Lineup - The 80s Cruise

Starring

38 Special

After more than four decades, 38 Special continues to bring their signature blast of Southern Rock to over 100 cities a year. At each and every show, thousands of audience members are amazed by the explosive power of the band's performance. Their many Gold and Platinum album awards stand in testament to the endurance of a legendary powerhouse. With sales in excess of 20 million, most associate the band with their arena-rock pop smashes, "Hold On Loosely," "Rockin' Into the Night," "Caught Up in You," "Fantasy Girl," "If I'd Been the One," "Back Where You Belong," "Chain Lightnin'," "Second Chance," and more - Timeless hits that remain a staple at radio, immediately recognizable from the first opening chord, and paving the way to their present-day touring regimen. Guitarist/vocalist Don Barnes says it's all about maintaining that intensity in their live shows. "We never wanted to be one of those bands that had maybe gotten a little soft or complacent over the years. We're a team, and it's always been kind of an unspoken rule that we don't slack up, we stack up. We go out there every night to win." Completing the team is bassist Barry Dunaway, drummer Gary Moffatt and keyboardist/vocalist Bobby Capps. The most recent addition to the band is legendary virtuoso guitarist and vocalist Jerry Riggs. For 38 Special onstage, it is a celebration of camaraderie and brotherhood, a precision unit bringing the dedication and honesty to a long history of classic songs, as well as surprisingly fresh new material. Since 1976, the band has released more than 15 albums. And from the start, they've toured relentlessly, bringing their signature brand of 'muscle and melody' to fans worldwide. It is that steely determination that lives on in the hearts of these 'Wild-Eyed Southern Boys.'

Soft Cell

Air Supply

Graham Russell & Russell Hitchcock met on May 12, 1975, the first day of rehearsals for Jesus Christ Superstar in Sydney, Australia; they became instant friends with their common love for The Beatles and, of course, singing. After the shows' performances at 10:30, they would play pizza parlors, coffee bars and night clubs with just one guitar and two voices. They quickly gained a reputation for great harmonies and for original songs that Graham was constantly writing. They made a demo on a cassette of two songs, "Love and Other Bruises" and "If You Knew Me" and took it to every record company in Sydney. Everyone turned it down but one - CBS Records - who admired their unique style. They made a single in one afternoon and it shot to number one on the national charts. Air Supply was born! That same year, they opened for Rod Stewart across Australia and then throughout the U.S. and Canada. They found new fans but did not break the U.S. market. Back in Australia they had to start again and made a record called Life Support. On this record were some treasures of songs, including "Lost in Love" which went Top 10 in Australia and somehow found its way to music industry executive Clive Davis in New York. Clive immediately signed Air Supply to Arista Records and in 1980, "Lost in Love" became the fastest selling single in the world, leaping to the top of all of the charts. The second single was "All Out of Love," and that went up the charts even quicker. Seven top-five singles later, Air Supply at that time had equaled The Beatles' run of consecutive top five singles. The albums Lost in Love, The One That You Love, Now & Forever, and The Greatest Hits sold in excess of 20 million copies. "Lost in Love" was named Song of the Year in 1980, and, with the other singles, sold more than 10 million copies. The trademark sound of Russell Hitchcock's soaring tenor voice and Graham Russell's simple yet majestic songs created a unique sound that would forever be known as Air Supply. In 1989, they recorded "The Earth Is" album selling over a million copies outside of the U.S. This album was followed by "The Vanishing Race" CD and, with the singles "Goodbye" and "It's Never Too Late", again saw multi-platinum success. The following albums, "News from Nowhere", "Yours Truly", and "Across the Concrete Sky" all gave their second greatest hits album multi-platinum status as they traveled the world each and every year. In 2000, a new production company was founded to be devoted to Air Supply's entire future product, called A Nice Pear, which gave them complete creative control. In July 2005, their live DVD, "It Was 30 Years Ago Today" celebrated 30 years of success around the world and in that same month, Air Supply smashed attendance records when, in Cuba, at one show they played to 175,000 people. Also 2005 saw the release of "The Singer and the Song", an acoustic album of many of their big hits which received critical acclaim. In May 2010, the long-awaited album, "Mumbo Jumbo" - also the duo's first studio recording in eight years - was released. Among the 14-tracks, released by Odds On's label, was the first single "Dance With Me," which earned Air Supply a prominent feature article in Billboard Magazine titled "Still Supplying The Hits After 35 Years." Just weeks after composer and vocalist Graham Russell was honored with a BMI Million-Air Certificate recognizing 3 million performances of the duo's hit "All Out Of Love," Air Supply's new song was the #1 most added track on the FMQB AC40 Chart, and also one of the most added on the R&R (Radio and Records) AC Chart and the Mediabase AC chart. In 2013, the duo was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association's Hall of Fame. Air Supply celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2015 and continue to delight audiences all over the world.

