As most of you know, last night we had our charity night, One Splendid Evening, on the Carnival Splendor to benefit the VH1 Save the Music Foundation.  Today is a busy busy day with us getting the rest of the ship boarded for the Mayercraft Carrier 2, but I wanted to write a quick blog about how things went on the ship last night!

- I can already sense a much more relaxed feeling this year on the cruise, which makes me happy.  For those of you who remember, last year we did three cruises back-to-back-t0-back with the Mayercraft Carrier stuck in between Ships and Dip III and Cayamo 2008.  This year with the cruise being in its second year, Sixthman having three weeks to recharge since Cayamo 2009, and over 1000 alumni returning, everybody is far less stressed out and way more relaxed this time around.  I worked the information desk for a few hours and every question came from smiling face.  I’m sure the open bar helped out those smiles, just a little bit.

- The main event concert rocked, with each artist/band performing two songs apiece over the course of a 2 hour and 15 minute set.  It was pretty cool to get a snapshot of many of the performers that will be on the ship, and I guarantee a few of the lesser known artists made many new fans last night with their songs, and will have many more fans at their sets on the ship.

-Erin McCarley kicked things off with her song, “Love, Save the Empty” which perfectly set the mood for the night.  I have never seen Erin live and was certainly impressed.  I’m glad she’s on the ship and looking forward to catching more of her on the MCC2.

-Guster went next, and ended their set with a great version of “Jesus on the Radio,”  with the guys all crowded around an old-time microphone at the front of the stage.  Awesome.  Even though they were on Ships and Dip last year, I was only able to see like two of their songs, and I’ve missed them TWICE when they played free shows (poor planning on my part).  I think I’m scheduled to usher one of their gigs, which means I’ll get to see the whole thing!  Ryan, Adam, Bryan, and Joe, glad to have you on board.

-Sara Bareilles‘s solo piano performance of “Love Song,” and “Gravity” (no not a cover of a John Mayer song, her OWN song named the same thing) = wow.  An absolutely amazing voice, and a great personality!  You could tell she was having fun, and I bet she’s just a little sad she doesn’t get to stay on the ship for the rest of the trip.  Hopefully we can get her on a future event.

-O.A.R. played two songs off their new record, a great accoustic version of “This Town” followed up by “Shattered (Turn the Car Around).”  I had the chance to meet Marc, the lead singer of the band earlier in the night.  After introducing myself, I told Marc that we were so happy and excited that they could make it on the ship.  He kind of looked surprised, and said “Really? That’s awesome man, thanks!”  It’s always nice when you meet an artist you admire and they’re even nicer than you’d expect.  This is another band I’ve been a fan of for years and never seen live, so getting the chance to interact with them and catch a few sets has me all amped up.  I’m gonna go nuts when they play “Crazy Game of Poker.”  I say “Of!” you say “A!”…

-Gavin Rossdale played some accoustic songs off of his new solo album which left me quite impressed.  I’ve been a fan of Gavin since his days in Bush, and his new stuff has a completely different sound…I dig it.  Something about his voice allows him to sing in any situation, from “Machinehead” and “Swallowed” to “Love Remains the Same.”

-John Mayer, a man who needs no introduction, played a few songs with his bandmates David Ryan Harris and Robbie McIntyre…and absolutely crushed it.  Some guys just have “it,” and John has “it” in truckloads.  For me, the highlight of the night was his accoustic version of Tom Petty’s “Learning to Fly” which ran right into “Free Fallin.’” Damn he’s good.

-Immediately following John’s songs, Jordin Sparks came out and sang some of her own with John accompanying on guitar.  Even though she’s only 18 (19? 17? something like that), jeeeeez this girl can sing!  I know she left everybody with mouths wide open by the end of their three songs together.  “Tattoo” was awesome.

-After the show, everybody crowded up onto the Lido Deck for DJ Logic spinning up on the stage until 1:30AM.  The whole ship had such a great vibe beginning with the first guest walking on and the last guest who went to bed, whenever that was (my guess? 6AM).  All I saw were smiles and excitement; no anxiety, no worry, very few complaints.  Just smiles.

And there you have it.  Once again, a small blog of mine quickly becomes far too long (902 words, thank you WordPress word count!).  We have four days of fun and sun cruising down the Pacific coast of Mexico ahead of us, so keep reading for updates all weekend long!  Remember we’re on West Coast, so most updates will come later in the day for you east coasters.

-Steve