Reviews > Shows

Seas the Moment (Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise)

The North Mississippi Allstars were a favorite amongst the cruisers. Due to Luther Dickinson missing his flight (and in result missing the departure of the cruise), the group’s ambitious drummer, Cody Dickinson, got creative and asked for a little help from his friends. Calling upon keyboardist/singer-songwriter Victor Wainright, guitarist Lightnin’ Malcolm, and Susan Tedeschi he created a temporary All-Star band which had a blast jamming on impromptu old blues covers. “This is the best night of my life,” Cody shared from the stage.

The North Mississippi Allstars later took the ship by storm on Halloween night when Luther met the cruise in Barbados. The heavier, southern, blues rose zombies from their rooms, brought a chain smoking Hunter S Thompson out of his ether trip, made a man in a motorized scooter break out in hysterical dancing and even turned Derek Trucks into a fu-manchu- sporting 70’s mullet cop and his wife Susan Tedeschi into a retro 70’s style “pavement princess.” It was a night where Robert Johnson would have sold his soul at the crossroads. Under a giant full moon The North Mississippi Allstars were the puppet masters and we were all their dancing puppets for the evening (LRBC rule # 5: “What Happens on the Ship You Can’t Explain”).

The Nighthawks brought the pool deck, daily, to a blues feeding frenzy with their fiery and gritty style of D.C. blues. Wailing harmonica and vocals from band leader Mark Wenner, complemented by Paul Bells’ colorful guitar lines, took the tight and powerful rhythm section made up of bass player Johnny Castle and drummer Mark Stutso through sets of high energy blues and dangerously deep slow blues jams. They were also great people who loved to have a drink with their fans and talk into the late hours about the blues scene.

Photo by Laura Carbone

The twelve-piece ‘folk funk’ band fronted by 72-year-old Bobby Rush was the tightest and most amusing group on the cruise. They went from song to song seamlessly with never a second of dead stage time. When there wasn’t a funky blues tune being performed, Bobby would like to say outrageously hilarious things, execute jaw dropping gestures, and flaunt his three ‘thick bottomed’ dancers to the amusement of the crowd. Rush is a rare breed of performers hard to find these days and is bad to the bone!

An artist who took the ship by pleasant surprise was Ana Popovic. The 36 year old Serbian native played heavy hitting slide guitar and lightning fast licks, drawing the crowd closer each and every song. Popovic and her four-piece act helped push their contemporary blues style into the heart of all the veteran cruisers.

The multi-talented trio, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, added a different shade of blues to the cruise with their rootsy, backroad Mississippi style tunes. With songs tied together by three part harmonies and instruments ranging from banjos, mandolins, cello and bones (just to name a few), this young band of talented players creatively put the “Blue” in Bluegrass.

The message that the Blues encompass is a very powerful feeling which was not created overnight. The Blues were fashioned by decades of hardship, trials, and tribulations which produced colorful and one of a kind characters. These people were able to turn daily experiences into a beauty of form, harmony and expression of emotion that others could relate to.

The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise is a must for all live music fans. Whether it’s swingin’ blues to help dance the night away or slow blues to remind you of lost love, good music will always make you feel as if the performance was tailored specifically for you and your situation. We were incredibly fortunate to be a part of the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise family for cruise #19 – witnessing incredible performances, spending time with genuine people, and learning how to stay humble from such legends. It’s truly a one of a kind atmosphere and experience. Let the Blues Live On!

To help raise money for the Blues Music Hall of Fame please go to www.Blues.org.