To read the first installment of Dan's sea-faring metal voyage, click here.
Day 3
As mentioned, this was the day where the ship stopped in Cozumel, Mexico. Interesting factoid learned post-cruise – the ship had to be re-stocked with booze in Cozumel, as the metalheads had downed just about all of it on the way there. This was the first time that Royal Caribbean had to do this. Are we shocked, folks? I think not.
For the day in Cozumel, there were a whole ton of excursions that were on offer for all of the cruisers and bands to take part in. Our choice was to take an ATV of sorts out to see a beautiful jade cavern, complete with bats and water that sparkled like jade – hence the name. Three of us, as well as two other cruise goers, were going on this excursion, and we all boarded a van, which took us to the starting point of our journey. Once there, we got a quick briefing on how to drive the vehicles and the mandatory safety lecture – “I love the safety lecture,” to quote the legendary comedian George Carlin.
The excursion was a wonderful time, where we all got to hold various jungle animals, as well as spend about an hour or so driving our ATVs through the jungle. The jade caverns themselves were a fantastic sight to see, and it was refreshing to just sit on a small pier and soak our feet in the beautiful green water.
Once our excursion was completed, we got back to the main port of Cozumel, where there were many sorts of merchants as far as the eye could see. We investigated many stands and shops, including one with a very cool Mexican wrestling mask that looked a lot like Helloween’s pumpkin mascot. This wasn’t purchased, with much regret looking back, as it would have been a fun item to own. We did, however, pick up some fantastic cookies and a bottle of Fanta, which tasted like a cross between American Fanta and the far superior German variety. To view my obsession with German Fanta more in depth, check out my Wacken 2010 review. I’m officially addicted!
After finishing our snack, we headed back onto the boat for a shower (the ATV ride left everybody covered in dirt) and some sleep in preparation for that nights round of bands. The music was due to start back up at 7pm, and go to 4am, which was the exact same time setup as was the first day of the cruise.
This night also started the second round of sets from all of the bands. On the first two days, each band played one set. On this and the following day, every band would play their second set. This organization was a fantastic idea, making it very doable to be able to catch every band you wanted to see once, if not twice if you really wanted. The pace would still be frantic, but this made time clashes that much easier to deal with.
The first order of business was to see Cripper for a second time. Their first set impressed so much that seeing them on their second set was an absolute must. This time, the show was located in the small indoor club stage – The Spectrum Lounge. Cripper put on just as a robust show as their first, but in a much closer and more intimate setting. It was nice to see the band in two completely different settings, which made each time seeing them a different experience.
Next was a trek up to the pool deck to catch Kai Hanson and Gamma Ray. Having seen them twice previous – once on their tour with Helloween a few years back, and once at Wacken – they were a much looked forward to appearance. A great performance ensued, with the band being sharp as a tack. Material from their latest album, To The Metal including the title track of said album came off great, as well as tracks such as “New World Order” and “Armageddon.” A few Helloween tracks thrown in for good measure – as you know, Kai Hanson was in Helloween for some time – including “I Want Out” and “Ride the Sky.” Great show from a band that would be most welcome to come to these shores more often.
At this point, I was feeling a tad under the weather, and had an hour before the next set that I wanted to catch, that being Exodus on the pool deck. That show was slated to begin at 10pm and go until 11pm. Much to my chagrin, I awoke at 11:45pm. And I missed this insane moment. At that point, feeling like dirt still, I said to myself, “45 minutes until Iced Earth – lets get another 20 minutes of shuteye!” If you’re catching on to this pattern at all, take a guess at what happened. The rest of the night consisted of me being passed out completely in the cabin, which in hindsight is something that was really needed. It was certainly a shame to miss Iced Earth’s second show, as well as Saxon playing “Strong Arm of the Law” in its entirety. The odd thing that was heard from a friend that caught Saxon’s show was that they didn’t play it all at once, instead breaking it into parts, with other songs strewn in between. Strange, to be sure. But alas, day three was a short program of music for this cruiser, but the rest was much needed for the fourth and final day.
70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise Review Page One << you are here
