We went to see Kool and The Gang in concert on Saturday night.
The connection here — other than there were at least two people who love cruising in the audience — is that this soul or rhythm and blues, jazz, funk or boogie group is going on a cruise ship. So if nothing else, what you get today is a music review.
On Holland America's Westerdam next month, Kool and his buds will be one of 15 acts on a Soul Train Cruise that sold out in 75 days and then developed a waiting list of 2,000. The 
Westerdam leaves San Diego for the Mexican Riviera on February 17th, returning to California a week later, by which time they'll all be soul-singing and jiving in the aisles.
Which is what various iterations of Kool and The Gang have been doing…for 48 years!
"Kool" — Robert Bell (second from the right) by name — is still part of the show but he's pretty much in the background (or at least the back row), as all good bass players are. There are 10 Gang members, three others originals among them, including Kool's brother Khalis Bayyan (he used to be Ronald), and probably a few of them were not even twinkles in their parents' eyes when Kool first formed a band in 1964.
They'll join notable R&B recording artists like Patti Labelle, The O'Jays, War, The Spinners and Harold Melvin's Blue Notes on the Westerdam. And, yes, there will be another Soul Train Cruise — now there's a surprise — in October with Earth, Wind & Fire and Gladys Knight as the headliners.
Oh, and the music review…
Tight, disciplined professional singers and musicians. High energy and extremely talented. Crowd pleasing and entertaining. Except for regularly asking the audience to sing, a strategy that always confounds us because we paid to watch them sing, they're…well, Kool.
No wonder there was a Westerdam waiting list.
Grand Princess
15 nights
March 16, 2013
San Francisco (return): Hilo, Honolulu, Nawiliwili, Lahaina, Ensenada
Inside: $1,299
Cost per day: $86
www.princess.com