MEGACRUISE
Beastö Blancö
The Stardust Theater – 10/17/19
And this is how it all ends… The Final Show on the final night of the MegaCruise belonged to Beasto Blanco. They were given the opportunity to unleash their full stage show in the Stardust Theater, and they left the cruisers with a lasting memory.
When the lineup was announced, Beasto Blanco were one of the bands that I was looking forward to seeing the most and they didn’t disappoint. A Beasto Blanco show is a non stop eye and ear fuck. The eyes mainly because of the ever-roaming Calico Cooper who utilizes a seemingly never-ending array of props and attitude. (Wherever could she have got her talent for theatrics from!?!). Of course, that’s only going to hold a persons attention for so long… The ears because this band have got a kick ass catalog full of nasty, grungy and downright catchy songs.
The brainchild of Alice Cooper bassist, Chuck Garric, Beasto Blanco have put together a really solid discography fueled by driving industrial riffs and the gritty, snarling vocals of Chuck and Calico. The band are top class. Each member contributing their heart and soul to every show. Brother Chris Latham is small in stature but a giant on the stage. Chugging out riffs and blistering solos while thrashing his long mane all over the place…. Bassist Jan LeGrow and drummer, Sean Sellers provide the down & dirty low end that drives the industrialized metal core that anchors the BB sound.
Beasto don’t just play, they put on a performance. Their setlist, filled with titles such as “Freak“, “Machine Girl“, “Grind” and Damnation” tells you that this is a band born to produce raw, dirty, rawk. They’re a band that feed off the energy of the crowd and their constant interaction makes it feel like you’re at a house party with the most bad ass underground band around.
Beasto Blanco may have been an unknown to a lot of people when we set sail, but by the time we docked, their name was getting added to playlists everywhere.
Full Beasto Blanco Gallery: Here
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Final Thoughts…
So what are some of the takeaways from the inaugural MegaCruise? There was definitely the great and definitely some opportunities for improvement.
MegaCruise Lows: Obviously not having Dave Mustaine and Megadeth perform on the cruise was a huge disappointment. It couldn’t be avoided and the important thing is that Dave is getting healthy and Megadeth have already announced upcoming dates.
Scheduling. There were moments where there were no shows/small events (Q&A, Musician clinics) happening and then there were moments when 3 bands overlapped. This should be scheduling 101 people!
Only having 1 John 5 Show on the Boat and having THAT show cut in half by a noise ordinance. (You stay classy San Diego).
Scheduling any of the bands in the Spinnaker lounge. No. Just, No. If you weren’t in the first 3 rows, you had zero view. Each band deserved the opportunity to Jam in a worthy venue. Save the Spinnaker for the meet & greets, comedians and special events.
MegaCruise Highs: Almost everything else. The quality and diversity of bands on the cruise gave everyone something to look forward to.
The Megadeth guys doing everything they could to make themselves available in lieu of not performing as a band. They did Q&A’s, a photo op., Guitar and drum clinics and Jammed with others whenever they had the opportunity.
Quickly figuring out what to do after John 5 was pulled from the Pool Stage. Was the solution optimal? No… But did they cancel the show altogether? No. On with the show…
The Staff. From the “Washy Washy” people, to the Cabin cleaning crews, to the bartenders and wait staff to Security. Everyone maintained a positive attitude and energy.
The photography crew.. Weren’t we fucking awesome?!
MegaCruise 2 has already been heavily hinted at, and I for one will be ready to set sail.
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