DJ Logic :: Caribbean Cruise |
The next morning we woke up in the Bahamas! In the grey and chilly port town of Nassau, the first thing the bands had to do was switch ships. This was the genius behind the DMF cruise - two boats and halfway through we'll get all the musicians on different ships. For the audiences, it was a great thing, but for me, it was painful! I woke up five hours after I went to bed, made sure all my stuff was packed, and checked out of this great floating hotel.
While walking to the other boat, I saw Daniel Delacruz from John Brown's Body and I caught a glimpse of the North Mississippi Allstars. Lucas Reynolds from Blue Merle was a surprise treat, out doing the solo thing. All of Ratdog were there, from a seasick Robin Sylvester to a jubilant production manager. The high point for me was swapping cabins with the official press biographer for the Grateful Dead and one of my personal heroes, Dennis McNally.
Dave Matthews & Friends :: Caribbean Cruise |
Part of the allure to this whole festival was the fact that Dave Matthews and Friends would be playing on a secret island. Each floor was given a time to be "tendered" over. A tender is an open-air boat that can hold around 300 people. The bands could go whenever they wanted. The whole thing was quite a process: from the ship to a line, walking in a group down the port, to the boat, and then over the bay. When the fans reached the beach, they had to stand in line to get their tickets to the show and to buy any food or beverages they might want. It turned out it wasn't on a secret island at all but on the grounds of the Club Med at Coco Kay. Realizing we could, I hopped in a cab with Krasno, Logic, Reggie Watts, and tour manager Peter Costello. It was the one moment of really being in Nassau. The white Winnebago van had the steering wheel on the right side, and the Bahamians, who run their own country, drive on the other side of the road. We sang along to Bob Marley and let the views and warmth soothe our ocean-weary souls.
There was a giant stage set up on the beach, and Patrick Jordan (Red Light Management) was spinning records as we waited for the big concert to start. The show was the first chance the bands on the two boats had to mingle. Most of the bands tour on the same circuit, so there were a lot of old friends reunited, as well as new friends being made. Grace Potter and Luke Reynolds found out they had grown up right near each other in Vermont and share a lot of friends, both in and out of the music world.
Dave Matthews & Friends :: Caribbean Cruise |
The VIP area was almost behind the stage. It was a great place to hang out, but you couldn't see the performances. However, out in the main area, the crowd was huge, and the beach sloped down making it impossible to see the show at all. As the second song started, so did the warm tropical rains, pounding down. We piled back under the tents in the VIP area while the rest of the crowd stood on the beach, caught in a double bind - stand in the rain for a once-in-a-lifetime experience or head back to the ship. Dave Matthews took a step back as Trey Anastasio stepped forward, the rain slacked off, and everyone reemerged, dancing on the beach under the clouds. As Matthews stepped forward again, the rain started to pound down.
At this point I gave up, caught another taxi back to the port, and ran from customs to the ship in the pelting rain. It was raining so hard, I had to stop every few seconds to see where I was going. I arrived at the ship soaking and exhilarated, and the staff greeted me with a warm towel and a cold beer. That's my kind of service.
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