Months ago I was contracted to do a small, corporate dinner party on a very nice, 90 ft. excursion boat. Management said it would be in the salon. (For you landlubbers, that means inside on the main deck.)

There are several unusual hassles to playing this boat, which I will skip over. When I get there the Captain greets me and directs me to set up on the upper (open) deck. We have words. I refer to the contract. He refers me to his rank. I refer to the weather report that says chance of showers and high winds. He refers me to his rank.

So, I start carrying gear up this narrow, steep stairway to the upper deck. I go to set up a tripod for one of the speakers. He says, "no poles". We have words. He refers me to his rank. I cave and set the speaker on the deck next to the KB stand.

Then I excuse myself, leave the boat, and head for the office, and find the manager who contracted me. She was appalled that the Captain told me to go to the upper deck. Out comes the two-way radio and they have words. I am instructed to bring my stuff down to the salon. (total time expended so far 1 hr, 15 mins.)

Again, Captain says no poles. Ceiling in the salon is only 6'7". (Can't even use the Bose PAS.)

Yada, Yada, Yada....I am tucked in a passageway between the bar and an exit door and use a 10" Samson powered speaker on the floor, right above the engine room. (The engine and I were seldom in the same key.)

They asked me to start 20 minutes early and I provided a solid 2 1/2 hours of dinner music in concert with two diesel engines.

But, something must have gone right. At the end of the cruise, the president of the banking group came up to thank me and handed me a fifty.

That was nice...but I still need a bar.

If you'd like to be on the list to do "boat-gigs" let me know. I am taking me name off of it.

Eddie

Hi Eddie,
Sounds like a fun night, my friend!
I did a wedding reception on a boat here on the Red River some years ago. It was inside and also near the engine room. I was so afraid I would drop something in the river getting on and off.
DonM

Done a few boat gigs, most of the time the captain wanted me outside, and every time I told him to forget it--it ain't gonna' happen! My biggest concern when doin' boat gigs was the power system, which is often a poorly regulated power generator that allows for big fluctuations in voltage and current. Scary as hell to me, therefore, I always have the entire system protected with a high-quality surge protector. As for playing on deck, it still ain't gonna' happen!

Gary

Used to play a lot on the Belle of Louisville, a steamboat in Louisville, Ky. when I was in college.Played a B-3. Voltage changed so dramatically that the B-3 would go way out of tune. But hey, I was a college kid, and was sometimes "impared" to the point that it didn't matter.

Great old boat, still operating!

Russ

Hey Eddie... funny story. Tho it's hard to feel sorry for you guys living in paradise. After that, have a drink on me!

Glenn

Hey Eddie, I would say to you: "Here's the bar - here you can play!"
...but at the end you would only play at home...

Capt. Russ, I really would like to see those old steamboats in live action. I only saw them on tv screen. Maybe once a time I will have the posibility to travel to America...

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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

[This message has been edited by Sheriff (edited 04-28-2005).]

I remember a true story of a couple of big name performers on a boat with electric current fluctuations.

I think Oliver Nelson was the sax player and it seems to me the Hammond B3 organist was Wild Bill Davis (?).

Anyway, the story goes that the B3 kept changing pitch, so the sax player had to get used to transposing on the spot, in the middle of the songs!! Bet that kept 'em on their toes.

Scott Langholff
http://www.ScottLMusic.com