No more BB King's on Zuiderdam?

[VMax1700]

8 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

@VMax1700, the chart you provided DOESN"T show Oosterdam, Noordam or Zuiderdam having BBK. Just Rolling Stone.

Yes, the chart says just Rolling Stone, but the website (post #22) says BBK

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/onboard-activities/cruise-entertainment/bb-kings-blues-club.html

[rkacruiser]

6 hours ago, albingirl said:

What a shame.  That's the entertainment we loved.  Rolling Stone, not so much. BB King was like a dance party sometimes...lots of fun.

 

Both groups provided the same dance party atmosphere.  When I sailed on Nieuw Statendam during her inaugural year (cruise #6), the Rolling Stone group was very good, but their play list was repetitive.  I imagine that type of situation has changed.  

[indychillin]

12 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

There were 8 of us doing the B2B from 6-1 to 6-15.  We met at the lounge to be escorted off.  While there, staff was covering all the furniture with sheets.  I'm thinking, "what is happening here?"  When we got back on the ship, I walked past and there were big, heavy drapes blocking off the entire venue and I could hear some sort of machinery going.  I was wondering if they were doing a deep-clean because of Covid.

 

Nothing on the Daily for that day for music (so it was very quiet that evening), but for Thursday, it listed the Rolling Stone band.

 

I walked past a couple of times and they sounded like they were good.  My friends enjoyed them.  I personally preferred the BB Kings and of the first week.  I actually was avoiding the club because it was crowded and no one there was masked.  Didn't matter, since I contracted Covid anyway!

 

I'm looking forward to my Rotterdam TA next April where there will be both venues.

So, @NCTribeFan the dropping of BBK is immediate on Zuiderdam? One reason I booked that ship was because it had BBK and that is such great music and fun.  We are on Zuiderdam on the 29th.

 

Secondly, sorry to hear you contracted Covid on the trip.  How many days were you quarantined?  How do you think HAL worked through that with you?

[Hlitner]

LOL would best express my reaction to the Stones replacing BB King.  I will admit to being a long time (over forty year) BB King fan.  When we first heard a BB King group on HAL we were appalled that they only had 1 (I repeat 1) BB King number in their repertoire.  And it was not even one of his better Blues numbers.  Those BB King groups would play just about everything except BB King.  So perhaps now that they have Stones groups they will play some BB King :).  I am sure plenty of HAL fans will be disappointed they did not add a Glenn Miller or Benny Goodman group.

 

 

Hank

[rkacruiser]

3 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

When we first heard a BB King group on HAL we were appalled that they only had 1 (I repeat 1) BB King number in their repertoire. 

 

I cannot say that there was only I BB King number in their repertoire on any ship where I enjoyed their performance.  But, I can say that their repertoire was sufficiently expansive that it included much of what one would expect to hear in the Rolling Stone Rock Room.  

 

I find it curious that this change is coming to the Zuiderdam since she is scheduled for the 2023 World Cruise.  Does the demographics of the guests on this cruise indicate to the entertainment gurus in Seattle that Rolling Stone Rock Room would be preferable to BB King?  

[Hlitner]

1 minute ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I cannot say that there was only I BB King number in their repertoire on any ship where I enjoyed their performance.  But, I can say that their repertoire was sufficiently expansive that it included much of what one would expect to hear in the Rolling Stone Rock Room.  

 

I find it curious that this change is coming to the Zuiderdam since she is scheduled for the 2023 World Cruise.  Does the demographics of the guests on this cruise indicate to the entertainment gurus in Seattle that Rolling Stone Rock Room would be preferable to BB King?  

It is kind of interesting to consider that the Stones first performed back in 1962!  By 64 they already had a decent fan base.  Those fans would now be in their 70s (as are the Stones with Mick Jagger pushing 80)  While this might make this group a little young for many HAL fans, many of us did grow up with the Stones, Beatles, etc.   It is nice to see HAL making a push to attract those young folks in their 70s/

 

Hank

[CruiserBruce]

The BBK group plays blues oriented music. The Rolling Stone Room band plays rock and roll. No where I have ever seen any requirement the two bands only play BB King or Rolling Stones. In fact, as rock and roll has historic blues genes, you will see the Rolling Stones play some bluesy music.

 

Having worked in the music business for Bill Graham (in the support side, not as a performer of any type), I am, as DW frequently says, "a rocker" who likes just about anything from the 60s to the 90s. Between the two on board bands, I am happy as a clam!!

[RuthC]

16 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

It is kind of interesting to consider that the Stones first performed back in 1962!  By 64 they already had a decent fan base. 

You do realize, I hope, that the Rolling Stone Rock Room has nothing to do with the Rolling Stones, the band from the '60s. 
It is named for Rolling Stone, the magazine. 

[Cybercsp]

So disappointed to hear this.  On our Noordam cruises, the earlier BBKing sets were often standing room only.  

