Thank you for your interest in the Worlds Famous Pyratecon, unfortunately because of the current economy Pyratecon will not happen in 2010 but will continue in 2011, we will put your name and or company name in our database,also if you haven’t done so please go to www.pyratecon.com and register for the news letter for updates .Again thank you for your interest in Pyratecon

Pyratecon crew

So there you have it. Feel free to discuss, but please keep any “so and so did this and so and so did that” crap to yourselves – I’ve felt from the beginning that the PyrateCon turmoil would manage to sort itself out without the need for online feuds and rumor mills, and I stand by that belief.

Let’s start with PyrateCon. Perhaps the most drastic shift from previous years was its format. Year one, for all its faults, was a clear convention through and through – goodie bags for attendees, exclusive events (most notably a pre-screening of Pirates of the Great Salt Lake), quality VIPs (The Pirate Guys, ER Nelson, George Choundas, 2nd tier PotC actors, etc), and a wide assortment of pirate vendors in a semi-private setting created a truly unique – and wonderful – experience. Year two followed much in this same format, but year three – this year – was a stark departure. VIPs were essentially nonexistent (I consider this a mixed blessing, as they did add some interest, although I admit to worrying at how long our community would treat every PotC extra or Pirate Master contestant as a “VIP”), seminars were sparse and held little universal appeal, and the smaller (and cramped) assortment of vendors carried loads of great staple items but little that a seasoned pirate veteran wouldn’t have already seen a thousand times before. Basically, this was now a pirate street festival catering as much to the general public as to the pirates. Now bear in mind, this is an observation ratehr than a direct criticism. Although I miss the convention format, I’ll quickly concede that the street festival may well have more commercial merit, and therefore could be a necessity for PyrateCon to carry forward. But it does make one wonder just why it’s worth paying an admission fee to attend – and this, I’m happy to say, has already been addressed.

After PyrateCon 2008, many folks began to speculate that actually paying to “attend” PyrateCon was unnecessary, and that simply showing up in New Orleans dressed as a pirate was more than enough to enjoy the highlights. This year, I believe, many attendees tried exactly this, and were likely none the worse for it. While I applaud PyrateCon’s efforts to make their wristbands more desirable by working out countless drink and otherwise specials and discounts throughout the French Quarter, the simple fact remains that paying to attend PyrateCon didn’t really get you much. Thankfully, PyrateCon I believe has themselves accepted this fact, as they directly expressed to me a hope that next year’s event will be free, with no general admission charge whatsoever. This, I think, will do much to keep the pirate community’s interest and patronage.

So what about PyrateWeek? Sadly, as I stated in my live event coverage, I was unable to attend nearly as much of PyrateWeek’s own activities as I’d hoped. The one party I did attend was great fun, and the vendors were few but of high quality. That said, the whole affair seemed just too far removed to add much value. I appreciate PyrateWeek’s interest in highlighting the fact that there is a New Orleans beyond the French Quarter, but when it’s already established that Bourbon Street is where the party will be I think it’s overly optimistic to expect droves of pirates to hop on a trolly a half dozen times to support a non-French Quarter event. Also, I just don’t think our subculture is yet big enough to fully support two separate events in such close proximity. So while I support PyrateWeek’s cause, I’m less enthusiastic about their event’s timing. Even if it didn’t directly overlap, hosting it within so much as a month of PyrateCon is forcing the long distance travelers to choose between the two, which I think is ultimately destructive. But ultimately I’m sure the PyrateWeek staff will do what they think best serves their event’s and its attendees’ interests, and I look forward to seeing how they choose to proceed.

All told, PyrateCon remains the imperfect king of the hill when it comes to a weekend of true pirate partying for the non-reenactor sort. No other event – to my knowledge – enjoys such a splendid mix of pirate debauchery and modern hotel and bar-hopping convenience. This remains PyrateCon’s greatest single strength, as you just haven’t lived until you’ve moshed to the Pirates Charles in a nightclub and then grabbed a nightcap or several at the Pirates Alley Cafe – no festival experience comes even close in my book.

One last thing before I finally shut up – I’d like to humbly thank my hosts for the week who put me up in their rental condo, conveniently located just on the quiet end of Bourbon Street (about three blocks past Laffitte’s Blacksmith Shop.) You can check it out for yourself at www.vrbo.com/167750, and I would highly recommend staying there next time you’re in New Orleans. It’s small, but classy and comfy – and the semi-private courtyard can’t be beat. Had I been in better health I’d hoped to have grilled out with some of my radio listeners – alas, maybe next year!

Friday night saw the Dead Pyrate Ball at PyrateCon, as well as a seperate PyrateWeek Ball and a PyrateWeek Parade. Through sheer luck I happened to catch the parade, which was relatively short and notably passed directly through the PyrateCon grounds. The PyrateWeek Ball was very local based, with marching bands, several “real” and tourist pirates, and a few non-descript VIPs in cars (I believe the adjacent photo is of Lord David, a New Orleans pirate of some note.)

