesome dSLR was NOT brought along, so i had to make do with a point-and-shoot).
net - i got to see Weezer THREE times. i got to see Ozma THREE times. and i discovered quite a few other new bands (the Nervous Wreckords, the Antlers, Wavves, Free Energy, Yuck, and Sleeper Agent are all now in regular rotation to be rocking in my ear-holes). and then most of said bands were frequently seen just hanging around the boat lounging, drinking, gambling, playing basketball, shuffleboard, and of course eating.
what made the show(s) even better was that it was like a music festival, but significantly less crowded, well, it was on a boat. the screaming hordes of fans weren't bad, quite nice, actually. there was always a great view of the band (whether right up on the stage, sitting at the bar, or atop a giant water slide with a view of the blue blue ocean). and there was usually a waiter walking around to offer you a drink.
we even met some cool German people (wie geht's Martin + Rebecca?!?). and then there was everyone else...with their mostly amusing styles of dress, tattoos, or were just plain weird. it never got old seeing people walking around in their robes all day, but it was quite weird seeing them with their Mexican wrestler masks AND their robes. all in all, everyone was well-behaved.
for your viewing (and listening) entertainment, i took some videos. first up, here's Weezer performing Radiohead's "Paranoid Android":
and just for giggles, in the next video below, pay close attention to the dancing kid in the background (at the top) as Ozma rocked out (image is grainy because i was filming the screen). it made for a really strange (albeit hilarious) juxtaposition, especially towards the end, where Ozma is playing the ever-heart-wrenching "Battlescars":
halfway through the journey, we made a brief stop in Cozumel. saw some Mayan Ruins, some ridiculously large Iguanas, cool kite surfers, chips, salsa, and cerveza on the beach. but most importantly, 10 TACOS FOR 40 PESOS. God bless the Mexican people and their delicious, delicious cuisine. so here are those pictures.
so that's a wrap. there are now FOUR reasons you might get Raman on a boat:
1. to go to Antarctica with Russian sailors.
2. to get to a rain forest in the south China Sea.
3. to get married in international waters (and see Alaska along the way).
and now,
4. to rock out to one of my favorite bands. =w===
...sadly, Radiohead will never sell out to this extent. and the (good) Beatles are dead.
so remember, while you take your car to work. i take my board. and when you're out of fuel? i'm still afloat.
next stop, ICELAND.
that's right. WEEZER. on a cruise. AND Ozma (another great band i like). AND some other likely-to-be-good bands that were too cool for me to have heard of before (future bragging points!).
i was sold. now i just had to find someone to go with me.
the wife was a pretty immediate "ehhhh" (not good enough if you're going to get ON A BOAT with ~17 bands rocking out).
...most others asked had "better things to do."
losers.
fortunately, my tried-and-true travel buddy Will (of Antarctic, Argentine, and Middle-East fame) was game. what's great about Will is that he's ready-and-willing to go to most of the crazy places i get it in my head that i must go (but my wife and/or other friends). what's not-so-great (sadly and truthfully) is that our travels are progressively getting tamer in
but let's get back to it.
4 days of rock. on a boat. up close and personal. with drinks. in the sun. throw in some random towel animals, and that's about as good as it gets. here are some pictures (unfortunately, the fancy-awesome dSLR was NOT brought along, so i had to make do with a point-and-shoot).
net - i got to see Weezer THREE times. i got to see Ozma THREE times. and i discovered quite a few other new bands (the Nervous Wreckords, the Antlers, Wavves, Free Energy, Yuck, and Sleeper Agent are all now in regular rotation to be rocking in my ear-holes). and then most of said bands were frequently seen just hanging around the boat lounging, drinking, gambling, playing basketball, shuffleboard, and of course eating.
what made the show(s) even better was that it was like a music festival, but significantly less crowded, well, it was on a boat. the screaming hordes of fans weren't bad, quite nice, actually. there was always a great view of the band (whether right up on the stage, sitting at the bar, or atop a giant water slide with a view of the blue blue ocean). and there was usually a waiter walking around to offer you a drink.
we even met some cool German people (wie geht's Martin + Rebecca?!?). and then there was everyone else...with their mostly amusing styles of dress, tattoos, or were just plain weird. it never got old seeing people walking around in their robes all day, but it was quite weird seeing them with their Mexican wrestler masks AND their robes. all in all, everyone was well-behaved.
for your viewing (and listening) entertainment, i took some videos. first up, here's Weezer performing Radiohead's "Paranoid Android":
and just for giggles, in the next video below, pay close attention to the dancing kid in the background (at the top) as Ozma rocked out (image is grainy because i was filming the screen). it made for a really strange (albeit hilarious) juxtaposition, especially towards the end, where Ozma is playing the ever-heart-wrenching "Battlescars":
halfway through the journey, we made a brief stop in Cozumel. saw some Mayan Ruins, some ridiculously large Iguanas, cool kite surfers, chips, salsa, and cerveza on the beach. but most importantly, 10 TACOS FOR 40 PESOS. God bless the Mexican people and their delicious, delicious cuisine. so here are those pictures.
so that's a wrap. there are now FOUR reasons you might get Raman on a boat:
1. to go to Antarctica with Russian sailors.
2. to get to a rain forest in the south China Sea.
3. to get married in international waters (and see Alaska along the way).
and now,
4. to rock out to one of my favorite bands. =w===
...sadly, Radiohead will never sell out to this extent. and the (good) Beatles are dead.
so remember, while you take your car to work. i take my board. and when you're out of fuel? i'm still afloat.
next stop, ICELAND.
Hi Raman!!!!!!
ReplyDelete"we even met some cool German people"
Yes!
Here we are!
Great Blog! Fantastic. But we'd prefer a new weezer-cruise to a visit of the Mall of America.
Here in Germany it's freezing!
Let's keep in touch! We'll proceed with our daily yoghurt for breakfast to promote your career in Dannon!
Martin and Rebecca
just don't buy any Mueller. that stuff sucks =)
ReplyDelete