Adrian Belew, Marillion, And Gong Set To Headline Cruise To The Edge
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The event will also include artist/cruiser photo experiences, Q&A sessions, special theme nights and other events designed to optimize the artist/fan experience. With Yes out of the mix this year, Marillion established themselves as the other main headliner option, an ocean (cloud) cruise being a nice alternative to their legendary land-based Marillion weekends. During their two shows, the band captivated fans with a career-spanning set and spirited performance, especially from charismatic lead singer Steve Hogarth. In a unique twist, bassist Nick Beggs took the place of Pete Trewavas who was recovering from a medical procedure. Of course, his playing and attire stood out, in prime Beggsy fashion. The other long-standing headliner was Steve Hackett, whose veteran band served up impeccable renditions of Genesis classics along with a few songs from his excellent latest album.
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The legendary producer and composer gave us all the hits for over an hour. As the announcer said, ‘We all truly love this man.’ The drummer was behind a perspex cage, in the true pursuit of Alan Parsons audio perfection, and with eight people on stage, it was a spectacular show. Beginning with ‘Standing On Higher Ground,’ it was immediately apparent that stellar and varied vocals were to be a feature of this show. While a little clinical at times, the show certainly crystallised the monumental amount of hits this man has produced. ‘I Wouldn’t Wanna Be Like You’ was a highlight, and there was plenty of funk in the band’s delivery. Roie Avin led a pair of back-to-back Q&As in the ship’s main promenade.
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The towering Nad Sylvan was perfectly cast to watch the skies or play the Devil in his cathedral. The only complaint from this exquisite show was that it only ran 70 minutes long, about half the length of his current theater tour on land, serving as a reminder that this is indeed a festival setting, where quantity refers to the number of bands not the length of sets. Headlined by prog legends Marillion, Steve Hackett, Flying Colors and, for the first time, Big Big Train, the event features some of the world’s greatest prog-rock musical artists.
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There will also be Q&A activities moderated by Jon Kirkman and Roie Avin. The eighth Cruise to the Edge voyage will set sail from Miami, Florida on March 8 aboard the Norwegian Pearl visiting two ports along the way Ocho Rios, Jamaica and George Town, Grand Cayman, according to a statement. Our own Roie Avin, one of the ship’s MC’s, later introduced McStine and Minnemann, this time featuring two of the mightiest drummers on the planet in Marco Minnemann and Nick D’Virgilio. The gig may have started several hours late, but everyone was nonetheless in good spirits.
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They closed with the final section of the glorious ‘Stardust We Are.’ As Stolt said to the crowd, ‘At least you heard a different version of TFK tonight.’ Different or not, it was excellent. In many cases, difficult decisions must be made as to which band to go see. Knowing you might have a second chance at a band, allows you at times to choose one over the other. In this case, it was on to veteran guitarist Martin Barre, whom I chose over Pain of Salvation in honor of the fact that this was the year of the 50th anniversary of ‘Thick as a Brick.’ Though the set was mostly from other albums, Barre did not disappoint. He delivered a pleasing selection of favorites from ‘Hunting Girl’ to a morsel of ‘Thick as a Brick’ and then, of course, the whole of Aqualung ending with ‘Locomotive Breath.’ Martin Barre’s bassist, Allan Thomson, ended up filling in for Wishbone Ash. The public on-sale just kicked off (11/21), with cabins starting at $1,397.00 per person (double occupancy).
Also debuting this year was Ryo Okumoto (who IS rock ’n roll, by the way), the keyboardist from Spock’s Beard. At Okumoto’s next set, D’Virgilio guested to sing “Carrie” from the “Snow” album, making the experience that much more memorable. Another official headliner this year was Riverside in the theater, who refused to return to the Pool Stage after the seemingly hurricane-level winds that attacked their set on the last Cruise.
Along with Pete Trewavas and the ubiquitous Neal Morse and Mike Portnoy, the well-oiled machine of Transatlantic blew the roof off. Back to the scheduled bands, The Flower Kings played two transcendent sets – one of them under a glorious sky on the Pool Stage – bolstered by the classical keyboardist Lalle Larson. Airbag brought their moody, atmospheric identity to the crowd after a day at the beach in Cozumel, with Durga McBroom sitting in on vocals for a song. Lifesigns had already won over the ship during the previous Cruise and so had an easy time of maintaining their altitude this time, too, with special guest Simon Phillips sitting in on drums. Speaking of Phillips, his ace jazz fusion band Protocol were an easy highlight of the week, as they tore through an inspired set that left jaws dropping.
First, the Riverside Q&A was very well attended and showed how truly beloved this band is. One fan told the band how Riverside’s music had provided a constant solace in her life and said to Mariusz Duda ‘Thank-you for sharing your gift.’ Enough said – many people on the ship felt that way. The virtuoso bassist rocked the Star Lounge and when he pulled out Zeppelin’s ‘Going to California,’ playing the vocal melody on his bass, you knew that he meant it. Day two did not suffer anywhere near as many logistical issues as those of day one. Playing CTTE for the first time, The Flower Kings were scheduled to play both their sets in the converted ice rink dubbed ‘Studio B.’ The first one, scheduled for 1pm on day two, was packed to its icy rafters. Hasse Froberg’s vocals were as angelic as ever and Roine Stolt explained that his own voice had gone overboard, whereafter Froberg stepped in and took over many of Stolt’s vocal parts.
