Cruise to the Edge 2018 (Feb 3-8)

[Kavus Torabi]

It's an interesting topic and, without wanting to derail the CCTE thread, one I know a little about, at least from a British perspective.

This will be a little long, but hopefully shine some light on the touring experience.

Basically, pre-Facebook etc. it was possible for UK bands of a certain cultish or obscure-ish level to tour the US, most of my friends in similar level outfits did. The biggest expense would be flights. If you had a booking agent or toured with a US band (as Guapo did with Zombi) then you could make it work. It wouldn't necessarily be glamorous but it was workable.
The reason being you could usually, with a bit of planning, come up with a pretty good lie as to your business in the US. Recording was a good one. You just needed the address of a friend with a studio who would be complicit in the story and would confirm if asked that yes, such and such a band (you never give them the real name) would be holed up with you making an album for the next two or three weeks. The other thing to do is get rid of all stickers on your guitar cases etc with the name of your band on. It was a calculated risk but most people took it. The other way was just to show up with no instruments at all and hire or borrow them when you're on US soil.
Nowadays, of course, they just need to look at your Facebook profile where you've posted 'Hey, US friends, I'll be on tour in a couple of weeks...here are the dates. Looking forward to catching up' and you're basically busted.

(As an aside, I found touring the US to be pretty similar to touring the UK. Unlike Europe, where many gigs are state funded or subsidised, meaning it's not all about numbers through the door, allowing promoters to put on gigs of a more experimental, selective nature, they have this crazy idea that interesting art actually enriches people!
The US is like the UK in that it's about the bottom line. If your band isn't popular enough to get enough people through the door the shows won't get booked unless you're prepared to swallow the costs of fuel, hotel etc. yourself and plenty do)

Nowadays you just CAN'T tour the US without a work Visa, period. It really is a case of the bar being raised so that cultish/ obscure artists can't make it work.
The touring option is still there but you have to be a few rungs further up the popularity ladder to do it now. It used to be that if you were big enough to do club gigs in the UK and/or Europe then you could probably get a club tour of the US in venues of a similar size.

I haven't ruled out ever touring the US again but at this point, unless it is funded by a charitable soul or we are booked by a festival who will be happy to swallow the costs of flights and Visas, I can't see a way I could make it work.
Unless of course one of my cultish/ obscure bands becomes inexplicably popular. There's always that.

I'm not holding my breath.

[Mstove]

I don't really get involved much in PE these days. There isn't much call for Lifesigns here and I know JKL2000 has pointed that out from time to time. Nevertheless I do think Kavus's point is something that the U.S. contingent really need to do something about. Whether you like us or not it is almost impossible to tour the USA these days unless you are a heritage act.
I spoke to a U.S. promoter a few weeks ago and he quite bluntly told me they were not interested in new acts from Europe. They would only deal with heritage as nobody is prepared to take a risk. A fair comment in some respects, for us to tour we would need an attorney, an agent, a sponsor, 3 years of upcoming gig information and visas costing up to $3000 per person.
There is little or no new music on U.S.Radio. Rock Radio tends to concentate on hits from the 60's to the 90's so any chance of growth is to say the least....minimal.
Canada on the other hand is free to enter , Japan is a $50 visa.
Some years back I played a solo show at a friends house in CT and a few cafe gigs. I was nearly turned around and sent home at the airport for not having a visa. I was taken into a room and searched next to another guy who was a suspected terrorist from Egypt. A thought crossed my mind that I had become a musical terrorist! This sadly is not the USA that I have grown to love so much over the years since my first visit with my parents back in the 70's.
It does make me wonder if rock music in all it's forms will find new avenues. I was at a gig in London recently and three guys put there arms around me and said can we have a photo... I said for sure where are you from? New Dehli they replied 'Lifesigns are big in New Delhi' :-)
I've also heard that China is now turning towards more music from the West and our facebook page shows people joining from countries that are just finding and embracing rock music.
It would be a shame to see the doors permanently closed in the USA. I think there is a great opportunity being missed with lots of great new European acts being lost to tens of thousands of possible fans because of this situation. If the doors were open the US would also see a boom in sales of new music which is surely good for all.
I hope this makes sense guys and sorry if it is a little off topic. Kavus has made a great point and I look forward to seeing him on board (as does Jon Poole :-) . For now CTTE (gawd bless em) and such cruises are for the moment the only way we can get to the USA. Hugs to all jy www.facebook.com/signslife

