Rockin' the boat on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry

You know it's not a normal rock show when the lead singer implores the crowd to not only sing along, but also hold on to their equipment.

But there are times when the wind is whipping while the Dover-based party band Glass Onion is busy playing their weekly Friday night concerts aboard the Cape May-Lewes Ferry.

And sometimes the boat really does rock, giving Glass Onion singer/keyboardist/saxophonist Dale Teat an opportunity for his joke about crowd participation.

Since the act's weekly series made its ferry debut 11 summers ago, the Cape May-Lewes Ferry has morphed from an unlikely place to find live jams into a mobile music hall, adding Sunday evening round-trip acoustic sunset performances, along with Thursday concerts on shore near the terminal every other week.

"It's one of those gigs that every band would love to have. We got lucky," Teat says. "People are relaxed, off work or on vacation. It's a very happy atmosphere. They are ready to dance when we start our first song."

Teat and the guys of Glass Onion have been the on-board entertainment Friday nights since 2006, making plenty of new fans by taking full advantage of a captive audience. And no one has jumped overboard to escape.

"We haven't played that bad yet," Teat cracks.

Music fan Carmen Natrin, an English teacher at Cape Henlopen High School, bypasses bars, rock clubs and music halls on Friday nights during the summer. Instead, she and her friends set sail and party with Glass Onion, the four-piece that performs on the top deck next to the bar, naturally.

Why hang out inside a darkened club when you can catch stunning sunsets and feel the ocean breeze?

"I live on the ferry in the summer. I just love my Friday nights," says Natrin, 39, who lives in the Milton area. "I really can't say enough about it."

While Friday shows are high-energy dance parties that surely draw a few confused looks from travelers not in the know, Sundays are laid-back affairs that switch off between Rehoboth Beach cover acts Electric Velvet and Ginger. (Both cost the same as a round-trip pass.)

Ginger's Nancy Curry says the shows give them a chance to really get to know their crowd, not only because they are all on a boat together, but also because some are returning fans.

"It's a family atmosphere and we usually have some kids up there dancing," says Curry, of Millsboro. "It's a lot more intimate than your average bar gig."

And on Thursdays, the lush lawn near the terminal with a stunning view attracts not only music fans in beach chairs in search of a free show, but acts you would normally have to go to a bandstand to see outdoors at the beach in the summer.

The four shows remaining this summer include Sellersville, Pennsylvania-based Neil Diamond tribute act Real Diamond (July 13), Rehoboth's own Funsters featuring Ed Shockley and Keith Mack (July 27), Jesse Garron of New Castle's long-running Elvis Presley tribute (Aug. 10) and premier Wilmington funk-and-soul-filled seven-piece Special Delivery (Aug. 24).

Glass Onion ditched their speaker stacks years ago after a few rough rides where they started to slide on the boat's deck, learning show-by-show how to pull off full band concerts on a 100-vehicle ferry. 

Surprisingly, there have been few hiccups and the series has built up a regular following, which includes Natrin nearly every week.

In fact, when she isn't there, people notice, including the band. A recent trip to New York took her away and she heard about it.

"They almost panic if I'm not there," says Natrin, who discovered the ferry's music offerings three years ago while on its annual fireworks cruise, which also includes a performance by Glass Onion. "And I'm not the only one. They have quite a following."

For the Delaware River & Bay Authority, operators of the ferry, the shows not only add to the ferry experience, it adds a new stream of local customers who otherwise would not be dropping the nearly $20 for a round-trip walk-on pass, says DRBA spokesman Jim Salmon.

"You're also opening up a whole new market that may or may not have experienced the ferry in the past and they could be customers in the future. They get to see the services and amenities that we have," he says. "Plus, it adds a new flavor to the mix of things that we have going on with the ferry."

The biggest difference between playing a club and a ferry is that if you're late, the club will still be there. Not so for the ferry — usually.

With four band members traveling from different directions to the beach on summer Fridays, traffic jams and delays are bound to happen. But that's Teat's only real worry each week.

One time, he was 10 minutes late and the captain actually held the ferry for him. Instead of parking and loading his gear on the ferry like he usually does, they waved his car aboard and departed instantly. 

Another time, guitarist Joey Thompson got caught in some nasty traffic and holding the ferry wasn't an option. That show suddenly turned into a trio gig without a guitarist due to circumstance.

"The boats are like trains — they leave on time," he says. "That's the stress we have, but it's worth it."

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

UPCOMING CAPE MAY-LEWES FERRY PERFORMANCES

July 7 — Glass Onion (Rock the Boat)

July 9 — Electric Velvet Duo (Sunday Jamz)

July 13 — Real Diamond's Neil Diamond tribute (Concert on the Lewes Green)

July 14 — Glass Onion (Rock the Boat)

July 16 — Ginger (Sunday Jamz)

July 21 — Glass Onion (Rock the Boat)

July 23 — Electric Velvet Duo (Sunday Jamz)

July 27 — Funsters (Concert on the Lewes Green)

July 28 — Glass Onion (Rock the Boat)

July 30 — Ginger (Sunday Jamz)

Aug. 4 — Glass Onion (Rock the Boat)

Aug. 6 — Electric Velvet Duo (Sunday Jamz)

Aug. 10 — Jesse Garron's Elvis Presley tribute (Concert on the Lewes Green)

Aug. 11 — Glass Onion (Rock the Boat)

Aug. 13 — Electric Velvet Duo (Sunday Jamz)

Aug. 18 — Glass Onion (Rock the Boat)

Aug. 20 — Electric Velvet Duo (Sunday Jamz)

Aug. 24 — Special Delivery (Concert on the Lewes Green)

Aug. 25 — Glass Onion (Rock the Boat)

Aug. 27 — Ginger (Sunday Jamz)

Rock the Boat: The ferry departs at 5:15 p.m. for the weekly Friday music series, which arrives back to Lewes at 8:25 p.m. (Adults $18, children ages 6-13 $9. Walk-on.) 

Sunday Jamz: The ferry departs at 3:15 p.m. for the weekly Sunday music series, which arrives back to Lewes at 6:25 p.m. (Adults $19, children ages 6-13 $9. Walk-on.)

Concert on the Lewes Green: The Thursday concert series, held every other week, runs from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. All shows are free. Bring a lawn chair or blanket.