[Hlitner]

9 minutes ago, RuthC said:

You do realize, I hope, that the Rolling Stone Rock Room has nothing to do with the Rolling Stones, the band from the '60s. 
It is named for Rolling Stone, the magazine. 

I am sure that magazine is on the "must" reading list of all 4 and 5* Mariners and there are likely many copies in the ship library's.

 

Hank

[SilvertoGold]

BBKings on the Zuiderdam is gone.  Venue renamed and somewhat renovated.

[Troubador222]

My wife and I are sailing on the Zuiderdam in September. I'm a musician and have worked semi professionally. I did not book the ship for the music. I booked it for Alaska. My plans on the ship were to maybe hit the music venues one night. I'm a huge blues fan but also a huge rock fan and a long time follower of the Stones. I've seen the Stones 3 times. Been center stage row 3 at 2 of those concerts. Any Rolling Stones cover band is not going to impress me that much. I might get with their guitarist if he is actually playing Keith Richards tunings and talk about that with him, because that interests me as I play a lot in those tunings. Never had the opportunity to see BB King. Great blues artist but I prefer Son House myself.

 

If it is the Stones, that's cool. Richards did that evil version of playing in open G and took the low E string off his guitars. That's heady stuff. My favorite is Gimmie Shelter which Richards played in an open E tuning. The legend says he recorded the track on a guitar let by a guy who was crashing at his apartment and had left his guitar there. After he down tuned it to E and recorded the track, the guitar supposedly fell apart. Fun speculation but hey COOL what a performance. 

 

Never payed in E myself. Always worked and composed in Standard, Drop D, D modal, Open G and a D based drone tuning of the old e flat based tuning Steven Stills like to use for his work with CSN and CSN&Y.

Edited June 18, 2022 by Troubador222

[Troubador222]

What you will never see on the ship, in either venue, is the real thing. Neither BB or the Stones. 

[Boatdrill]

1 hour ago, SilvertoGold said:

BBKings on the Zuiderdam is gone.  Venue renamed and somewhat renovated.

Sorry  to hear this. BB Kings was always packed when I've sailed and the bar revenue must have been the highest on the ship.  This is similar to when HAL took out the intimate Piano Bar room (often SRO) and replaced it with a scripted piano "bar"  in the wide open spaces by the noisy casino.  A brilliant move that benefitted not one passenger. 

Edited June 18, 2022 by Boatdrill

[Hlitner]

8 hours ago, Troubador222 said:

What you will never see on the ship, in either venue, is the real thing. Neither BB or the Stones. 

If BB King shows up on your ship it means you are drinking some very bad booze.

 

Hank

[NCTribeFan]

As has been noted, the bands in the BB Kings weren't blues bands, per se.  They played a great mix of blues, soul, R&B, Motown, etc.

 

I expect the RS bands to play R&R.  What I do NOT want is a Top 40 band. 

 

OT - It's bad enough to listen to the piano bar duo pounding out awful versions of "popular" songs that they must play (because they're "popular") when the songs don't fit their vocal range or style.  MHO.  I do so wish there was a wall between the piano bar and the casino.  I played very little Roulette the past 2 weeks because I couldn't stand to listen to that din.  Yet the venue is full and people cheer for them.  But then, I'm of the opinion that the vast majority of people have absolutely no ear and think that because something got a lot of radio play that it must be good.  Nope.

 

Anyway, I do look forward to having both BB King and RS options on Rotterdam.

[VMax1700]

5 minutes ago, NCTribeFan said:

I expect the RS bands to play R&R.  What I do NOT want is a Top 40 band. 

Don't hold your breath then!  They perform from Abba to Stormzy.

The play list is a much broader than I have seen previously on Koningsdam, which was mostly pure rock - Queen, Stones, U2, Lizzie etc.  

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, NCTribeFan said:

As has been noted, the bands in the BB Kings weren't blues bands, per se.  They played a great mix of blues, soul, R&B, Motown, etc.

 

I expect the RS bands to play R&R.  What I do NOT want is a Top 40 band. 

 

OT - It's bad enough to listen to the piano bar duo pounding out awful versions of "popular" songs that they must play (because they're "popular") when the songs don't fit their vocal range or style.  MHO.  I do so wish there was a wall between the piano bar and the casino.  I played very little Roulette the past 2 weeks because I couldn't stand to listen to that din.  Yet the venue is full and people cheer for them.  But then, I'm of the opinion that the vast majority of people have absolutely no ear and think that because something got a lot of radio play that it must be good.  Nope.

 

Anyway, I do look forward to having both BB King and RS options on Rotterdam.

I believe the songs they play are dictated by Hal.  It’s not the bands choice.  At least that’s the way it used to be.

[JRG]

12 hours ago, Troubador222 said:

If it is the Stones, that's cool. Richards did that evil version of playing in open G and took the low E string off his guitars. That's heady stuff. My favorite is Gimmie Shelter which Richards played in an open E tuning. The legend says he recorded the track on a guitar let by a guy who was crashing at his apartment and had left his guitar there. After he down tuned it to E and recorded the track, the guitar supposedly fell apart. Fun speculation but hey COOL what a performance. 

