Cruisin’ The Caribbean

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Carole and I and a party of 30 AM 650 listeners just returned from a 7 day cruise of the western Caribbean with stops in Cozumel, Belize and two other tropical locations. It was the 21st annual Concerts at Sea Where the Action Is cruise with Paul Revere and the Raiders, B.J. Thomas, Mary Wilson of the Supremes, the Cowsills and the Drifters. I originally heard about it from Paul himself during his summer stint at the former Red Robinson Show Theatre.

The theatre aboard the Caribbean Princess holds 1500 and the sound and lights are great. Not one act disappointed. The Cowsills have reformed and continue performing without brothers Billy and Barry. Barry was caught up in the Hurricane Katrina disaster and his body wasn’t found for weeks. At brother Barry’s funeral they got word that Billy had also died in Edmonton. He had been a fixture on the local scene for some time. I didn’t know what to expect but was overjoyed to hear the great harmonies they are still capable of putting out.

The highlight for me was hearing B.J. Thomas and his voice is as rich as ever. The last time he performed in Vancouver was at Nat Bailey Stadium in 1993 with the Everly Brothers and Buddy Knox. When I told him he hadn’t been to Vancouver in some time, he offered that he had been here for a convention with Kenny Rogers… something I didn’t realize.

Mary Wilson is not only a great talent but a great lady. I asked her if she remembers coming to Vancouver in the late Sixties and the first thing she said was “The Cave!” It seems as if most artists recall the experience of playing the Cave positively. I also asked if she remembered a boat cruise in the harbour at the time. Fred Latremouille will remember it fondly:

The Drifters provided a mountain of memories with a string of their hits: On Broadway, Save The Last Dance For Me, Up On The Roof, This Magic Moment and the list seemed endless.

The main draw is still Paul Revere and the Raiders. It is not just a rock and roll review, it is showmanship at its best with Paul’s off the wall humour and some of the finest rock and roll musicians anywhere. They brought the house down with their enormous string of hits. It was Paul’s concept to take a rock and roll review on the high seas with a changing list of guest stars each sailing. It happens but once a year.

The Concerts at Sea folks do it right. They have a Q & A with the attendees in one of the show rooms and also an autograph and photo get together in the disco near the end of the cruise where all the performers attend. It is an up close and personal event.