On the Blue: New Horizons Cruise Days 2 & 3: Mid-Voyage Fun from Justin Hayward, Uriah Heep and a Few Monkeys!

by Kevin Wierzbicki

The On the Blue: New Horizons cruise took place April 5-10, 2024 aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line ship Pearl and on the second and third days of the cruise more than two dozen concerts took place, including shows from legendary acts Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues and classic hard rockers Uriah Heep. And when the Pearl made port at Puerta Plata in the Dominican Republic some cruisers had fun with some rambunctious little monkeys!

On the Blue has in the past organized the Moody Blues cruises; with the surviving members of the Moodies currently not working together, Moody Blues cruises are not possible. But the On the Blue: New Horizons cruise, with Moodies main man Justin Hayward as featured performer, was the next best thing and many fervent Moody Blues fans were among the cruisers. And while the cruise presented tons of opportunities for these folks to reminisce, there was also a chance for them to own a very unique piece of memorabilia. Put up for auction early in the cruise were three identical banners used during the Moody Blues cruises and the colorful items were snapped up quickly by enthusiastic bidders. Priceless to many, the banners went for under $300 each, bound for a place of pride in someone's music room. The auction was a perfect example of how there's always a surprise in store for those sailing with On the Blue. There was however no surprise when Hayward took the stage; his stellar performance was expected and highly-anticipated.

Moody Blues Cruise banner being auctioned

Hayward performed twice in the Pearl's Stardust Theater, which along with the Pool Stage is one of the Pearl's biggest concert venues. In fine voice throughout the show, the beloved singer and songwriter worked with a crack band that included Mike Dawes on lead guitar, Julie Ragins on keyboards and vocals and Karmen Gould on flute, an instrument often heard in Moody Blues songs. With the exception of his solo cut "Living for Love" Hayward played Moody Blues songs exclusively, wowing the crowd with takes on "Tuesday Afternoon," "Driftwood," "Blue World," "Hope and Pray," "The Voice," "Never Comes the Day" and a big lead-up to the end of the show with "Your Wildest Dreams," "Question" and "Nights in White Satin." With the crowd on their feet Hayward played three songs for an encore: "Blue Guitar," "The Story in Your Eyes" and "I Know You're Out There Somewhere." Often telling funny stories during his set, Hayward recalled how once when he was rehearsing in a church near his home in England, playing a medley of snippets of "The Day We Meet Again," "Out and In," "In My World" and "Meanwhile" alone that he looked up to find a confused-looking man standing there. Justin asked if he could help him, and this fellow who was witnessing a private performance by one of the biggest rock stars in the world asked him simply "Where's the kitchen?" To add insult to injury, the wayward man told Hayward "That's a really strange song you're playing!"

Justin Hayward

More classic rock music was brought to fans from long-running English group Uriah Heep. Featuring original member Mick Box on guitar and singer Bernie Shaw, with the band for nearly 40-years, Heep played a set that began with "Save Me Tonight," a cut from their 2023 album Chaos & Colour and quickly moved into 2018 cut "Grazed by Heaven," a song with lyrics by one time Journey front man Jeff Scott Soto. Fans who've been with Uriah Heep since the very early days were treated to beloved oldies like "Rainbow Demon" from the revered Demons and Wizards album, "Stealin'" from the Sweet Freedom album and of course the band's biggest hit, "Easy Livin'," also from Demons and Wizards.

Uriah Heep

Part of the fun of the On the Blue: New Horizons cruise took place ashore and on Day 3 the Pearl called at the exotic Dominican Republic port of Puerta Plata. Cruisers indulged in all kinds of shore excursions with choices including a trip to a coffee farm, visits to a National Park, a tour given while riding in classic cars, a visit to Puerta Plata's historic center, a countryside safari and of course lots of different beach adventures. Some though chose to meet up with their distant relatives: the squirrel monkeys at Monkeyland! A fun and charming experience, a visit to Monkeyland gives folks a chance to get really up close and personal with dozens of little monkeys, so up close in fact that they climb all over you! The little darlings are encouraged to hop onto you when the trainer gives you some sunflower seeds or fruit to feed them and soon they're eating out of your hand, posing on your arm or taking in the view from the top of your head. You can't handle the monkeys but they like it if you gently stroke their backs and they are amazingly soft. You get to spend about half an hour with the monkeys and everyone, children and adults alike, were thoroughly elated with the adventure. There's a small gift shop to explore on the way out where monkey stuffed animals and other monkey-related items are for sale, and there's cold Dominican beer on hand too.

At Monkeyland

Back on the Pearl days were filled with more fun like shows from the American band the Weeklings. The group may be from the U.S. but their heart lies in Liverpool and they wowed the crowd with their unique spin on songs by the Beatles and their Beatles-inspired originals.

The Weeklings

In a Q&A session, Mickey Thomas of Starship was interviewed by Dictators guitarist and SiriusXM personality Keith Roth and also answered questions from fans. About the songs "Jane" and "Sara" Thomas said that "Jane" is not about any particular woman while he wrote "Sara" for his now ex-wife. Thomas also addressed the controversy about the song "We Built This City," explaining that the song is about the positive power of music and cities everywhere, not Starship saying that they built their hometown of San Francisco with their music. The Zombies, Rare Earth, Glenn Hughes, the Young Dubliners, Leonid & Friends and Randy Hansen were among the many other groups that performed on Days 2 and 3.