Your presence on the cruise next year is killing us. I'm not in the economic position that many of the cruisers are where I can take the money out of our budget to do it unless there are a significant number of bands I haven't seen and likely wouldn't be able to see without going. Both our wives are awesome about letting us spend more than we should on concerts, including three of these trips so far, but neither of us even really brought it up this time because it just doesn't make sense financially, particularly on a 12 month turn (it really killed it that within 6-8 weeks they were already looking to have alumni spending money on it without telling us who most of the acts were). When we saw the flier on the ship we were pretty stoked you'd be back and assumed we'd get a few months and a full, or close to full, lineup announced before we had to start putting down money. Unfortunately that isn't the case. Sorry to miss you guys (same with Kavus' shows).

All that aside, I'm definitely a bit of a cheerleader for this event because even though it didn't work for us this year, we plan on going again. I know it isn't for everyone, but IMO most people who go would have a hard time saying they didn't love, or at least like, the event. I recommend that anyone considering it goes...I just will be in prog-blackout that week so I don't have to read about everyone having a great time.

[Squids]

Speaking from what me and my Prog family are offering, it's now been announced that my band, Dave Kerzner Band will also be performing on the cruise along with the band I co-founded with Simon Collins and friends, Sound of Contact. Last year Fernando Perdomo and I also put together a special tribute to Greg Lake and this time we're doing something extra and unique just for CTTE with a variety of special guests doing one-time performances together. Whichever PE people are going we should try to do a PE meet up on the boat. I wish we could get Sean to go somehow. I'm going to do my new "Static" t-shirts with him (he did my New World Live t-shirts btw... if you want concert t-shirts made he's the man to go to!). Anyway, besides all the great bands on the cruise, I'm a big advocate for getting artists to play with each other in different combinations for something unique and proprietary to happen. I helped get Adrian Belew on this cruise (talking to him after the show when we opened for him in Pasadena recently). Stick Men were awesome last cruise. How cool would it be if Adrian came on stage with them to do a King Crimson song???!!! Damn... You know when I told my old friend Pat Mastelotto I was going to open for Adrian he told me to tell him that he loves him! I'm going to see Pat with the current line up of King Crimson in June (can't wait for that!). But, this CTTE 2018 with these two bands on board? Hmmmm. I wonder! Every year there's some interesting possibilities and, to me, that's the icing on the cake. So many artists on one boat! Plus you get to hang with many of them. If you can afford and you like the artists on the cruise I would think it's a no brainer. So much fun!

Btw tickets go on sale today I believe. http://www.cruisetotheedge.com

[doh]

Whichever PE people are going we should try to do a PE meet up on the boat.

Definitely! I actually get to see you at both Progtoberfest and CTTE, so it would be nice to meet up in person and say hi.

FYI, also announced yesterday as returning was Focus. This was one of the most "fun" bands to watch on CTTE 17, as they really get a lot of good audience involvement.

[Mstove]

Definitely! I actually get to see you at both Progtoberfest and CTTE, so it would be nice to meet up in person and say hi.

FYI, also announced yesterday as returning was Focus. This was one of the most "fun" bands to watch on CTTE 17, as they really get a lot of good audience involvement.

Their shows were amazing considering Jan Dumee had only a couple days to get ready. Love to see them with Menno Gootjes on board so the setlist might be expanded a bit, but Jan was fantastic given the short notice. Focus is a returning band I'd really like to see again.

