Bill Board on Board changing formats

[JennysUncle]

2 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

Barry Rocklin aka Barry from Boston is a great piano bar performer, but I fear he has long moved on to other ventures and may no longer be interested in being a shipboard performer. 

From Barry's Facebook page it seems that he has done a few cruise ship gigs since the resumption after covid, so is probably available. 

[BarryFromBoston]

Hello from Boston and thanks so much for holding me in your memories. I've been doing conventions, club dates, and private shows. HAL was always my favorite. If they can offer a guest status job (many lines made entertainers crew during COVID, are doing very well, but didn't offer that important amenity back since), I would live to be back on HAL, and left a message for my agent already. Fingers crossed!

Edited January 27 by BarryFromBoston

[Niagarawine]

I was on in November and I just thought some of the songs were cheesy, Itsy Betsy Yellow Polka Dot Bikini? I am no spring chicken but that was yuch. Think one piano player playing some good jazz might be better. We were in one of the bars that had a piano but no live music so ai asked and the server said they cut back. Maybe one of the performers could play there. 

[Niagarawine]

4 minutes ago, BarryFromBoston said:

Hello from Boston and thanks so much for holding me in your memories. I've been doing conventions, club dates, and private shows. HAL was always my favorite. If they can offer a guest status job (many lines made entertainers crew during COVID, are doing very well, but didn't offer that important amenity back since), I would live to be back on HAL, and left a message for my agent already. Fingers crossed!

 

5 minutes ago, BarryFromBoston said:

Hello from Boston and thanks so much for holding me in your memories. I've been doing conventions, club dates, and private shows. HAL was always my favorite. If they can offer a guest status job (many lines made entertainers crew during COVID, are doing very well, but didn't offer that important amenity back since), I would live to be back on HAL, and left a message for my agent already. Fingers crossed!

I saw you on Royal and you were great!

[RuthC]

If true, this is the best news I have read on this forum in some time! 

I hope all the ships return to the true Piano Bar format, and that includes those that currently have Mix on board. Get rid of the set playlists, dictated by Seattle, and let the musicians include the passengers in deciding what is done on any given night. Piano Bars on HAL used to be fun! 

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, BarryFromBoston said:

Hello from Boston and thanks so much for holding me in your memories. I've been doing conventions, club dates, and private shows. HAL was always my favorite. If they can offer a guest status job (many lines made entertainers crew during COVID, are doing very well, but didn't offer that important amenity back since), I would live to be back on HAL, and left a message for my agent already. Fingers crossed!

 

Well, @BarryFromBoston, it’s nice to see and hear from you.  I’ve seen your name mentioned on CC, on multiple occasions, and kind of had a picture in my head of an old white-haired guy singing lounge songs not-from-my era.  You look like fun! I hope to see you on a future sailing.

 

Edited January 27 by *Miss G*

[BarryFromBoston]

7 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Well, @BarryFromBoston, it’s nice to see and hear from you.  I’ve seen your name mentioned on CC, on multiple occasions, and kind of had a picture in my head of an old white-haired guy singing lounge songs not-from-my era.  You look like fun! I hope to see you on a future sailing.

 

Thanks, Miss G. I do over 2000 songs for memory, and write new comedy material every day. Hope they make an offer I can accept.  It was airways my favorite gig, for over a decade. 

Edited January 27 by BarryFromBoston
Punctuation

[iflyrc5]

2 hours ago, OrlandoKB said:

Alissa Musto is currently the pianist on Rotterdam, an accomplished singer/songwriter and performer. I sailed when she was on the Westerdam back in July 2019 in Alaska. She’s also a longtime personal friend and from Massachusetts. Alissa would find “southern US accent” hilarious. 😆 

Tonight she said she lives in Texas now so maybe a Texas drawl.

[BarryFromBoston]

3 minutes ago, iflyrc5 said:

Tonight she said she lives in Texas now so maybe a Texas drawl.

I did dueling with her on NCL. Shr's a great performer, and a fun person.  

[RuthC]

40 minutes ago, BarryFromBoston said:

Hope they make an offer I can accept.

I hope so, too! I have heard so many good things about you, and your time on HAL, and think I would enjoy your piano bar. 

[Haljo1935]

8 hours ago, ArizonaStorm said:

I’m currently on the Koningsdam where a duo continues in the Billboard Onboard. I’d prefer a cocktail lounge atmosphere with one pianist playing quietly in the background. 