After 2020’s April Cruise to the Edge (CTTE) was scrapped for obvious reasons, it’s been a long time coming for the followup from 2019’s triumphant CTTE to take place. Now boasting over 3 dozen bands (quite a leap from its relatively modest beginnings) and its largest ship yet on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas, CTTE was finally ready to return even though for the first time ever the Cruise’s namesake band Yes were not aboard. Marillion’s Steve Hogarth joked, “Looks like we’ll be headlining…It’s just sort of bizarre, really. It’s like not wanting to be a member of any club that would have you as a member.” However, the success of CTTE22 proves that the phenomenon now transcends any one band and there seems to be plenty of runway…er…ocean, for future Cruises regardless of whether Yes is onboard or not. The next stop is the beautiful George Town, Grand Cayman, a quaint town that hosts to a variety of activities including luxurious glass-bottom boat tours, rum distillery tours, art galleries, top-notch shopping that includes duty-free shops, mouthwatering places to eat, and a historical museum.
It was worth the wait, as a 5-piece version of the band ripped through the complex but extremely engaging material, Leonard/Meros/Keegan/Atlas/Ino sounding even better than the albums thanks to a skilled mix by Rich Mouser. For something completely different, enter the enchanting world of Gryphon. Although they’ve been around 50-plus years, it was clear that most Cruisers hadn’t been aware of them before. The band offered a truly unique experience, delighting and beguiling the audience with their fanciful songs and unique instrument explanations (cue the Crumhorn). Elsewhere, Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin terrorized the crowd with their killer playing of a frenetic soundtrack to horror movies, some of which were even projected on-screen during their Pool Stage show.
This was likely due to the fact that sister-cruise On The Blue did not sail this year, so the promoters combined some of both acts onto the same ship to draw a bigger crowd. The result was a flip-flop from the relatively mellow crooning of Justin Hayward and Al Stewart offering acoustic renditions of their timeless classics to packed crowds in Studio B on one day, to Pain of Salvation detonating a devastating performance in the same venue the next night. For the open minded listener, both extremes were fantastically rewarding.
The lineup includes returning acts Adrian Belew, Martin Barre, The Flower Kings, Haken, Protocol, Queensryche, PFM, Airbag, and Baraka, alongside cruise debuts by Gryphon, Lonely Robot, and legendary prog metal group Symphony X. More bands are expected to be announced in the coming months. Cruise To The Edge, progressive rock’s largest festival at sea is set to return in 2022 with it’s biggest cruise ever! The official artist lineup has been announced and includes the largest number of acts to sail the prog seas. The 5-night cruise sails from Port Canaveral, Florida, May 2nd – 7th, 2022, aboard the Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas visiting the Private Isle of Labadee and the Perfect Day at CocoCay. Cruise to the Edge is a progressive rock (also known as prog rock) sailing that brings some of the biggest names of the genre to the high seas.
With Zappa-esque stylings and an unbelievable scat number from bassist Mohini Dey, things were by now off to a great start. For booking and more info, visit CruiseToTheEdge.com and follow @CruiseToTheEdge on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The next stop, Perfect Day at CocoCay, is a private destination located in the Bahamas that’s exclusively for Royal Caribbean guests. Plus, the Perfect Day at CocoCay offers loads of food options to fuel up at in-between adventures, and access to the exclusive Coco Beach Club® includes elevated Mediterranean flavors paired with breathtaking ocean views. Click here to see aerial drone views of Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay. Other artists set to play include Haken, King’s X, Pain Of Salvation, and more.
The official headliners garnered plenty of acclaim as well, all performing primarily in the Theater. Marillion is obviously well-schooled in the art of festivals and here they ably made CTTE their home with spectacular sets which were some of the longest on the Cruise. Featuring their excellent new album “An Hour Before Its Dark”, which many fans claim is one of their best, their show was a delight from start to finish.
Limited cabins are still available beginning at $1,199.00 per person (double occupancy). Merchant fees and Government taxes & fees are additional and mandatory for all passengers, regardless of age.
Rather than turning into a graveyard of ancient dinosaur acts, a bevy of younger bands (and their fans) annually inject new energy aboard, even as they play alongside the veterans of the genre. Indeed, the old guard is often re-energized to step it up a notch as well, epitomized by the always-animated Adrian Belew literally performing his Crimson song “Dinosaur” with his Power Trio of younger musicians. Part of the charm of CTTE is experiencing bands and combinations that have never been on stage before and in some cases, may never again. There were several debuts onboard, one of the most notable being Randy McStine and Marco Minnemann who had released two albums during the pandemic but yet to ever play live in concert. As if their mind-boggling skills weren’t enough, they added bassist extraordinaire Mohini Dey and the acclaimed Nick D’Virgilio into the live lineup for a virtuosic powerhouse – Dey’s incredible Konnakol singing and bass playing interlude and duet with Minnemann blew away the room. It was a triumphant pair of shows for the quartet but especially for McStine, whose compositions and performance shined brightly, and who on the final day of the Cruise was announced as part of Porcupine Tree’s upcoming live touring band.
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