I am not exaggerating when I say I have zero musical ability. I played trombone, clarinet, and percussion in middle school only because we had to take the class and I went through three instruments in two years because my band directors got frustrated with my lack of basic skills. I drive my spin instructor nuts because I can’t “drop it on the beat”. I would be a rockstar if I could sing but even my kids ask me to please stop when I karaoke in the car. But I LOVE music because I love what it can do. I love that a song can transport you back to a specific moment in time. I love that a song allows you to portray an emotion to someone else when words fail. I love that a song instantly makes you think of your mom, or high school boyfriend, or best friend out of the blue. I love that a song can have meaning to a whole new generation long after the songwriters or recording artists have gone.
I also love that the performance of live music sometimes creates an atmosphere so special that it is engrained in your mind forever. I experienced one of those magical nights last weekend on the Rock Legends Cruise when the Marshall Tucker Band opened up their Saturday night set to members of the other groups onboard.
This is not meant to be a review of the show. It will not contain technical descriptions of who played what riff, when or even who joined in on which specific song. It is simply my recollection of a night when 21 artists representing 13 different groups joined B.B. Borden, Pat Ellwood, Marcus Henderson, Chris Hicks, Shane Pruitt, Rick Willis, Leroy Wilson, and Doug Gray onstage and played the hell out of the Marshall Tucker catalog for well over three hours.
The Marshall Tucker Band has been a part of the Rock Legends cruise since its maiden voyage and, over the past three trips, their Saturday night jam has become a tradition with a diverse group of musicians participating; this year’s class included artists from .38 Special, Blue Oyster Cult, War, JGB, Alice Cooper, Royal Southern Brotherhood, Artimus Pyle, Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, Dave Mason, Blue Lords, Pat Travers Band, and the Doobie Brothers. The talent in that room was amazing, starting with the tremendous skills of the MTB.
I was lucky enough to have been helping with logistics backstage on Saturday, meaning I was literally perched behind the drums to organize and track the artists who wanted to participate, which gave me a unique perspective in that I not only able to hear the music but I was also able to interact with the players and that’s how I know it was a special night for many of them as well.
For those of you who have not yet experienced a Rock Legends Cruise, most bands play three shows over the course of four days plus have a scheduled meet and greet in addition to visiting with fans on deck, which doesn’t leave a whole lot of free time. That backstage area was full Saturday night, however, both with musicians who wanted to join in and with others who had simply heard the buzz and wanted to check it out for themselves. Many who told me they were only staying for a song or two were still there grinning from ear to ear two hours later. It was like a big family reunion, with artists reconnecting with former bandmates and hanging out with those who had influenced them over the years.
As incredible a night as it was for the musicians, it was just as cool for the fans and you don’t need to play an instrument to appreciate the intricacy of what was happening on stage. To me, it was like watching a dance as artists communicated only with eye contact and head nods and the beauty of the music unfolded in front of us all.
I cannot think of another arena where an event like this could have happened, where the stars would align to bring that much talent in one place at one time and I am sure fans and musicians alike are already looking forward to next year.
The details of the evening, to the best of my knowledge, are as follows:
Artists:
Buck Dharma Blue Oyster Cult Guitar
Richie Castellano Blue Oyster Cult Guitar
Sal Rodriquez War Congas
Dave Herbert Melvin Seals & JGB Guitar
Gary Moffatt .38 Special Drums
Glen Sobel Alice Cooper Drums
Charlie Wooton Royal Southern Brotherhood Bass
Brad Durden Artimus Pyle Keyboards
Chris Anderson Outlaws Guitar
Ed Toth Doobie Brothers Drums
Scott Raines Artimus Pyle Guitar
Tony Black Artimus Pyle Bass
Phil McCormack Molly Hatchet Vocals
Jerry Lyda Artimus Pyle Guitar
Bart Walker Royal Southern Brotherhood Guitar
Johnne Sambataro Dave Mason Guitar
Tony Bullard Blue Lords Guitar
Rodney O’Quinn Pat Travers Bass
John Galvin Molly Hatchet Keyboard
Stanley Barris War Harmonica
Special shoutout to those who had not yet had the chance to take the stage when they needed to leave or before the 3:00 AM venue curfew, including BOC’s Kasim Sulton, Molly Hatchet’s Shawn Beamer, and JGB’s Pete Lavezzoli, and to Doug’s daughters, Gabrielle and Mariah, who joined with Chris Hicks to perform I Love You That Way as a surprise for their dad.
Set List:
This Ol’ Cowboy
Dog Eat Dog World
Fire On The Mountain
I’ll Be Loving You
Midnight Promises
Hillbilly Band
Ramblin’
(Blues Jam)
I Love You That Way
Desert Skies
Blue Ridge Mountain sky
Can’t You See
Please feel free to comment below, whether you were also there for the jam, or if you simply would like to share other musical memories. To access my pictures of Day 3, including the jam, click here. Since I was only able to get pictures from my spot behind the stage, I would love to see yours; use #mtbjam when on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to share your photos. Additional photos of the Rock Legend Cruise can be seen by clicking here for Days 1 & 2 or here for Day 4.