|
Suffice it to say that the Flower Power Cruise is an exercise in nostalgia. If the name alone doesn’t give it away, then the constant references to tye-dye, peace signs, recollections of Woodstock, and, of course, music of a bygone era when passengers, most well into their 60s and 70s, thrived on those sounds and turned it into the soundtrack of their lives.
Granted, the latter phrase has become something of a cliche for those whose musical memories date back to the ‘60s while wrapped up in the bands that defined that particular period in rock’s ongoing trajectory. The featured artists on the Flower Power Cruise represented all of it well — among them, the current incarnation of the Beach Boys helmed by Bruce Johnston and Mike Love, Tommy James and the Shondells, the Box Tops, The Cyrkle, The Cowsills, Chuck Negron (formerly of Three Dog Night), the Lovin’ Spoonful, the Ides of March, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Jefferson Starship, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, and the Yardbirds, among the many. Granted, the majority of these outfits were fronted by only a couple of the original members, but none of that seemed to matter to the audiences that crowded the ship’s pool deck, the Celebrity Theater or the Constellation Lounge, all in an effort to dance to the oldies or simply get close to the artists they once admired from afar.
. . .
The Cowsills have suffered any number of family tragedies over the course of their career, not the least of which was the loss of two of their siblings in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Nevertheless, the current incarnation featuring Susan, Bob and Paul Cowsill affirmed the fact that the family’s remarkable harmonies still remain intact. Ironically, John Cowsill plays drums with the Beach Boys, and on the night that band’s performance, he made his way to the pool stage and joined his sister and two brothers onstage. The shared enthusiasm was obvious and unbounded.
. . .
|
