Special Report: 70,000 Tons of Metal

The Right To Rock's first official foreign correspondent: Stu!Since 2011, metal fans from all over the globe have been attending the world's largest annual seaborne metal festival. Dubbed 70,000 Tons of Metal, the Royal Carribean's Majesty of the Sea cruise ship travels from Miami to Cozumel and back while rocking the asses off of a couple thousand metalheads. While your humble hosts Genghis & Ragman have talked about making the trip, it's never managed to happen. But the prospect of enjoying the beautiful Carribean weather while enjoying cold beer and seeing some of their favorite metal bands is enticing enough to warrant further investigation - which sounds like a job for The Right To Rock's new foreign correspondent, Stuart Davy...

Hey, Stu, welcome to The Right To Rock. So, how did you first hear about this cruise back when it debuted?

"The weekend before the cruise, South Beach is full of people in black metal shirts walking around eating, drinking, and having a good time."It was a Spring day back in 2010 and I was browsing Facebook when I noticed a friend had posted a status with a picture of this cruiseliner and mentioning how this cruise will have 40 metal bands playing over 4 days whilst cruising the Caribbean! Naturally, like any metal fan, this got my attention immediately.  My initial reaction was skeptical because, after all, such a concept was virtually unheard of. However, I researched it more and before long I was converted! This large cruiseliner, Royal Caribbean's "Majesty Of The Seas" was going to depart Miami and sail the Caribbean in January 2011 with 40 bands representing the majority of metal genres! Soon after seeing the 15 or so bands that had already been announced, I decided I must do this! The likes of Exodus, Testament, and Fear Factory had already been announced so despite the expensive cost of travelling from Australia & having a separate big mid year holiday to the US & Canada coming up that was already booked, it was too hard to say no to such an event!

What's the scene like on arriving at the departure point?

After arriving in Miami and walking around South Beach you knew that something special was going to happen! Due to the cruise leaving on a Monday in the early evening & having to be onboard by mid afternoon, most people take the recommendation of the organizers & arrive in Maimi at least 1 day prior to the cruise so in case of any unforseen travel problems getting to Miami you dont risk missing the boat. Therefore the weekend before the cruise around South Beach is full of people in black metal shirts walking around, eating & drinking in the countless number of restaurants & bars having a good time. Putting the horns in the air whilst walking past others who are there for the reason you are is a common theme! You can even be sitting in a bar & band members will come in for a drink! Happened last year when a couple of the Candlemass guys came & sat next to me. Unfortunately they didnt stay long but was still great to chat with them briefly. The good thing is in that circumstance, you'll more than likely see them onboard the cruise in a couple of days time & quite possibly drink with them again on the boat!

But, the story of Gerre (Tankard's singer) is probably my funniest of all 3 cruises so far: For those not familar with the Port Of Miami, they have the same security measures to get on the boat that airports have with 2 metal detector gates. Walking - more like stumbling - through the other one the same time as me was a bloke who was so drunk he walked through and forgot to collect his belongings on the other side! He got about 20 metres away almost bouncing off the walls before he got called back to pick up his stuff. My friend and I didn't know who this bloke was so here we were pointing & laughing at this bloke who we thought was just a random passenger. He was so drunk when getting on the boat at 2 p.m. on the Monday afternoon it was priceless! It wasn't until we pointed him out to another friend that we were told "that's Gerre, the singer of Tankard"! It's probably my funniest moment in the 3 years of 70,000 Tons - and the boat hadn't even left port!

So, what's it like once everything gets going and the ship takes off?

The setup is that all 40 bands play 2 sets, 1 set on the way down to the arrival destination, with the arrival destination varying from year to year. First year was Cozumel Mexico, with The Cayman Islands the 2nd year, and this year was Turks & Caicos Islands on the way back to Miami. That means that bands will have plenty of free time and it's quite normal to bump into band members onboard, whether its watching a gig, chilling out on the pool deck, or sitting at one of the bars. You are bound to bump into band members almost everywhere you go. This year when watching a band a guy who came and stood next to me asked me if I knew who the band was. I answered him without facing him so I didnt recogonize straight up who it was. When I turned to face him I discovered it was in fact Markus from the German power metal band Helloween! As they are one of my favourite bands it was a great thrill to have a quick conversation. Some band members are seen a lot, others you dont see at all. Chris Bowles from Scottish folk metal band Alestorm was seen everywhere on last year's cruise - it was ridiculous! Cannibal Corpse singer George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher apparently by all counts got so drunk last year that he passed out on the pool deck - more than once!! Would explain why during his 2nd set he was guzzling so much water between songs!

This friend of mine who is a big fan of theirs also drank with them after their 2nd set finished! They finished playing shortly before 5 a.m. and hit the grog - or rather continued to, I guess, probably only having a break from drinking when they were on stage - straight away until about 10am. Gerre in his drunken state kept referring to my friend as "Aussie Motherfucker"!!

Another good part of the cruise is that all bands do a meet & greet session onboard so if you dont bump into members of your favourite band whilst enjoying the cruise, you can always turn up to their meet and greet. It's great for a quick chat and getting any merch or memorabilla signed. The first year all bands did this over the 2 full days at sea but the last 2 years they have thrown all the bands together and they now do them all in just 1 day. It's great if you're like some of my friends & want to get your stuff signed but be warned, some bands having big lines it can mean u may miss seeing some bands play!

How is everything laid out in terms of the venue itself?