[bRETT]

Let it be said that their online poster is a real mess graphically. The Yes logo really needs to be centered and sitting atop the names of all the other bands.

[JKL2000]

Focus was excellent!

[ScottAM]

and this time we're doing something extra and unique just for CTTE with a variety of special guests doing one-time performances together. ..... I helped get Adrian Belew on this cruise (talking to him after the show when we opened for him in Pasadena recently). Stick Men were awesome last cruise. How cool would it be if Adrian came on stage with them to do a King Crimson song???!!! http://www.cruisetotheedge.com

THANK YOU, Dave, for helping to get Adrian on the Cruise. I was really hoping he would join. When he was on the PNAS cruise he joined Transatlantic for an incredible "Indiscipline" which was a highlight of the Cruise for me. I'm sure he'll join Stick Men on the ship, or vice versa; I got to see their Two of a Perfect Trio tour several years back and they did lots of Crimson together as the encore. Can't wait!

I'm also excited about your extra/unique thing on the CTTE18, the Greg Lake tribute was outrageously good. Maybe you and Simon join Steve Hackett and other friends (Tony Levin?) for an incredible Genesis set??? It should be tasty whatever it is.

[JKL2000]

People are going into full on complain mode about the usual issues on the CTTE FB pages once again: no drink packages, no band schedule yet, not being able to sit in any empty seat for the Assigned Seat shows. The kind of things that make Progday so preferable to me - seating and drink packages are up to you!

[Mstove]

People are going into full on complain mode about the usual issues on the CTTE FB pages once again: no drink packages, no band schedule yet, not being able to sit in any empty seat for the Assigned Seat shows. The kind of things that make Progday so preferable to me - seating and drink packages are up to you!

And even though you aren't going, you are in complain mode here about it. Same old, same old.

FTR - I'm not going this year, either.

[JKL2000]

And even though you aren't going, you are in complain mode here about it. Same old, same old.

FTR - I'm not going this year, either.

I'm only complaining about the complaining! I'm not going either.

[BravadoNJ]

Saga's last gig.........

[JKL2000]

Saga's last gig.........

Yeah, that would have been the main draw for me, I think even more than Marillion.

[ScottAM]

People are going into full on complain mode about the usual issues on the CTTE FB pages once again: no drink packages, no band schedule yet, not being able to sit in any empty seat for the Assigned Seat shows. The kind of things that make Progday so preferable to me - seating and drink packages are up to you!

Ironic observation! Progressive Ears threads are full of complaints, which is why I seldom come here anymore. Proggers (and people in general, especially on social media) just seem to complain. It's a good thing that somewhere down underneath we truly love this thing called Prog!

[JKL2000]

Ironic observation! Progressive Ears threads are full of complaints, which is why I seldom come here anymore. Proggers (and people in general, especially on social media) just seem to complain. It's a good thing that somewhere down underneath we truly love this thing called Prog!

I don't think you see this kind of complaining much on PE - in fact, I don't really know what kind of complaining on PE you mean. On the CTTE FB pages, even though the organizers are active on it, people get very negative and broad in their criticism. They just seem to feel very entitled. But it makes for some amusing threads...

[JKL2000]

So two bands dropped out, both because of "family reasons":

Sound of Contact (Phil probably ruined it!)
Anathema

Some people are bumming about Anathema because that's why they were going. Don't really get this since I think the band has played every previous Cruise to the Edge.

Anyway, again I'm not going, just reporting this.

[doh]

Yeah, I'm bummed. I don't think Anathema has been a regular, but did go once before. They were not there last year, which was my first.

They've added Enchant to replace Anathema and the assumption is they will add one more to replace Sound of Contact.

[JKL2000]

^ Oops, you're right, Anathema wasn't there last year.

[JKL2000]

Actually, SoC says their pulling out is due to "logistical reasons," not "family reasons." Just correcting myself.

