It’s amazing what twelve hours of sleep and a shower will do for you!
After five days on a ship (four of them at sea) for the Mayercraft Carrier 2, I’m finally able to put down a few thoughts on the past week spent out here in California. It’s quite long, but I have lots to talk about, and you’re probably all still a little wobbly from the ship and don’t want to work anyways, so read on! If you want us to post your memories, shoot me an email at stevek@sixthman.net with “MCC2 GUEST BLOG” in the subject line.
Let’s start by comparing this year to last year. You know the saying “what a difference a year makes”? I almost feel like a proud parent watching this event develop over the past twelve months. Carla and Jana, our two ticketing gurus, should be given medals for their work on ticketing the main show venue. Without them, this event and the vibe of the cruise wouldn’t have been anywhere near as successful. I know there were a few people who were upset with us every time we told them to stop recording the show or taking pictures with the flash on, but for everybody else, we want to say thanks because a lot of credit also goes to YOU guys!
Thank you for being respectful of the artists, standing where you’re supposed to stand, and not clogging the aisles and attempting to bum-rush our security guards. This cruise went so well that during our final Sixthman meeting on Monday night, we all talked about how the vibe on the ship was so much less chaotic and far more relaxed. Thanks for setting a great examples for the rest of the ship.
Today as I left my friends apartment in LA, I actually reached in my pocket to check for my sign and sail card (to make sure I didn’t get locked out)…I think I’ve spent too much time on a ship.
The MCC2 was rocking from noon until 7AM every morning. Thanks to the organization of Guster and participation of the other bands on the ship, there was a comical all-star jam up on the deck for hours and hours and hours on the last night. I caught about 30 minutes of it; my favorite part had to be their cover of The Ramones’ “I want to be Sedated” into The Proclaimers’ “I”m Gonna Be (500 Miles).” I think they only knew the words to half of each of them, so they spent a good chunk of time on the “da da da da!” parts. hahahaha
I’ve created a monster. I taught probably five people how to play craps, and by the end of the cruise I couldn’t even get to the table because all my students had taken it over! At one point, Bear (a Sixthman production assistant and one HELL of a dice-roller) rolled for 20+ minutes, making everybody at the table ridiculous amounts of money…and I could do nothing but stand and watch. Moral of the story: I’m an idiot. Maybe I can figure out a way to take a percentage off their winnings for the first day of play? Develop a “Learn-to-Play Craps” DVD! (only 2 payments of $19.95!) I’m open for suggestion.
Guster – love them. Expect a really cool story tomorrow about their completely selfless adventure in Cabo San Lucas. Mike from Sixthman was lucky enough to accompany them on the journey, and I can’t wait for you all to read the story. I was only able to catch a few songs of theirs here and there, but I was fortunate enough to be in there at the right time to hear “Come Downstairs and Say Hello,” my favorite Guster song of all time. It was one of those moments where when I heard the first few words and realized what they were playing, a smile quickly came over my face and didn’t leave for hours. (Me? Smiling? I know, what a stretch!)
O.A.R. – Class act, and true professionals. One night, I had to cover Kappy by announcing O.A.R. to a packed house in the main stage. Grabbing a microphone and speaking to an amphitheater of 1000+ people terrified me, but a few thoughts allowed me to keep my wits and have fun with it: 1) Nobody ever leaves a concert and says “man what a great show, too bad the introduction sucked.” and 2)This was the day that everybody spent in Cabo, and let’s just say that it looked like everybody had a real good time. I bet Cabo Wabo was thankful the MCC2 stopped in Cabo.
After my introduction I walked off the stage and waited to the side as the band walked out. Every single one of them shook my hand, looked me in the eye, and said “Thanks Steve.” Definitely one of the cooler moments of the cruise for me. Marc, Chris, Benj, Jerry, and Richard: thank you, that made my night. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of your relationship with Sixthman!
Once again I was blown away by John Mayer. Last year after seeing him live for the first time I quickly realized how incredible he is with a guitar. Once again this year, I couldn’t help but nod my head in admiration. He can work a guitar (and a crowd) like nothing I’ve ever seen. He can also work a DJ booth like nobody’s business (edit: apparently he needs some work, say the populace…but for what I saw I thought he did fine!). I wonder how many hours of sleep John got on this cruise? I realize I’m quite late to the party on “Good Love is on the Way” but wow that song rocks.
The ongoing “battle” between James Smith and our own Kappy cracked me up. The banter and insults flew back and forth, from one set to the next announcement. It was like the cold war arms race, except between a sassy Australian and a large Red-headed Cabana boy.
I have to give a shout-out to Ryan Shaw. This guy is awesome. He was all over the ship, helped us host Pop Trivia and Karaoke, and still found time to crush it during his scheduled sets. You never know what you’re going to get when you ask an artist to help host an event like Pop Trivia..and Ryan exceeded any of our expectations. He sang songs in between questions, cracked jokes, knew more about many of the questions than most in the room, and was an absolute pleasure to be around. Ryan, thanks man…neither of these events would have been as successful without you.
Thanks to those of you who turned out for our Ask Sixthman panel! You are the reason we have jobs, so we need to know what you’re thinking and how we can improve ourselves. We’re always blown away by how many people want to buy Sixthman shirts and jackets. I don’t know if we have plans to start selling Sixthman merch, but maybe we should! Also, as much as we love compliments for a successful cruise, we love hearing how we can make things better. We are only a company of 25, and with an event still in its infancy there are kinks that can be fixed. If you haven’t filled out your survey yet, make sure you are as brutally honest as possible. We can’t get better until you tell us how we can be better.
Alright, I think I have another 12 hours of sleep ahead of me. Thanks again to all the artists on the MCC 2 and all the guests for making this past week so memorable.
-Steve