Debbie Gibson

For more than 35 years, Debbie Gibson has been a true pioneer and force in the entertainment industry. A singer, songwriter, producer, musician, actor, and entrepreneur, she embodies what it truly means to be an icon. A music prodigy, Gibson burst on the Billboard Pop Charts at the tender age of 16 with the self-penned "Only In My Dreams." The "Original Pop Princess" quickly became the youngest artist ever to write, produce and perform a No. 1 hit song, "Foolish Beat," on the Billboard Hot 100 and entered the Guinness Book of World Records. To date, she is still the youngest female to hold that record. Less than a year later, she did it again with her self-penned and produced hit "Lost in Your Eyes" making her to date the sole female artist to have written, produced and performed two No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. She also holds the title of the youngest artist to be awarded ASCAP Songwriter of the Year. Gibson has sold more than 16 million albums worldwide and released 10 studio albums and five compilations. After conquering the pop world with 3 consecutive albums and world tours, she set her sights on the theater and starred in 17 musicals in 17 years. Gibson made her mark in the Broadway production of Les Miserables as Eponine. She broke box office records in the London West End production of Grease as Sandy. She then took the stage in the U.S. Broadway tours of Grease as Rizzo and Funny Girl as Fanny Brice. Gibson also wowed critics as Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Gypsy Rose Lee in Gypsy, The Narrator in the national tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cinderella in the national production of Cinderella with Eartha Kitt, Velma Kelly in Chicago, and Sally Bowles in the Broadway revival of Cabaret with Neil Patrick Harris. In 2016, Gibson created, executive produced and starred in Hallmark Channel's "Summer of Dreams". The original movie was the highest-rated and most-watched movie premiere in the network's "Summer Nights" franchise with 2.5 million total viewers, becoming the No. 1 rated program and telecast on August 27. "Summer of Dreams" was also the week's most social original movie premiere across broadcast and cable, attracting the most Unique and Interactions on Facebook and Twitter combined than any other original movie premiere. She reunited with Robert Gant to walk down the aisle in the sequel, "Wedding of Dreams," which premiered September 8, 2018, on Hallmark Channel. She celebrated the 30-year anniversary of her pop career, including her mega-hit album Electric Youth and biggest single "Lost In Your Eyes," with her commemorative, retrospective 10 CD / 3 DVD box set We Could Be Together. In 2019, Gibson launched her bi-monthly radio show, "Debbie Gibson's Mixtape," on SiriusXM, and performed 55 shows on the mega successful 53-city North American Mixtape Tour selling 600,000 tickets with NKOTB. She also served as a celebrity judge alongside Ciara and host Nick Lachey on Nickelodeon's first ever competition show "America's Most Musical Family." On January 10, 2020, "Girls Night Out" was digitally released. DJ Tracy Young's #VegasVibe remix was the most added record and No. 1 breakout hit, soaring to No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard and U.K. Music Week charts. In fall of 2020, Gibson's debut album Out of the Blue was reissued on blue vinyl as an exclusive to Barnes & Noble and skyrocketed to No. 1 in sales during its pre-order run. 2021 was a busy year for Gibson. Her guest starring role in the musical episode of "Lucifer" debuted on Netflix. She took Vegas by storm with her pop soulmate in "Debbie Gibson & Joey McIntyre: Live from Las Vegas" mini residency at The Venetian® Resort Las Vegas. Gibson released a new duet of "Lost in Your Eyes," featuring Joey McIntyre, as well as the DJ Tracy Young co-penned "One Step Closer," with an exclusive remix by DJ John Michael debuting on the Debbie Gibson Peloton Ride, 45 minutes devoted to Debbie's iconic music catalog. Her first pop album of original material in 20 years, The Body Remembers, came out on her own label Stargirl Records to rave reviews. The new album promptly shot up to No. 2 on the Apple Pop Sales Charts and achieved one million streams in its first month. In 2022, Stargirl Records released "One Step Closer Remixes" reaching No. 3 on the Swiss dance charts and landed at No. 8 on the Commercial Pop MusicWeek chart in the UK. Gibson became the new brand ambassador for Dr. Kellyanne's Bone Broth and appeared on CBS Secret Celebrity Renovation. She embarked on a U.S. solo tour of "The Body Remembers" and celebrated the 35th anniversary of her debut album Out of the Blue with three sold out shows in NYC. Gibson's first full length holiday album Winterlicious was released, and her holiday tour of the same name kicked off with sold out shows and acclaim that ended with a magical performance on "Good Morning America." Gibson shows no signs of slowing down. Most recently, she competed on Criss Angel's Magic With The Stars opposite Donny Osmond. This spring, she will release a new single and video, "Love Don't Care," off The Body Remembers. "The Body Remembers Encore Tour" kicks off May 25 in Niagara Falls. From No. 1 hits and platinum albums to starring roles on stage and screen, Gibson is a true force in the entertainment industry with timeless talent and charisma.

