[PHOTOS] SHIPROCKED 2023 Day #1

Shiprocked 2023 is officially in the books!

I boarded the Carnival Magic cruise ship a “Newb” & left a “Survivor”!

Shiprocked is an annual hard rock & heavy metal cruise that has been bringing bands and fans together from around the world since its inaugural trek in 2009. This year’s lineup boasted upwards of 35 bands across six stages, including headliners Parkway Drive and Falling In Reverse. Each band performed at least 2 shows while on the boat, giving Shiprockers the opportunity to see their favorite bands across the many stages the Carnival Magic had to offer.

Moments after the engines of the Carnival Magic fired up, Nothing More took the main stage to officially kickoff Shiprocked 2023!

Over 4,000 Shiprockers sold out this year's event!

One of the first people I ran into on the boat was John Guarnieri from Silver Spear Security. He and his team were in charge of handling all the security for the boat. John is also head of security for Shinedown, Motley Crue & Nickelback when they are out on tour. He also has a great podcast called 'Spear Talk' - highly recommend it.

Elias and the boys of Nonpoint took the main stage to a packed crowd after Nothing More's opening set.

Skully is the larger-than-life mascot of Shiprocked. This was setup inside the Atrium of the ship, where some of the best and most intimate performances took place. (More on that in days to come)

The Camden Town rockers Bones UK opened up the Theater stage with hits off of their 2019 self-titled debut album, along with selections from their forthcoming sophomore LP which they are currently working on and I believe due out later this year.

After their blistering set to kick-off Shiprocked 2023 - Nothing More frontman Jonny Hawkins was out on the main deck rocking out to Wage War with the rest of the bands and Shiprockers on the boat. One of the coolest things about this cruise, is that all of the bands are out and about and very easily accessible throughout the trip.. if they wanted to be. And the majority of them were. Jonny couldn't have been nicer. Make sure to check out Nothing More's new album 'Spirits' - out now.

Up next, the Englewood, New Jersey born Grandson. I have heard about this guy and his band for a few years now, but it wasn't until this trip that I finally had a chance to see him perform live. He was definitely a favorite of mine over the course of the week.

The buzz was at a fever pitch as night #1 headliners Motionless in White closed out the mainstage with a hits packed set!

After the mainstage headliners wrapped up each night, the party continued with even more live music in the lounge.  Up next was a band from Phoenix, AZ., the Dropout Kings. These guys were as cool as they were talented! They classify the band's sound as "Trap Metal' - think Nu-Metal with more of a hip-hop influence. If you are looking to get hyped up for something, put these guys on! More on these guys to come in future Shiprocked recaps this week!