OUR HISTORY
Founded in 2013 by passengers who stayed up late and convened around a piano until almost dawn, Cruise To The Edge’s producers answered the call to provide professional stage resources. On every Cruise To The Edge since then, CTTE Late Night LIVE has been supported with a dedicated nightly venue, sound engineers and a professional backline.
In collaboration with Production Coordinator Rob Rutz, and Grid creators Bill & Devora Goldman. CTTE’s professional
team as well as additional passenger-volunteers coordinate a nightly schedule that is organized months
prior to the cruise. This is a passion production where everyone just pitches in to make it all work.
HELPFUL TIPS
HOW AND WHEN SHOULD I SIGN UP?
For newcomers, the audition link is now open!! The
Song Grid will officially open on November 24 at 12pm
EST (New York Time) to add songs and parts, so mark
your calendar! In collaboration with Production Coordinator Rob Rutz and Grid creators Bill & Devora Goldman, CTTE’s professional team as well as additional passenger-volunteers coordinate a nightly schedule
that is organized months prior to the cruise.
THE RULES THAT WE FOLLOW
Never reach out directly to a Cruise To The Edge booked artist to play on your song! This applies to everyone,
even if you know the artists. No exceptions. Due to more
factors than we can share here, including legal, logistics and scheduling reasons, please DO NOT reach out to
any booked professional musician to play on a CTTE
Late Night LIVE song. Indeed, pro musicians will play
with us, but CTTE’s production organizers handle
all pro musician appearances centrally. If you have
questions, please contact Rob Rutz directly,
CTTE Late Night LIVE’s Production coordinator.
HOW IT WORKS – IT’S A GAME!
This isn’t a jam and it does not follow a walk-on format. First-time participants must submit a one-time audition. This initial review is necessary, as Prog music is challenging and everyone playing on any particular song should feel comfortable with the material. Once a musician is fully-enrolled, the process for adding a song, playing on an existing song and even dropping a song is “gamified.” Every musician starts out with up to 7 "virtual chips"
with which you can choose to ADD and/or JOIN songs to
place on The Grid. Did a song that you added with a chip subsequently fill up and turn green? Congratulations, as you are the designated "Captain" of that song and it is
your responsibility to gather, collaborate and organize parts on your song prior to the cruise.
USE YOUR CHIPS WISELY!!
All fully-enrolled musicians receive virtual colored chips to use for song selections. When a song’s instrument and singer positions are filled with chips, the song will ‘turn green’ and will be added to
the confirmed nightly song list. We strongly advise that you use your chips judiciously, as precious time p
USE YOUR CHIPS WISELY!!
All fully-enrolled musicians receive virtual colored chips to use for song selections. When a song’s instrument and singer positions are filled with chips, the song will ‘turn green’ and will be added to
the confirmed nightly song list. We strongly advise that you use your chips judiciously, as precious time passes when a song’s position remains unfilled for too long. Unfilled songs can fester and eventually get ‘tossed to the boneyard.’ Using a chip on a song that no one else wants to play costs time and can result in you missing the opportunity to play on another song that is more likely to ‘turn green.’ It’s a game. Be strategic.
NO REPEATED SONGS
No cruise-to-cruise song repeats or
band-hogging. By design, we diversify each cruise’s five-night set list so that no song that was played on the previous CTTE sailing (2024) will be repeated on the upcoming 2025 cruise. Also, to ensure fairness -- at least initially -- no one will be permitted to perform on more tha
NO REPEATED SONGS
No cruise-to-cruise song repeats or
band-hogging. By design, we diversify each cruise’s five-night set list so that no song that was played on the previous CTTE sailing (2024) will be repeated on the upcoming 2025 cruise. Also, to ensure fairness -- at least initially -- no one will be permitted to perform on more than THREE songs of a particular band or artist. Also, all of the songs performed on The Grid are to be the original album version (unless pre-approved in advance).
IN CONCLUSION
If you are performing on a song, commitment means everything!
Passengers study and rehearse their songs for months and then travel long distances to play them, so imagine the disappointment that comes when others don’t rehearse in advance or -- worse yet – when a musician is absent from the stage when a song is announced to
IN CONCLUSION
If you are performing on a song, commitment means everything!
Passengers study and rehearse their songs for months and then travel long distances to play them, so imagine the disappointment that comes when others don’t rehearse in advance or -- worse yet – when a musician is absent from the stage when a song is announced to
be played. No excuses! Be present
and prepared to play. Please don’t let
your song mates down. Have fun!
______________________________
As the other stages conclude their performances on each night of the
cruise, CTTE Late Night LIVE has turned into a culminating live music after-party. Whether you are a participating musician or a fan in the audience, the bond of music and the vibe is always positive and strong. We look forward to seeing you
at CTTE Late Night LIVE 2025!