Sebastian Bach

Stephen Pearcy of Ratt

As the founder, lead singer and songwriter of the metal rock band RATT, Stephen Pearcy is credited with having been a pioneer of the early 80's Sunset Strip rock scene. Having led his creation to Mega MultiPlatinum Success Year after Year from 1984 to 1991. Capturing critical acclaim for his performances, style and uniquely salacious vocals. Pearcy formed RATT in Los Angeles in 1982 from his previous band Mickey RATT. Known for their overtly sexual appearance, rebellious attitude and take no prisoner approach to metal, Atlantic Records recognized RATT's potential and star power thus signing the band to a contract resulting in the 1984 album "Out of the Cellar", which became one of many multi-platinum successes. RATT climbed up the charts with singles from "Out of the Cellar", soaring past Prince's "Let's Go Crazy", Van Halen's "Panama", Madonna's "Borderline" and David Bowies "Blue Jean". The record generated top ten singles followed by sold out tours throughout the world. This momentum remained with every proceeding RATT album to include their most recent release of "Infestation" in 2010. Their last recording from that time in 1991 is Ratt "81-91" of which marked the end of an era, and to the disbelief of many die hard metal fans who seemingly could never get enough of Pearcy, it seemed to mark the end to a self-proclaimed "dynasty of rough & tough metal" that ruled the better part of the 80s. Throughout RATT's nearly four decades of success with Pearcy at its helm, they released 8 albums and played thousands of shows worldwide all the while selling over 20 million records. In 1992 Pearcy explored other areas of interest and created the band ARCADE with Cinderella's drummer, Fred Coury. With the release of his first solo debut in 2002, "Social Intercourse", and 20 CDs to his credit, he continued to record and tour vigorously to the delight of a new emerging fan base of metal fans. Added to his list of achievements is 2002's Cult Horror Classic, "Camp Utopia" with Pearcy playing the notorious camp slasher and cult leader, Timothy Bach. RATT & Mickey RATT songs are featured regularly in film & TV; Point Break, Weird Science, The Golden Child, Academy Award winning movie "The Wrestler", Emmy Award winning Stranger Things, Wicked City, Cobra Kai, The Goldberg's, Young Sheldon... Pearcy's continued exploration away from music is as a New York Times Best Selling Author, "SEX, DRUGS, RATT 'n' ROLL...My Life in Rock" by Stephen Pearcy. Hailed as "A jaw-dropping tell-all from the lead singer of the 1980s super group Ratt: the groupies, the trashed hotel rooms, the drugs - and just how much you can get away with when you're one of the biggest hair metal stars of all time." 2020, "Year of the Rat", started in a positive direction with RATT landing a Geico Insurance commercial that would introduce RATT to a whole new breed of fans with the catch phrase "We have a RATT Problem", seen by over 15 million viewers in its first 2 weeks on air, RATT's "Round and Round" recharted on Billboards Top Ten Hard Rock Digital Song Sales and a newfound fanbase was born. Live Nation scheduled RATT to headline "The Big Rock Summer Tour", RATT was ready to Take Over the Rock World once again. He currently runs his production company, Top Fuel Entertainment of which his new docuseries "Backstage Past" is in development, as well as the Stephen Pearcy Rockumentary. The Pearcy legacy is here to stay. His fans are loyal and always wanting more of him...after all, he is the original "Wanted Man".

