The End of Lincoln Center

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, *Miss G* said:

 

It’s a contractual partnership.  Both parties have something to gain.

 

 

Pre-formed groups are welcome to audition.

 

Post-Modern Jukebox and Cantaré are two touring groups which come to mind.

However, when they are playing in a named venue they are limited in how they can present themselves.  They must follow the venue requirement.  That is somewhat of a turn off for bands trying to build their own brand.  On other lines without the named venue requirements they can usually use their own band or group name.

[mightycruisequeen]

Delete

 

Edited January 27, 2023 by mightycruisequeen

[*Miss G*]

5 minutes ago, ldtr said:

However, when they are playing in a named venue they are limited in how they can present themselves.  They must follow the venue requirement.  That is somewhat of a turn off for bands trying to build their own brand.  On other lines without the named venue requirements they can usually use their own band or group name.

 

Yes and another possible positive to relinquishing the brand names, though I have to say that it definitely gave the ships a solid step up because BB King’s and RSRR are usually standing room only.  I know we enjoy them.  (HAL also has the touring bands which aren’t contracted to the brand name partnerships, btw.)

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, *Miss G* said:

 

It’s a contractual partnership.  Both parties have something to gain.

 

 

Pre-formed groups are welcome to audition.

 

Post-Modern Jukebox and Cantaré are two touring groups which come to mind.

 

Yes, preformed groups may audition. One of the interesting things on my recent Eurodam cruise was a series of "meet the artist" session in which the ED interviewed performers and then they took questions from the audience. The current Eurodam Billboard duo are a couple. They've been dating for 5 years. She said that she went on a short contract with HAL in a jazz band (apparently HAL ups their music choices for long cruises). She liked it and wondered about other opportunities. She talked to the Billboard duo on that trip and liked what she learned from them. When she got home she told her boyfriend about it, and they auditioned together with the hope of getting to work and travel together. They're on their second HAL contract. 

 

Yes, sets are pre-ordained. Billboard originally decided what the genres and sets would be. Billboard duos are placed on the ship by an agency. (I forgot the name) The musicians rehearse intensively (practicing all day in the studio) to learn at least 300-400 songs before they go on the ship. 

 

I also learned that the entertainers--LC, Billboard, dancers, etc get single cabins. Teeny tiny inside cabins, but they do get to have their own cabins. So this does become a consideration in terms of the number of entertainers HAL can put on a ship. From the way they talked about it, HAL is regarded well by musicians because of the single cabins. So maybe other cruise lines make them share.

 

As for Post-Modern Jukebox and Cantare, I still have not had the good luck to be on a cruise where they were performing. If LC becomes a similarly "once in a while" performance, I'll probably have the same bad luck and be stuck with Step One and BBC Earth AGAIN. 

 

[IDLnyc]

On the Koningsdam now, and enjoying the Lincoln Center ensemble whenever our schedule allows (e.g. missed them on our five port days in a row)

 

Two observations-

1) it makes a lot more sense to see a chamber music group in a small venue like the Lincoln Center Stage.  It will really change the experience to have them on a cavernous main stage.  And will that mean their instruments will be mic’ed?  I doubt trained classical performers will want to play mic’ed instruments. That’s a whole other form of entertainment.

2) The Lincoln Center groups gave some pretty amazing arrangements, eg we heard Rhapsody in Blue and two violin concertos re-arranged for the four-piece group.  They are really a step above what string ensembles do on some other lines.  Something the entertainment director said suggested these arrangements are proprietary - part of the franchise that contracts with HAL.

 

[epanchenko]

12 hours ago, Colorado Klutch said:

 

Well-seasoned groups don't want to ride cruise ships all over the planet away from their friends and family. Well-seasoned groups typically have plenty of work paying good money; likely more than cruise lines are willing to pay. 

I don't mean to disparage the performers on cruise ships. They are talented and hard-working. And cruise jobs are good, steady work which is hard to come by for performing artists. But let's be real. It's not Broadway and it's not Carnegie Hall. It is good experience and good resume fodder for moving on to other good, steady work. 

 

Jennifer Hudson used to work on Disney Wonder.  When her contract was up, she auditioned for American Idol, and the rest is history.

