Simple Man Cruise

I just had the great privilege of being a musician on the Lynyrd Skynyrd Simple Man Cruise. There were a number of bands on the cruise, including Lynyrd Skynyrd of course, the Marshall Tucker Band, 38 Special, and Molly Hatchet. It was a wild 4 day run of great music.

On the business side of things, I think the cruise concept for bands is just an incredible idea. First of all, you have 2,700 fans on a boat. You instantly have a connection between all of those people. They are all music fans. They are all die hard Skynyrd fans. They all chose to take their precious little time of vacation for one purpose. What better way to create instant community amongst people from all over the world than through music.

And secondly, for the fans, it is an amazing experience. Just the fact that you are within a confined area for 4 days with your favorite band provides this sense of excitement that you could see your favorite guitar player in the casino or at the bar. And for the most part, the bands did walk around on the cruise. These fans got to be up close and personal with their favorite bands.

I’m sure there are many implications for this for bands going forward. In times of economic slowdown, what types of things are going to connect with fans? I think this was a great answer. The cruise was sold out. If bands can create an intimate atmosphere with just the slightest hint that it may be possible for fans to connect with the band over a period of a few days, this will create great loyalty to the band.

Other cruises are coming up – the Rock Boat and the MayerCraft.

Stay tuned,
Erik
erikrostad.com