The English Beat

One tempestuous weekend in March 1979 was not only the date of the Three Mile Island nuclear incident, but also, in Birmingham, England, the very first show by a nascent band known as The Beat. Introduced as "the hottest thing since the Pennsylvania meltdown", the band had a sense that the next few years could well be explosive! The Beat hailed from working class, industrial Birmingham, England. When The Beat rushed on to the music scene in 1979, it was a time of social, political and musical upheaval. Into this storm came The Beat, trying to calm the waters with their simple message of love and unity set to a great dance beat. The Beat were all about inclusion, rather than exclusion, and this showed in their personnel and their music influences. The original band consisted of Dave Wakeling on vocals and guitar, Andy Cox on guitar, David Steele on bass, and Everett Morton on drums - later additions Ranking Roger (toasting) and foundational First Wave Ska legend Saxa (saxophone) completed the outfit. The band crossed over fluidly between soul, reggae, pop and punk, and from these disparate pieces they created an infectious dance rhythm. Along with their contemporaries The Specials, The Selecter, and Madness, the band became an overnight sensation and one of the most popular and influential bands of the British Two Tone Ska movement. By Christmas of 1979, The Beat were riding high in the UK charts with their first single, a smoking remake of the classic Smokey Robinson tune Tears of a Clown. Over the course of the next five years The Beat toured relentlessly and released three studio albums: I Just Can't Stop It, Wh'appen, and Special Beat Service. The band toured the world, touring with such artists as David Bowie, The Police, REM, The Clash, The Talking Heads, The Pretenders, and The Specials, to name but a few. The Beat kept scoring hits with tunes that have now become so popular that it's hard to remember a time when they didn't exist, such as Mirror in the Bathroom, Save it for Later, I Confess, Stand Down Margaret, and their serene cover of the Andy William penned Can't Get Used To Losing You.

Hosts
Original MTV VJs

Mark Goodman

Alan Hunter

Downtown Julie Brown

Also Starring

Ray Parker Jr.

Ray Parker Jr is an artist, composer and musician. He composed a Number 1 Grammy Award winning song "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" that he never received credit for. The bad turned into good when Clive Davis got wind of this and his other accomplishments and signed him to Arista Records. Ray has recorded 10 albums that have resulted in nine consecutive Gold and Platinum Awards for himself as an artist including two Gold singles and Two Greatest Hits CDs. He has toured worldwide for years and has performed for crowds as large as 50,000. Best known songs include, "Ghostbusters," "The Other Woman," "A Woman Needs Love," "You Can't Change That," "Jack & Jill," "Mr Telephone Man," and more! Tutored by Stevie Wonder, Ray started composing at age 18. His first Billboard #1 song was "You Got The Love" by Rufus and Chaka Khan. He has composed hits for Barry White, Love Unlimited Orchestra, Herbie Hancock, Nancy Wilson, Patty Labelle, The New Edition, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Cheryl Lynn, Brick, Teddy Pendergrass, Leo Sayer, Coolio, Raydio, etc, as well as for himself. He has composed songs for film and TV including "Ghostbusters", theme song for Richard Pryor's Place, Hollywood, and more. Ray is also known as a world class stage and studio rhythm guitarist. A brief variety list includes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, Earl Klugh, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Boz Scaggs, Barry White,The Crusaders, Tom Jones, Herbie Hancock, Michael Jackson, Pointer Sisters, The New Edition, Coolio, Bill Withers, Snoop Doggy Dog, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Rogers, Lionel Ritchie, Phil Collins, and more. His other awards include the British Bafta Oscar, Grammy & Golden Globe. He is also an Academy Award nominee. In 2014 he received a "Star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Sheena Easton

SHEENA has sold over 20 million records worldwide. She has received two Grammys and was the first - and still only - artist to have top five records on five major Billboard charts. In addition to her recording success, SHEENA is a top concert attraction around the world. SHEENA also has a list of notable acting credits including a five-episode appearance on Miami Vice, a co-starring role opposite Stacy Keach in a John Carpenter-directed trilogy for Showtime titled Body Bags, as a guest star in the syndicated cult series The Highlander, and a starring role in UPN's Ghost Stories. Other appearances have included guest roles on Brisco County and Tech Wars, as well as a starring role in Showtime's Outer Limits. On Broadway, SHEENA starred as Aldonza/Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha opposite the late Raul Julia's Don Quixote. Throughout its yearlong run, the play remained one of the top five grossing hits at the box office. She also starred on Broadway as Rizzo in the hit musical Grease. The 2017 season saw SHEENA'S return to the UK as she starred as Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street at the Theatre Royal in London's West End. SHEENA has been busy with frequent appearances in Las Vegas where she has been a major attraction for the last two decades, and she was recently inducted into the Las Vegas Hall Of Fame. Seen in venues not only nationally but internationally, SHEENA continues to perform her hits and fan favorites. She is most at home working with her band but has expanded her love of the concert stage as a guest vocalist in various programs with symphonies across the nation. This allows her to blend her romance with various styles of music - American standards, pop and Broadway.