Following the parade I headed for the Dead Pyrates Ball which, as was the case with pretty much all the PyrateCon events, was trailing a bit behind schedule (food not yet arrived, sound system not set up, performers unsure what they were supposed to do when.) But also par for the course it all soon came together, first with some shanties by Skip Henderson and the Starboard Watch, followed by some DJing by yours truly, then a performance by the Bawdy Boys and capped off with The Pirates Charles (who, throughout PyrateCon and PyrateWeek proved with each and every performance that they’re not just a pirate band, but rather pirate musical super heroes.)

Perhaps the best feature about the Dead Pyrate Ball was its exclusivity. While the $50 ticket price (which included food and 5 drink tickets) may have been a bit too steep for all pirates to attend, it did nicely keep most of the general public out as well. Nothing against the public, but one of PyrateCon’s greatest strengths in the past has been the opportunity for pirates to hang out and party amongst their own. With PyrateCon 2009, the organizers have taken a much more visible, open-door policy to better encourage public participation. It makes some economical sense to do so, but the trade-off is a reduction of the “pirate convention” aspect in favor of a pirate street festival. But the Dead Pyrate Ball certainly did its part to let us debauch in peace for a time

Saturday continued in the pirate street festival fashion, with musical acts scheduled throughout the day (although again, the schedule was a very loose approximation.) Downtime and announcements were handled throughout by the illustrious Captain Armando, who has a fantastic stage presence that pirates and public alike seemed to enjoy greatly.

Despite so many of the right elements being present – great music, plenty of pirate vendors, and plenty of pirates, PyrateCon during the day time did feel like a somewhat reduced experience. I think this may have had to do with the more spread out, public nature of the venue removing any sort of a natural central hangout, but rather created hordes of aimlessly drifting pirates. This is odd, because The Bourbon Oh Bar was pretty much meant to serve as an all day lounge, and was well located to do so. But some stars must have been out of alignment as it never quite lived up to this potential.

Night time was a different matter, however. Some of the bands noticed a gap in the Saturday evening events – namely that there wasn’t anything really scheduled. And so The Bawdy Boys, Captain Black’s Sea Dogs, and The Pirates Charles took it upon themselves to set up an improv stage and fill the Bourbon Oh with proper pirate music for the evening. As a result the place was more than packed with pirates and tourists alike – all dancing, drinking, and jamming to some of the best Pirate-Core music around.

It’s now Sunday afternoon as I type this, and the atmosphere is one of definite exhaustion. Technically PyrateCon is still on, but it’s definitely in a wind-down phase as folks recover from several nights of hard partying, and others pack up and catch early flights. PyrateWeek and PyrateCon have definitely been some great times – I didn’t get to experience as much of PyrateWeek as I’d have liked, partly because of the flu, and partly because of its slightly remote location and conflicting schedules. But, like most attendees once the weekend hit I barely noted the difference between the two – just show me where the pirate party is.

~Bilge

Morning came all too early for many of us. I arrived on site for my first DJ set to find the stage still under construction. This was unfortunate, but not terribly surprising considering this is the first year that PyrateCon has “taken to the streets”, and the prospect of assembling so much of the event outdoors must surely have brought no end of headaches. I took the delay as an opportunity to scope out the vendor and lecture areas. This year the vendors are split between indoor and outdoor. The outdoor vendors are in tents on Bourbon Street, and have the noted advantage of attracting no end of foot traffic from pirates and “normal” tourists alike. The indoor vendor rooms strike me as rather cramped – hardly appropriate to serve as a hangout area as in past years, and even difficult to manage if you have a sword or excessive plumage. The lecture area, however, is just plain glorious – it’s a proper New Orleans interior patio, and looks far too classy and calm to accommodate pirate speakers

Once the stage was finally completed, the Pirates Charles – remarkably, considering the relatively early hour – started the day off with a smashing show that quickly drew a huge crowd. Whether it’s the uniquely brazen fun of their music, their contagious stage presence, or a combination of both, there is definitely something about the Pirates Charles that easily bridges the gap between pirate enthusiasts and other New Orleans tourists, as the audience was clearly a healthy mix of the two.

I followed the show with a couple of hours of pirate music to help keep the pirate atmosphere alive between acts. While my contribution was more intended as background, a few passersby found it in their hearts to dance a small jig now and again, or even drop a request or two.

The next live performance was the Sirens of the South, a burlesque troupe that mixes a Victorian sense of the risque with a bit of punk rock. The show consisted for four dancers each doing a unique solo act, ranging from a clockwork doll to an outright pirate diva. As would be expected, pirates and normal folk again had no trouble enjoying this show together.