 

I read what you are saying.  I play Tumbling Dice in G standard tuning because thats the way I figured it out but I can see why he does it in open G.   It's easier to twerk and twist and be more flamboyant because the chording is so much easier too.   Start Me Up and Beast of Burden are my guitar couch potato favorites.

 

There are problems with the BB King venue from a musicians standpoint but as far as a cruising feature it was a big hit.   It never highlighted the works of BB King in substance.  KC and the Sunshine band and Play that funky music thing song and some good blues singing is what you get,   it would have been better named Blues Brothers and Friends.  BB King would break his g string if he knew what they were playing in his name.

 

The audio mix is the biggest problem because they are not in an acoustic-friendly shaped space and everything bleeds without surrounding noise and personnel are probably not trained audio engineers or sound reinforcement pros.    

 

They need to move it to the main theatre and rename it the ZZTOP room.

Edited June 18, 2022 by JRG

[seaoma]

I honestly don't understand why everyone thinks the BBK Club is only BBK Blues music.

Has anyone ever been to the BBK Club in Memphis, TN?  The club at sea is affiliated with the club on land.

 

Read what their All-Star Band plays. I would say it aligns with what I have heard onboard HAL.

 

THE BB KING’S BLUES CLUB ALL-STAR BAND

As house band of B.B. King’s Blues Club, these guys know how to jam. This group is the most talented collection of musicians in the Mid-South. The band is found weekly on our stage playing rhythm and blues favorites with emphasis on Memphis music, as well as a variety of other styles including soul, pop and classic rock.

Edited June 18, 2022 by seaoma

[bkgolden]

16 minutes ago, seaoma said:

I honestly don't understand why everyone thinks the BBK Club is only BBK Blues music.

Has anyone ever been to the BBK Club in Memphis, TN?  The club at sea is affiliated with the club on land.

 

Read what their All-Star Band plays. I would say it aligns with what I have heard onboard HAL.

 

THE BB KING’S BLUES CLUB ALL-STAR BAND

As house band of B.B. King’s Blues Club, these guys know how to jam. This group is the most talented collection of musicians in the Mid-South. The band is found weekly on our stage playing rhythm and blues favorites with emphasis on Memphis music, as well as a variety of other styles including soul, pop and classic rock.

Exactly.  Y’all need to understand that the BBK was an at sea version of the BB Kings on Beale st in Memphis.   His name is just on the club with an emphasis on Blues, Jazz, etc.  I’ve been to the actual club several times and it’s great.   I’m personally curious to see what Rolling Stone Rock room brings.  I’m not going to let either dictate how happy I am on my cruise.  If you are going on a cruise because of this, why not just go visit Memphis and see the top line talent that plays there? 

[seaoma]

1 minute ago, bkgolden said:

Exactly.  Y’all need to understand that the BBK was an at sea version of the BB Kings on Beale st in Memphis.   His name is just on the club with an emphasis on Blues, Jazz, etc.  I’ve been to the actual club several times and it’s great.   I’m personally curious to see what Rolling Stone Rock room brings.  I’m not going to let either dictate how happy I am on my cruise.  If you are going on a cruise because of this, why not just go visit Memphis and see the top line talent that plays there? 

 

I've been to the Memphis club also. We have always heard good music there and had a great time.

 

If you enjoy rock music, you'll like the Rock Room, as long as the musicians are good. I was on the Rotterdam last November/December and those guys were very good. For me, they were among the top bands I'd experienced at sea.

 

I just hope they continue to employ very talented musicians.

 

Since the occupancy was low and we were on for 21 nights, we had opportunity to speak with the band members. They could play hundreds of songs and they only repeated songs at patrons request.

 

It's loud, but Rock music is loud. We did not find it excessive, but I grew up on that kind of music.

[sandiego1]

What is the difference between RS Rock Lounge and RS Rock Room?

[JennysUncle]

On 6/17/2022 at 1:21 PM, VMax1700 said:

Maybe the licencing fee is less, but there were usually 8 in BBK band (lead g, bass g, trumpet, sax, keyboards, drums, male vocals, female vocals).

The Rolling Stone band on Oosterdam has 7 (lead g, bass g, rhythm g, keyboards, drums, male vocals, female vocals). So that is a saving of 1 salary, 1 room and food onboard.

On the Nieuw Statendam in April, Rolling Stones only had 5 musicians, the lead guitar did most of the singing.

[JennysUncle]

2 hours ago, sandiego1 said:

What is the difference between RS Rock Lounge and RS Rock Room?

From the chart, it looks like the Rock Room is the purpose-built venue on the Pinnacle class ships, whereas on the Vista ships they are playing in what originally was the Queen's Lounge.  The cooking demonstrations were there in the afternoon, and in the evening, sometimes games, maybe the HAL-Cats.