The last day of the cruise began slowly. We slept in and after breakfast I wandered around for a while, finally sitting in on some of the Q&A with Crack the Sky, whom I did not get to see perform.
As afternoon came, so did our red laminate Steve Hackett show in the Stardust, scheduled for 3:15PM, with District 97 playing a set in the Atrium at 3:30PM. While my default has always been to go to Steve’s shows on past cruises, this time I decided to do something different. I decided to skip Steve’s show in favor of seeing District 97. I thought it over and considered the fact that I had just seen Steve only in November and would likely have way more chances to see him in the near future, with him touring every one or two years. I wanted to take advantage of one of the biggest perks of a cruise like this, which is the chance to see artists that you otherwise would never get to see perform. District 97 has been on other cruises I’ve attended, but I never bothered to check them out. I messaged my Dad about my decision and he understood, opting to go see Steve by himself. I found myself a good seat in the Atrium and enjoyed the show. I loved the energy displayed by singer Leslie Hunt and their fusion of prog and harder rock.
After their set, I went to the Bliss Lounge for the To Cure a Rose Foundation charity auction, which is featured on every Cruise to the Edge. I had attended this auction at my last CTTE in 2024 and ended up winning a Rush-inspired painting done by Ryo Okumoto of Spock’s Beard. I wanted to try and see if I could score something again at this auction, so I got there early enough to find a seat and then check out the long table of items offered. It was mainly signed albums, posters, and setlists by the artists featured on the cruise, but there were also a few small prints of original artwork made by Leslie Hunt of District 97.
One item that caught my eye was something called a Tonex Plug Headphone Amplifier, paired with a couple of CDs, all of whichwere signed by Dave Kerzner. Basically, a mini, portable amplifier with a headphone jack that you can use to practice guitar while you’re on the go. I had a feeling that this was the item I would have the best chance at winning, since I didn’t think people who weren’t musicians would find much use for it.
The auction kicked off, with a friend of mine winning a set of signed CDs from Baraka for just $50. A few items later featured a set of Rush memorabilia, including a stellar Neil Peart-inspired print. I took my chances and placed a few bids, ultimately getting out bid at the last second by someone else. I made a bid or two for the set of Marillion memorabilia but was, not surprisingly, quickly outbid by others. Then came time to bid on the Tonex, and I went for it. Another person or two placed a bid, but once I expressed a willingness to bid $225, Mike Dawson said the item was going once…going twice….and SOLD to me!
My dad and I had a dinner reservation at the restaurant behind the pool stage. We ended up seated at the table next to the guy who had outbid me for the Rush merch. He saw and me got super apologetic about outbidding me, but I assured him that there were absolutely no hard feelings and told him to enjoy what he’d won. He won fair and square, and I already had a super cool piece of Rush memorabilia from the 2024 auction. The funny thing about that dinner was that we were right behind the action of Dave Kerzner and friends, which featured my friend Fernando Perdomo. I thought I would take a few stalker-style shots of him to text to him later. It was on the upper deck of the pool stage that I had my last H encounter, with him appearing just feet away from my Dad and I. I nudged my Dad while he was recording a segment of a song and discreetly gestured next to us.
Our final evening aboard the Cruise to the Edge 2026 was culminated by, what many consider to be, among the top performances: Crown Lands in the Atrium. That was, hands down, the biggest Atrium crowd on the whole cruise. This was Crown Lands’ first time on CTTE, and I think they can expect to be invited back with great enthusiasm. Those two made a real impression, because not only did they draw the biggest Atrium crowd, but they were the only act I saw that was cheered back onstage for, not one, but two encores. Within seconds of them starting, the Rush influence was very apparent, from the guitar tones, to the vocals belted out by Cody Bowles, who also covered drums. The audience reception was so touching and I could tell the duo were touched as well. They made such an impression that a friend of mine planned a special trip out to Crown Lands’ native Canada just to see them perform again!
One super cool thing happened right before their set began. A woman who was at the auction approached me, saying that she had been looking for me. She said that, I think, (sorry memory is a little patchy) she felt bad that I didn’t win the Rush memorabilia, and so gifted me one of Crown Lands’ setlists, which I’m now super pumped to own after such a stellar performance! And it’s a signed setlist, to boot!
My dad decided to head back to our stateroom to finish packing and go to bed since we had an early morning ahead of us for disembarkation, but I had one more show in me, so my last show of the cruise was none other than Airbag on the pool stage.
The Girl in the Scarf 
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