 

I was on Oosterdam in August 2019 to Alaska.  I saw every performance of LC.  During a Q&A, I believe they said the auditions were hard and rigorous.  One member said he was leaving soon to a job in a Florida orchestra.  He also did not like the design of the venue they were in.  I thought it was too small.  I thought the B.B. King room at the time was too small for the amplification of the band. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

12 hours ago, IDLnyc said:

On the Koningsdam now, and enjoying the Lincoln Center ensemble whenever our schedule allows (e.g. missed them on our five port days in a row)

 

Two observations-

1) it makes a lot more sense to see a chamber music group in a small venue like the Lincoln Center Stage.  It will really change the experience to have them on a cavernous main stage.  And will that mean their instruments will be mic’ed?  I doubt trained classical performers will want to play mic’ed instruments. That’s a whole other form of entertainment.

2) The Lincoln Center groups gave some pretty amazing arrangements, eg we heard Rhapsody in Blue and two violin concertos re-arranged for the four-piece group.  They are really a step above what string ensembles do on some other lines.  Something the entertainment director said suggested these arrangements are proprietary - part of the franchise that contracts with HAL.

 

 

You're probably right that the arrangements are part of the LC deal. It would be a shame to lose that. Any other classical quartet/trio/duo I've seen have stuck to pretty standard arrangements. LC's arrangements for pop music are amazing, too. Their Eleanor Rigby is far from "funereal!"

[IDLnyc]

On 1/28/2023 at 7:51 AM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

You're probably right that the arrangements are part of the LC deal. It would be a shame to lose that. Any other classical quartet/trio/duo I've seen have stuck to pretty standard arrangements. LC's arrangements for pop music are amazing, too. Their Eleanor Rigby is far from "funereal!"

My favorite arrangement from this cruise was a very creative rendition of Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five”. 

They even performed “Stairway to Heaven” (Led Zeppelin), a bold choice that caught the attention of a few passers-by..

 

in a more traditional mode, earlier in the day we had 45 minutes of Mozart 

 

I’m sorry I missed any session where they may have talked a bit about their schooling and experience.

[sambamama]

Boy, does this suck. The classical music was the main draw to HAL for me, and Lincoln Center was huge!  I LOVED IT! I have a 14 day cruise that's been cancelled twice and is now Jan 2024, so they won't be on it. HAL is getting rid of the special touches-no candied ginger, no Lincoln Center, and the management doesn't care if they screw up your cruise or have any affordable cruises for singles. 

[gilboman]

On 1/7/2023 at 12:38 PM, mcrcruiser said:

Candidly it is a shame that this is happening .We loved the old HAL .now they want to encourage the younger generations  .However ,the  younger generations can ill afford the longer HAK cruises being  produced  .so why change a good thing ?

Younger gen is flush with money and not shy about spending it.  just not so much on traditional cruises like HAL with minimal venues to spend big really... 

 

 

[HappyInVan]

17 hours ago, gilboman said:

Younger gen is flush with money and not shy about spending it.  just not so much on traditional cruises like HAL with minimal venues to spend big really... 

 

 

 

Where do they get the money from?

 

Is this the tech generation? We've seen it before. Investors throw money at the tech sectors. What happens when the music stops? Boom and Bust.

 

HAL shouldn't cater to a fickle set of customers. The older customers are reliable. Too much money, and not enough time to spend it$

[Copper10-8]

On 1/27/2023 at 12:57 PM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

....................................

 

I also learned that the entertainers--LC, Billboard, dancers, etc get single cabins. Teeny tiny inside cabins, but they do get to have their own cabins. So this does become a consideration in terms of the number of entertainers HAL can put on a ship. From the way they talked about it, HAL is regarded well by musicians because of the single cabins. So maybe other cruise lines make them share.

..............................

 

 

The former cast members, nowadays the Step One dancers, can usually be found being assigned a crew corridor cabin all the way forward on A-Deck and yes, no roommates, although two used to share cabins. Depending on the personalities and ages, those corridors have been known for "after show performance" parties and, as a result, visits by the night guards and, at times, a chat with the security officer as to the need for noise abatement/being good neighbors to other crew who, unlike the performers, need to rise and shine with the rooster crowing  

 

The BB's and, I presume, the Rolling Stone rockers (The classical quartet possibly also included in this group) get the best of both worlds in that they enjoy both crew and guest privileges. Their cabins, usually insides, are located in "passenger country" as opposed to "crew country"

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

The former cast members, nowadays the Step One dancers, can usually be found being assigned a crew corridor cabin all the way forward on A-Deck and yes, no roommates, although two used to share cabins. Depending on the personalities and ages, those corridors have been known for "after show performance" parties and, as a result, visits by the night guards and, at times, a chat with the security officer as to the need for noise abatement/being good neighbors to other crew who, unlike the performers, need to rise and shine with the rooster crowing  

 

The BB's and, I presume, the Rolling Stone rockers (The classical quartet possibly also included in this group) get the best of both worlds in that they enjoy both crew and guest privileges. Their cabins, usually insides, are located in "passenger country" as opposed to "crew country"

 

The performers live on a different time schedule from a lot of the crew, and I suppose when they end their work day, they're still too "up" to sleep. One of my dinner table companions said he was out by the seaview pool early one morning and he saw some of the BBK group out there. His description of their condition was "$***-faced" so we figured they hadn't been to bed yet. 