"Watching bands play outside on the pool deck in the middle of nowhere surrounded only by blue sky & ocean is a special feeling!"The setup of bands playing is pretty simple! There are 3 stages, the 2 inside theatres are used and the pool deck. The pool deck is uniquely special! One of the 2 pools gets drained and boarded over then the stage gets erected in front of it. Watching bands play outside on the pool deck in the middle of nowhere surrounded only by blue sky and ocean is a special feeling! Even when the sun goes down and it gets a bit chilly. The 2 full days ( tuesday & thursday) at sea the bands start playing at 10 a.m. (ship runs off Miami time) and dont stop until 4-5 a.m. the next morning. So yes, for about 19 hours straight there is metal playing! Monday after leaving port the bands start about 6 p.m. and the same on the Wednesday after the boat starts the sail back to Miami. Early Wednesday morning the boat arrives at its destination where you have the choice to get off the boat or stay onboard and sleep off your hangover!! As long as you're back on the boat by a certain time then all will be good! No bands play during the day when the boat is docked in port.

Another unique thing I discovered about the cruise was with bands starting so early is that you can actually watch a band before having breakfast!! The first year saw Circle II Circle play their 2nd set first up at 10 a.m.! After waking up about 9:45 a.m. I threw on some clothes then about 10 mins later I was standing in front of the stage waiting for them. Sounded so funny when singer Zak Stevens came out and said " good morning". After the set finished 45 minutes later I hit the buffet for breakfast! Where else can you watch a band before going to have breakfast? All this out on the ocean in the middle of nowhere made me truly realise how unique and awesome this cruise is! Last year's cruise Jeff (Vicious Rumours) sat down next to me for breakfast! I didnt know him or his band at that point but after having breakfast with him and discovering what a nice bloke he was I promised I'd attend his show later that night - which I did & enjoyed immensely!

"Your diet - as well as you liver - are pretty much afterthoughts on this thing."Speaking of breakfast, time to mention the food: Should firstly mentioned that the cost - which I'll get to later - includes your food. There is a Johnny Rockets burger store onboard which will charge you a few dollars to feast there, but otherwise all the buffets are included. Plenty ofpeople dont like the buffet food on board but I think they're being a bit harsh. Breakfast (hot and cold), lunch, and dinner get served at the appropiate times and the pizza joint is open 24 hrs. The latter comes in handy when you're hungry at 4 a.m. after watching countless gigs for hours on end!!

I know it's a lot of stuff, but is there anything else to do during the cruise?

The bands playing aren't the only musical activities onboard. Every night from midnight until dawn there is Karaoke held in one of the lounges. Apparently during the first year, members of Exodus were there singing ABBA songs; apparently the Bay Area thrash bands onboard all took a liking to Karaoke, practically took it over, and made it an enjoyable event. Didn't see any of it the first year, but the 2nd year when I turned up nothing much was happening as it was so late that most people in the lounge had simply passed out; getting back to their cabin was just too complicated. This year I got to see James Rivera from Helstar sing Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline, so that was good. Another activity that started this year that will likely become a regular thing is the "All-Star Jam". Jeff Waters loved being on the boat with his band Annihilator last year, and  this year he came back himself to run this event where members of different bands can come together to simply jam with each other on their off time. It was a really popular event with a big turnout of musicians and fans alike packing the lounge. Actually, if you Google "70000 Tons Of Metal All Star Jam Bark At The Moon" the video of it should come up - and I can be seen in the background sitting behind Jeff Waters! Great stuff.

Another extra they threw in this year was getting Vika (a female metal pianist) onboard to make use of the two large grand pianos that the cruiseliner has. Certainly is a cruise that has something for all metal fans.

Sounds like an incredible opportunity for metalheads. So how much does it end up costing in the end?

"All this out on the ocean in the middle of nowhere made me truly realise how unique & awesome this cruise is!"The cost to go on the cruise can vary greatly. You must have a "lead passenger" who must book the whole cabin which means that depending on what size it is (they offer double/twin, triple, and quad cabins), you must have other people fill the cabin up or that person has to pay for any unoccupied beds. Basically, if you are the lead passenger, you pay for yourself and everyone else in the cabin - then the other people pay you their share personally. For most people the cost will average about $1,000 - $1,700 USD (including taxes) depending on what size cabin you're in. Unless you agree to pay an extra $100 fee to the organizers to find you a vacant cabin spot, this is the way it must be booked. I should point out that these are just the basic rooms. For a large onsuite room with balcony, et cetera, they cost much, much more!

Also, as mentioned, food comes with the cost but alcohol does not. Beers on average are between $5 - 6. That's pretty much all I drink, but I can't say what others do.

Stu, we appreciate your inside info on this growing niche business and you've got us at The Right To Rock pretty interested. Any advice for the fans considering this as a unique vacation option?

Having been onboard all 3 years to date my message to any metal fans who havent done it but are thinking about it is this: Just Do It! It isn't a cheap holiday by any means - especially not from coming from here in Australia - but if you can afford it then do it! You will have such an amazing time (probably the time of your life); you'll want to just keep going back like I've done! Should also point out that in 3 years there has never been any major incidents onboard. Despite alcohol consumption being high, everyone is so relaxed and chilled out that any trouble is only a minor isolated incident. So if you are thinking that putting 2,000 metal fans together on a boat is a recipe for disaster,  you are wrong. It isn't like that at all. It's also amusing that the crew of the boat love us more than anyone else for the simple fact that we break the record for alcohol sales set the preceding year.

For further information you can go to 70000tons.com and of course Facebook has plenty of pages & related material to find out more. After all, everyone who has gone on the cruise has a story to tell so if you join up on the forum through the website you'll find out what great times and experiences people have had on this cruise. It's also worth mentioning that there is now plenty of pre-cruise activities held in Miami in the days beforehand - including the very popular pre-party and beach party - so you can end up having plenty of fun outside of the cruise. Also there are plenty of YouTube clips to view of what great fun has been had.

Comments

[GD]

great article, makes me want to go, which are you know,Stu, would be controversial