Holy Ship, Maiden Voyage

The only reason I get to go to so many outdoor music festivals is because I promise my family I will take them on a vacation for every festival I am allowed to attend. My family is addicted to cruises, and some of the Bahamas cruises are super cheap for a family of 4 on a budget. So when I heard that Hard Events was doing an EDM (electronic dance music) festival on a cruise ship, I nearly dropped my phone ( it was sent to me as a text from my best bud Jordan) This is the first huge EDM event/cruise with big name DJ’s for headliners. Most of you have heard of the headliners which included Skrillex, Steve Aoki, and Fatboy Slim, but my #1 DJ was going to be on this cruise as well, Boys Noize! So Jordan and I got our tickets and headed to Ft. Lauderdale on January 6. This was a perfect time for a festival for me because I was scheduled a 23 hour day on New Years Eve. Yes, because I am a lighting tech at a big company, they can do that, but I’m not complaining cause that check paid right before I got on the cruise.

So how does a cruise ship support a music festival? As far as stages were constructed, 1^st they covered one of the main deck swimming pools with fiberglass and LED fixtures underneath to provide a great dance floor. Next up they construct a nice size stage with 2 DJ turntables right in front of the new dance floor. For the 2^nd stage the main theatre had several rows of seats torn out, and they made a dance floor with the extra space. The stage was large enough to comfortably house 2 DJ tables. This room was great for the Boys Noize records party, and the ‘surprise’ guest DJ, which turned out to be the lead singer from Korn, Jonathan Davis, who’s DJ name is Devil. The 3^rd stage was on deck 7 in the Zebra Lounge and that was a perfect spot for late late DJ’s. There was a disco on the 14^thfloor that had the Fools Gold party ( A-Trak’s label) and an incredible set by an up and coming DJ named Zedd. The schedule was packed for the 3 day cruise which also included sets the afore mentioned headliners and included additional sets from Laidback Luke, Tommy Lee (Motley Crue fame), Diplo, and an additional 15 other big DJ's.

One of the coolest things was when we went to the private island and had a beach party with Fatboy Slim playing atop a huge Pirate ship! 82 degrees, crystal blue waters, and 3000 EDM fans is the perfect recipe for an experience like no other. They hired a helicopter to fly over the party and film it at close range!

The major differences between an outdoor music festival and a cruise is; with a festival you have to endure long lines to get in, long lines at the awful porta-potty, long lines for substandard over-priced food, and a super small selection of alcohol that is served warm. On a cruise you get to leave and go back to your cabin to change clothes or take a shower and be right back into the fray of dancing, and the food on a ship is top notch AND FREE. The time you save with the proximity to the stages is not to be overlooked either. When leaving EDC Vegas last year I spent 3 hours in a car before getting back to my hotel.

All I can say is if the EDM culture can figure out how to have cruise/ festivals more often then I would only spend half my time at the hot outdoor ones. Outdoor festivals have the huge stages and the ability to bring the huge DJ’s (more bang for your buck) but I’m old and hate standing in long lines. So I have a new love!

Check out the pictures and be super Jealous. The main LD was Chris Kuroda (he normally works with Fish) and he used a Grand MA 1 for the main stage and for the theatre as well. The Main stage had 17 Mac 2Ks, 12 Studio Beams, 12 Martin 101’s and 4 4lights. The theatre stage had approximately 6 Mac 2ks, 9 Martin 101’s and several other fixtures. (as usual I forget to ask for complete numbers because I’m on vacation) The lighting was amazing for the whole ship and all the stages.

If you look on YouTube for Holy Ship, you’ll see some great videos! I will definitely be on the Holy Ship next year!