Thicker Than Water

Last night I took a trip to West side of Manhattan to embark on a three-hour boat ride in a cruise ship through the Hudson. Strangely enough, H2O was playing a show aboard the ship, an event that had sold out weeks ago to its 500-person capacity. I had forgotten all about the show until a friend called me up that afternoon offering me a ticket to the show. Leading the ultimate slacker-lifestyle and having no obligations ever, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to get out of the house and do something unusual for the evening.

I met up with my friend at the corner of 14th and 8th and we drove up to the port at 42nd street. We arrived just a few minutes before the scheduled departure and made our way up the ramp to board the ship. A few minutes later the boat set sail and we were off, making our way downstream towards the statue of liberty.

There were no other bands listed to play, but I couldn’t imagine that H2O could come up with a set list to keep anyone interested for a full three hours. As it turns out, the band didn’t begin until about 90 minutes after we set sail and ended up playing for a little over an hour.

The show itself was pretty rad. The boat rocked back and forth as a few hundred kids scrambled over each other to sing-a-long and try to keep their balance. Mackie and JJ of the Cro-mags made a special appearance towards the end of H2O’s set and played “Hard Times.” H2O played a good mix of old and new, with Toby and his son bringing the laughs with their in-song stage banter.

The whole night was a little unreal. I felt as if I had been given a glimpse into the life of the wealthy New Yorker; the kinds of things I, as a young graduate, should probably be trying to do with my life. Still, I couldn’t imagine myself enjoying something like that if I hadn’t been surrounded by a bunch of hardcore kids. All in all, the show was a good time and reminded me why I love New York, the only place in the world where something like this would happen.


Blood is thicker than water and hardcore still rules.