Wang Chung

Midnight Star

The synth-funk unit Midnight Star scored several times on the charts during the mid-'80s, led by their double-platinum album No Parking on the Dance Floor in 1983. Just one of the successful acts on Solar Records (also including Shalamar, Lakeside, and the Whispers), the group was formed in 1976 at Kentucky State University by the Calloway brothers, trumpeter Reginald, and trombone player Vincent, with vocalist Belinda Lipscomb. After signing with RCA near the turn of the decade, Midnight Star recorded their first album in 1980, The Beginning, with a conglomeration of studio players and producers. After moving to the Solar label by 1982, the group released Victory and then added a full band: guitarist Melvin Gentry, bassist Kenneth Gant, drummer Bobby Lovelace, and keyboard player Bo Watson. Though the Calloways' production skills -- later used to full effect on tracks by Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, and Teddy Pendergrass - had pushed Midnight Star into the R&B charts during 1981-1982, with singles like "Hot Spot" and "I've Been Watching You," the group was unprepared for the success of the first single from their third proper album, No Parking on the Dance Floor. "Freak-a-Zoid" hit number two on the R&B charts in mid-1983, and though it failed to make the pop Top 40, it pushed the LP over the platinum mark. "Operator," the first single from their next album, Planetary Invasion, became their highest-charting single, making number 18 on the pop charts. By 1986, Headlines had become Midnight Star's third album to at least sell gold.

Animotion

Real Life

Escape Club

Farrington and Mann Original Members of When In Rome UK

Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg

Marky Ramone is best known for the 15 years he spent drumming for the legendary Ramones. Prior to joining the Ramones, Marky played with an array of influential musicians dating back to his high school years when he was a member of the Brooklyn based hard rock band, Dust. Recording two albums with his friends, Richie Wise (guitar and vocals) and Kenny Aaronson (bass) for Neil Bogart's Karma Sutra/Buddha label. The spring of 1978, Marky joined the Ramones. In a matter of weeks, he was in the studio recording his first album with The Ramones entitled, Road to Ruin, which features one of the biggest Ramones songs "I Wanna Be Sedated". The following year the Ramones filmed the cult classic "Rock 'n' Roll High School". Later that year, they joined forces with producer legend, Phil Spector to record End Of The Century. After several tours and two more studio albums, Marky was asked to leave the band 1983, only to rejoin his band mates in 1987 until they decided to call it quits in 1996. His tenure with the Ramones spanned a total of 15 years. Performing over 1700 shows and more than 15 releases, including songwriting credits on both Mondo Bizarro and Adios Amigos, the bands farewell release. In 2000, Marky reunited with longtime friend Joey Ramone for Joey's solo effort Don't Worry About Me. In 2001, Marky along with his former band mates (Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy), were inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame. That same year, U2's Bono presented the Ramones with the MTV's Lifetime Achievement Award. The DVD release, Raw, a compilation of mostly home videos filmed predominantly by Marky was released in 2004 and entered the Billboard video chart at Number 5. Certified Gold in three countries and currently the best-selling Ramones DVD release to date. In February 2010 The Ramones received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. It was the first Grammy for the punk rock pioneers. In early 2010 Marky Ramones Blitzkrieg with Michale Graves released their first single "When We Were Angels" with former member of Sheer Terror, Mark Neuman, playing bass and guitar. With no signs of slowing down, Marky Ramone continues to tour the world with his band, Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg, featuring various lead vocalists including Andrew W.K. and Michale Graves. Marky is currently in his tenth year as a D.J. on SiriusXM Satellite Radio hosting "Marky Ramone's Punk Rock Blitzkrieg". Marky has also appeared on numerous TV shows including The Simpsons, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and ZRock.

Tommy Tutone