Tonight is the Dead Pirate Ball, as well as Pyrate Week’s own ball located elsewhere in the city. My hope is to attend both in part, although I imagine the bulk of my time will be at the Dead Pirate Ball, as I’ll be doing some more DJing there. Meantime, I need a little time to rest!

~Bilge

Aside from hosting the NQG party, The Avenue Pub has also served as the base of operations for PyrateWeek. With piratey drink specials downstairs and pirate vendors upstairs, it’s been a fine destination and hangout for any pirate enthusiasts fortunate enough to stay in New Orleans for such an extended period (PyrateWeek, I believe, is a full 10 days long.) Unlike PyrateCon, which is, let’s face it, about 24-hr partying, PyateWeek has been more diversified, with attendees encouraged to participate in local volunteer reconstruction activities during the day, and then enjoying some quasi-organized pirate pub-crawling at night. Although my flu struggles kept me from participating in any of those activities, I spoke with many that did and heard rave reviews. But with a taste of a few pirate vendors and pirate parties, I think all would agree that PyrateWeek thus far has mostly been a pre-party before the ACTUAL parties this weekend, as tonight is when PyrateWeek, PyrateCon, and rumor has it even some other, third party pirate events really kick it into high gear.

While the NQG Party was a fantastic time, it was my walk back to my condo that demonstrated how fully PyrateCon/PyrateWeek was about to strike – pirates of all ilk had already begun to populate Bourbon Street, and I was properly chided aplenty for turning in at the early hour of 11 p.m. I did, however, make a short stop at the drug store to pick up some cough drops as my throat still hasn’t fully cleared up. I’d completely forgotten that I had two fully functional flintlock pistols strapped to my belt, and so my heart skipped a beat when the security guard approached me. But he just wanted to ask if I knew Captain Morgan. God, I love New Orleans!

That said, tonight is the No Quarter Given Anniversary Party, which I have no intention of missing, so hopefully I can begin my substantive coverage tomorrow. But meantime, I wanted to let everyone know that I’m in New Orleans, alive and well, and looking forward to meeting up with those of you that can attend, and posting here for those of you that can’t!

~Bilge

The final schedule TBA, but by the looks of things I’ll be doing two sets – one on Friday the 3rd and one on Saturday the 4th. So when you arrive in New Orleans (you ARE going to PyrateCon, aren’t you?) make sure to check your schedule so you can hang out with me and groove to the best mix of pirate and pirate-core music in existence! Lookin’ forward to seein’ you all there!!!

Oh, and if you’re not already familiar with PyrateCon, be sure and check it out at www.pyratecon.com. For two years running now the formula has been simple: New Orleans + pirates + rum = Greatest Weekend Ever. Don’t miss it!

Since returning from PyrateCon 08 I’ve been torn between whether I should publicly share my thoughts, or quietly “wait and see” what occurs on its own. But I get asked, and then asked again what my thoughts are on PyrateCon, and so I think it’s time to just throw some things out there. So here are some facts. No inside information, just the publicly available truth:

PyrateCon 2008 was imperfectly orchestrated. The banquet was overcrowded and did not feature nearly the spread of food promised. The official program in Pyrates Way Magazine listed at least one major event (the Interactive Movie) that didn’t occur, as well as an entire Voudou Lounge area that didn’t exist. In an error repeated from PyrateCon 2007, a significant chunk of vendors were overly separated from the main vending room. Evening events were open to the non-paying public, and the Pirate and Wench of the Year Contests were dominated by official entertainers, judges, and VIPs – all of whom should have been ineligible for such a contest. All of these concerns have been expressed by attendees throughout various online forums, but to my knowledge the PyrateCon staff has not yet publicly acknowledged them, nor offered any reassurance that they won’t happen again.

All this said, more went right than went wrong. The evening events – overcrowded though they were – did occur. The vending rooms were great fun to visit, and *most* of the presentations went on as scheduled. But most important of all, PyrateCon served as a reason for pirates to gather in New Orleans, which is the true strength of this convention. Even if you’re not interested in attending seminars or vendor rooms, the opportunity to wander Bourbon Street in a frock and tricorn, drinking rum all day long and then plopping into a seat at the Pirate’s Alley Café to wile away the remaining hours with like-minded souls is a rare and incredible treat.

So where do things stand? Rumors abound of lawsuits, PyrateCon Staff turmoil, mismanagement, etc. And personally, as an attendee, I don’t really care. Those with a financial stake in the matter can (and should) investigate matters and do whatever’s in their best interest. But I plan to be in New Orleans the weekend of PyrateCon – regardless of the actual fate of the festival. I hope PyrateCon succeeds – like many, I *want* there to be one event where we aren’t expected to be performers or educators – where we’re free to just be ourselves while dressing, drinking, and acting like pirates. But regardless of whether PyrateCon pulls itself together, so long as there are pirates aplenty in the French Quarter, it will remain an event worth attending.