[DocProgger]

I'm through with the Prog cruises.//

Friggin CTTE -- no one needs to see the same artists over and over!
Of course, they could announce that King Crimson was playing on CTTE 2018 and I still wouldn't go because I'm well decided I've had enough of CTTE. //

So two bands dropped out, both because of "family reasons":

Sound of Contact (Phil probably ruined it!)
Anathema

Some people are bumming about Anathema because that's why they were going. Don't really get this since I think the band has played every previous Cruise to the Edge.

Anyway, again I'm not going, just reporting this.//

I've given my reasons for not going, but one I feel sort of compelled to mention again is that the food on the ship SUCKED, and it's going to be the same ship! //

I'm only complaining about the complaining! I'm not going either.

You're like the E! Network entertainment reporter on all CTTE news!

[DocProgger]

Also, the breakfast weirded a lot of people out. I like eggs, but I'm not one to wait in line for an omelet. They had "fake" scrambled eggs in three different varieties, and you had to wander around a bit to find the least gross variety because they weren't grouped together
Scrambled Eggs, Scrambled Eggs with Cream, and Scrambled Eggs with Milk. Sorry, but who the F*** eats Scrambled Eggs swimming in milk?

Man: Well, what've you got?

Waitress: Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam;

Vikings (starting to chant): Spam spam spam spam...

Waitress: ...spam spam spam egg and spam; spam spam spam spam spam spam baked beans spam spam spam...

Vikings (singing): Spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam! Spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam. Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Spam spam spam spam!

[erik_1099]

I'm looking forward to the cruise. Dave Kerzner Band, Stickmen with David Cross, Yes (with Tony Kaye), Haken, Adrian Belew, Steve Hackett and some cool-sounding bands I've never heard of, plus hanging out with a bunch of cool people. This will be my 3rd Yes cruise (I also was on one of the Moody Blues cruises). It's a pretty unique experience. I think overall the production team (On The Blue) do a great job of rolling with the changes and making it enjoyable.

[DocProgger]

I'm looking forward to the cruise. Dave Kerzner Band, Stickmen with David Cross, Yes (with Tony Kaye), Haken, Adrian Belew, Steve Hackett and some cool-sounding bands I've never heard of, plus hanging out with a bunch of cool people. This will be my 3rd Yes cruise (I also was on one of the Moody Blues cruises). It's a pretty unique experience. I think overall the production team (On The Blue) do a great job of rolling with the changes and making it enjoyable.

Good roster of bands. I hope you guys get some quality scrambled eggs this time!

[JKL2000]

I'm looking forward to the cruise. Dave Kerzner Band, Stickmen with David Cross, Yes (with Tony Kaye), Haken, Adrian Belew, Steve Hackett and some cool-sounding bands I've never heard of, plus hanging out with a bunch of cool people. This will be my 3rd Yes cruise (I also was on one of the Moody Blues cruises). It's a pretty unique experience. I think overall the production team (On The Blue) do a great job of rolling with the changes and making it enjoyable.

Don't forget Marillion!

[Mstove]

I'm looking forward to the cruise. Dave Kerzner Band, Stickmen with David Cross, Yes (with Tony Kaye), Haken, Adrian Belew, Steve Hackett and some cool-sounding bands I've never heard of, plus hanging out with a bunch of cool people. This will be my 3rd Yes cruise (I also was on one of the Moody Blues cruises). It's a pretty unique experience. I think overall the production team (On The Blue) do a great job of rolling with the changes and making it enjoyable.

Getting jealous as it closes in. I was on the last three, but we couldn't make it work on such a quick turnaround this time, particularly with so many of the bands repeats from past years. I like the lineup a lot, but to pay the necessary money (which I think is actually a good bargain, but expensive) was harder on a 12 month turn. I like that it has the extra day this year which is more like the first one so it would have been nice to catch a breath here and there like that trip - not that I mind wall to wall shows.

Enjoy! I'm hoping there is one more down the road as we plan on going if that happens.