[Colorado Klutch]

19 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

The performers live on a different time schedule from a lot of the crew, and I suppose when they end their work day, they're still too "up" to sleep. One of my dinner table companions said he was out by the seaview pool early one morning and he saw some of the BBK group out there. His description of their condition was "$***-faced" so we figured they hadn't been to bed yet. 

 

They are musicians alright. 😄

[mikebsxm]

On 1/31/2023 at 4:31 PM, gilboman said:

Younger gen is flush with money and not shy about spending it.  just not so much on traditional cruises like HAL with minimal venues to spend big really... 

 

 

The younger generation may be flush with cash, but they are still working, so its pretty tough to ask your boss at an investment bank for a month or two off to take a long cruise.   Only us retired old farts have the discretionary funds AND the available time for long cruises.  And it's exactly that demographic that enjoys Lincoln Center concerts.

[johnnyswitzerland]

Once Starlink rolls out, that may change.  I would love to see a future where I can enjoy transoceanic crossings without taking vacay time.  Here's hoping.

[jthek]

I just got off the Kdam from a 24 day gig to Mexico/Hawaii

 

They had a 4 piece dance band in the Ocean Bar that played 2 45 minute stands around the 

dinner hour

 

They were pretty good

 

Not as good as Rhapsody in Blue in the Lincoln Center

[3rdGenCunarder]

6 minutes ago, jthek said:

I just got off the Kdam from a 24 day gig to Mexico/Hawaii

 

They had a 4 piece dance band in the Ocean Bar that played 2 45 minute stands around the 

dinner hour

 

They were pretty good

 

Not as good as Rhapsody in Blue in the Lincoln Center

 

That's apples and oranges. I don't think the addition of a combo in Ocean bar is meant to replace LC.  HAL should have both! Since word got out that LC won't be on all the ships (and I think some ships are losing BB King), HAL needs to say what will be ADDED. 

[Liabella]

Really disappointed that Lincoln Center has been discontinued on Holland America. It was so popular and so enjoyable. Main reason for choosing HAL.

[OlsSalt]

On 1/11/2023 at 10:33 PM, HALcruiser2001 said:

 

.....

They make roasting a chicken and turkey tough too.

 

If that is the pre-heated skillet roasted chicken recipe, it is worth it because it comes out superb every single time.  Wonderful pan juices. That one was a keeper. 

[GeezerCouple]

Does anyone have any recent first-hand experience on HAL with whatever might be replacing Lincoln Center (short or long term)?

 

Many thanks!

 

GC

[3rdGenCunarder]

23 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

Does anyone have any recent first-hand experience on HAL with whatever might be replacing Lincoln Center (short or long term)?

 

Many thanks!

 

GC

 

Classical Duo. On Zaandam last week, it was piano and cello. They were very good and had several different programs, but with only two instruments there wasn't the variety of pieces/styles that we heard when the ships had LC. 

[foodsvcmgr]

I hope the duo concept will be applied to all ships.

We enjoyed it for many years pre-LC.

[OlsSalt]

Some duos were better than others, but others are still better than none.

 

My favorite mismatch was the eastern european couple who  were obviously acting out some sort of marital difficulties on stage. As pianist she would play over his strings, and when the set was over she would slam down the keyboard cover and stomp off. He frantically tried to keep up with her "accompaniment". Yet, they were both very talented and the music did prevail. 

[GeezerCouple]

15 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

Some duos were better than others, but others are still better than none.

 

My favorite mismatch was the eastern european couple who  were obviously acting out some sort of marital difficulties on stage. As pianist she would play over his strings, and when the set was over she would slam down the keyboard cover and stomp off. He frantically tried to keep up with her "accompaniment". Yet, they were both very talented and the music did prevail. 

 

Oh yes... that "modern music" can be VERY strange indeed!

🤣

 

GC