ShipRocked Announces 2023 Festival Dates

ShipRocked made its long-awaited return January 22-27, sailing out of Galveston, TX aboard the Carnival Breeze with stops in Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico. After the COVID-19 pandemic put the 2021 edition in dry dock, ShipRocked 2022 came roaring back fully ready to rock, led by first-timers Lamb Of God and late-addition Corey Taylor.

As the port of Galveston receded in the distance, and the family of ShipRockers old and new gathered on the deck of the Carnival Breeze, plans for ShipRocked 2023 were revealed: For the first time, ShipRocked expands to 6 days - January 22-28, 2023 - and three port stops.

Departing from Port Canaveral, Florida onboard Carnival Magic, SR23 docks at Half Moon Cay in The Bahamas, Grand Turk in Turks & Caicos Islands and Dominican Republic's Amber Cove, a new stop for ShipRockers. ShipRocked 2023 performers will be announced in the coming months.

ShipRocked 2022 featured dozens of performances from over 20 artists including Lamb Of God and Corey Taylor, plus Steel Panther, Badflower, Avatar, P.O.D., 10 Years, Nonpoint, Drowning Pool, Dead Sara, Escape The Fate, Ayron Jones, Goodbye June and more, as well as artist-hosted events and activities at sea and on the beaches of Playa Mia in Cozumel.

When ShipRocked 2022 host and former Wilson frontman Chad Nicefield took the stage with ShipRocked's resident all-star band The Stowaways, he captured the sentiment of the nearly 3000 guests, bands and crew aboard the Carnival Breeze as he belted out The Cars' "Just What I Needed." It was a family reunion for the ages, as returning ShipRockers and a healthy contingent of freshly initiated "newbs" came eager to put pandemic tribulations behind them.

ShipRocked creator and producer Alan Koenig of ASK4 Entertainment elaborated, "ShipRocked 2022 will always be a special sailing for me and for the whole team at ASK4. We knew just how much our incredible family of guests needed this cruise to happen after the last two years. We knew just how much they needed to LIVE! And we were committed to overcoming whatever was thrown our way to make it happen, for them.

Despite numerous challenges, cruise industry policy updates, lineup changes and more, we ALL proved that it could be done, and done safely. I can't thank our guests, artists and crew, managers and agents, and my team enough for powering through. The pure joy and happiness we saw on everyone's faces throughout the cruise was everything."

The newly relaunched Metal Edge appraised the jubilant spirit of ShipRocked 2022: "The days were wondrous, the nights were epic, and the Gulf Of Mexico may never be the same...Rock hard? We did it. Vacation harder? Mission accomplished."

All-star band The Stowaways played two sets of classics - including a Tuesday night tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen - with a revolving cast of guests including Joey Belladonna (Anthrax), Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, John DeServio (Black Label Society), Jason Hook (ex-Five Finger Death Punch), Zac Maloy (The Nixons), Nita Strauss, Sahaj Ticotin (Ra), Michael Vampire and others. Legendary Bad Brains frontman H.R. was joined by Lamb Of God's Randy Blythe and P.O.D.'s Sonny Sandoval for a version of the Bad Brains classic "The Youth Are Getting Restless" during Monday night's set, with P.O.D.'s Marcos Curiel on guitar.

Other highlights of The Stowaways' pair of shows included Joey Belladonna belting out Dio's "Holy Diver"; John DeServio paying tribute to the late Dusty Hill with ZZ Top's "Cheap Sunglasses," featuring Bumblefoot on guitar; the Eddie Van Halen tribute set-closing "Panama" with Steel Panther's Michael Starr playing the role of David Lee Roth to Jason Hook's EVH. P.O.D.'s Sonny Sandoval even officiated a wedding ceremony during The Stowaways' Tuesday set.

Musical collaborations weren't limited to The Stowaways' beloved all-star jams. Among other guest spots on ShipRocked 2022: Corey Taylor and guitarist Christian Martucci joined Steel Panther for a cover of Dio's "Rainbow In The Dark," and Nita Strauss invited Avatar's Johannes Eckerström and former Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel for Alice Cooper's "Feed My Frankenstein." Demmel also joined Nonpoint onstage for "Bullet With A Name."

P.O.D. and Oxymorrons provided the onshore entertainment at the Beach Party in Cozumel, and Lamb Of God's Mark Morton played an intimate solo show in the Breeze's Ocean Lounge. Drowning Pool performed three new songs from their forthcoming new album; Corey Taylor played Metallica's "Holier Than Though" (which he recorded for the Metallica Blacklist tribute album) live for the first time; Nita Strauss debuted a new song; and Scary Kids Scaring Kids hosted a listening party and Q&A to premiere songs from their new album.

Watch the announcement here:

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