TURBINE ROCKED OFF!

7/11/08 80 degrees and sunny could not have been a more perfect forecast for an evening upon the rocky waves of New York City's East River. Fans of Gramercy's latest psychedelic rock 'n roll group boarded the intimate Half Moon at 7 p.m. and proceeded to enjoy cocktails on the poopdeck until opener PUSH took the stage. Young and electric, PUSH paved the way for the luscious headliner to take the stage a little after 10 p.m. Before embarking on their musical journey, Turbine enjoyed mingling with their fans while taking in the sites along the East River. The Half Moon cruised us by the Statue of Liberty, underneath the Manhattan, Williamsburg and Brooklyn bridges, and best yet by the newest art exhibit in Manhattan. The NYC Waterfalls were definitely a big highlight of the evening (yes, to me, I know. I was excited...) and I feel safe saying that the inebriated crowd was impressed by Mr. Eliasson's work. The sun had fully set, the river was getting wild and the boat was "arockin'" as Turbine took the stage preparing the fully loaded dance floor for a nautical set list that would have had Gilligan spinning. Opening with an unexpected jam into Eddy of the Sea followed by increasing Special of the Day was an exceptional start but the crowd had no clue that OCEAN by legends Led Zeppelin was to follow. Turbine took this cover to new heights, in fact it had me rushing from the sound board to the front of the crowd just to get an up-close view of a raging harmonica and blasting Gibson. Frankly, I would have been nervous topping Ocean but Turbine mastered it just fine with Desert Rose, a fan favorite. Even with a little unsteadiness on the boat (the entire band including seated drummer swayed with the tide) the set continued into Columbus Day and the uber romantic Doing To Me. A trancey few came to follow with Seven Years of Bad Luck into a classic version of Rock The Boat by retro-group The Hues Corporation into an elongated Invited that rocked my socks, considering it is my favorite tune by the band. The show closer was Reward off of their second album titled with the same name. After the roaring crowd died down and actually captured some semblance of their sea legs elated fans enjoyed a couple last drinks as the crew of Rocks Off! was more than happy to allow a bit of mental regrouping. As the boat emptied people were found scowling the front of the port at 23rd and FDR Drive for post party plans. From the looks of people, I feel confident that everyone found something delightful to do. I know I did. Special Thanks to: Turbine, Rocks Off! and Bill Stites, Beth, James' Helmet, Banjo's Arm, the chair by the soundboard, arm railings along the stairs, the FANS, music and great times. Love, Jess