I don't know their names, but I could not listen to the duo that was performing Dec 21 - Jan 6 on K'dam; I honestly don't know if the man was good or not because the female was painfully bad and I moved on as quickly as possible. I tried a couple times hoping maybe she was having an off night, but it was never good.

Solo, duo, or any number would be ok with me so long as they're good. I think HAL needs better interviewers in the entertainment department.

[3rdGenCunarder]

12 hours ago, Niagarawine said:

I was on in November and I just thought some of the songs were cheesy, Itsy Betsy Yellow Polka Dot Bikini? I am no spring chicken but that was yuch. Think one piano player playing some good jazz might be better. We were in one of the bars that had a piano but no live music so ai asked and the server said they cut back. Maybe one of the performers could play there. 

 

Broke my heart last winter on Eurodam to see a grand piano shoved into a corner, gathering dust.

[OmarOak]

5 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

I don't know their names, but I could not listen to the duo that was performing Dec 21 - Jan 6 on K'dam; I honestly don't know if the man was good or not because the female was painfully bad and I moved on as quickly as possible. I tried a couple times hoping maybe she was having an off night, but it was never good.

Solo, duo, or any number would be ok with me so long as they're good. I think HAL needs better interviewers in the entertainment department.

 

I had this same experience, but on Nieuw Statendam 12/27 - 1/7 itinerary. Neither of the Billboard performers were very good or enjoyable.

[bebe08]

We were big fans of Stryker on a Zandaam sailing in 2019.  Hope they bring him back!  Love the singalong format and different theme nights!!

 

 

[FlorenceItaly]

6 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

I don't know their names, but I could not listen to the duo that was performing Dec 21 - Jan 6 on K'dam; I honestly don't know if the man was good or not because the female was painfully bad and I moved on as quickly as possible. I tried a couple times hoping maybe she was having an off night, but it was never good.

Solo, duo, or any number would be ok with me so long as they're good. I think HAL needs better interviewers in the entertainment department.

On the same sailing and I agree!

[ldog]

The problem with Billboard, for me, is that they perform the same set list over and over.  It seems canned and processed.  Even the banter between songs is repeated.  On BTB cruises it's even more obvious.   A single performer can read and adapt to the audience and it's spontaneous and creative and thus, more fun. 

[SDARCH]

11 hours ago, iflyrc5 said:

Alissa Musto is currently the pianist on Rotterdam

She is fantastic.  Heard her perform on the N.A. in Oct 2019.  Hope she is still on board in May when we sail.

[ATC]

11 hours ago, RuthC said:

I hope so, too! I have heard so many good things about you, and your time on HAL, and think I would enjoy your piano bar. 

Barry is great. We've provided some do wop in his "ring of Fire" many times. We're doing several weeks out of Boston this year. Hope to see him.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

1 hour ago, bebe08 said:

We were big fans of Stryker on a Zandaam sailing in 2019.  Hope they bring him back!  Love the singalong format and different theme nights!!

 

 

So are we.

[madera1]

I used to enjoy the solo piano performances and pre Covid there was one singer who had his own groupies sitting around the piano. Some even had signs! I don’t recall if that was Barry or another singer.

[OlsSalt]

Anyone know who did the tour de force rendition of Bye Bye Miss American Pie in one of the old format MIX piano bars?  

 

Or do many of the performers offer this line by line explanation of the words and hidden clues in that favorite song.

 

 

[FlaMariner]

19 hours ago, DCThunder said:

No "Sweet Caroline"?

 

That's a given....goes with the piano bar....So does "Piano Man"......

 

So much fun......

[*Miss G*]

12 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

That's a given....goes with the piano bar....So does "Piano Man"......

 

So much fun......

 

Sweet Caroline and Piano Man is why you’ll find me in BB King’s.  Or maybe sticking toothpicks in my eyes.  It’s that much fun.

[Niagarawine]

4 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Broke my heart last winter on Eurodam to see a grand piano shoved into a corner, gathering dust.

Yes and I wished I could play it

[Niagarawine]

2 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Sweet Caroline and Piano Man is why you’ll find me in BB King’s.  Or maybe sticking toothpicks in my eyes.  It’s that much fun.

Yep I hate Sweet Caroline