ShipRocked 2014: Three Days Grace, Butcher Babies, Five Finger Death Punch + More – Day 3 Recap + Pics

As Day 3 of ShipRocked dawned, it would serve as the last day of invading the beautiful, private Bahamian island so rockers were up early to take full advantage of the exotic surroundings one last time. The music didn’t kick off until early afternoon allowing fans to catch up on some much needed sleep, work on their tans and re-energize for another day of non-stop rock 'n' roll revelry.

Aranda kicked off the action on the beach stage. Led by brothers Dameon and Gabe Aranda, they quickly won over the crowd with their raw talents and ability to connect.

Candlebox took a different approach to their beach set, starting with a marriage proposal onstage between two diehard Candlebox fans. She said "yes" and the rock commenced. In addition to bringing couples together, Candlebox is responsible for creating some of the biggest hits of the ‘90s so it’s no surprise that their set was chock full of them but they also gave fans a taste of what they’ve been up to for the past few years too with songs from their latest offering ‘Love Stories & Other Musings.’

Saying goodbye to Stirrup Cay was definitely not easy, but knowing that Three Days Grace would be waiting for us on the Monster Deck Stage when we returned certainly eased the pain a bit. From the opening note of ‘Chalk Outline,’ Three Days Grace embraced their last time on stage for ShipRocked 2014. From Brad Walst’s signature bass-face grimace to the elusive nature of guitarist Barry Stock, the four members seemingly have the perfect onstage chemistry. It was nice to see drummer Neil Sanderson take some time to do a drum solo too, you know, when he wasn’t DJ’ing late nights on the cruise or working on his Loudwire column! Talk about a guy that does it all. Can’t wait to see what’s next in store for Three Days Grace in the year to come.

In This Moment’s Maria Brink wasn’t the only lady on board that was ready to slay the masses. Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey, the two leading ladies of the Butcher Babies, took the Deck stage ready to rage….and rage they did. Not to mention the rest of their band, perfectly complementing the duo with their fast and furious playing. It’s hard to put into words exactly what a Butcher Babies show entails, it’s a visual punch to the face, an enticing assault on the ears and basic overall sensory overload. Throw all that in a blender, add a shot or two of vodka and hit eviscerate and you might come pretty close to bottling the Butcher Babies.

Next up on the Deck Stage was Black Stone Cherry, finally getting the chance to stretch out on a big stage and fully embrace the rock and roll gymnastics that have become a signature part of their show the band served up a fun set. Currently working on their new disc the band should have some big news for fans very soon.

Five Finger Death Punch had the only show in the Stardust Theater on this night and it’s probably for the best. It would be hard to follow up that kind of a performance. Kicking it off with their rendition of ‘Mama Said Knock You Out,’ Ivan Moody appeared on stage sporting a Peyton Manning jersey in support of the Super Bowl bound Denver Broncos. Thoroughly engaged with the knuckleheads throughout the night, he eventually ended up in the crowd, walking through the audience, seat to seat, shaking hands and giving hugs and high fives.

During ‘Remember Everything,’ Jason Hook took center stage armed only with his acoustic guitar as Ivan climbed to the back of the theater and made his way back to the stage, singing all the way, serving up a rare and vulnerable moment for the raucous rockers. Of course, the acoustic sounds would be short-lived as the rest of the band returned to the stage to finish out the show in true Five Finger fashion. Packing 15 songs into their hour set, the band closed with the trio of ‘The Bleeding,’ ‘Far From Home’ and ‘White Knuckles’ before closing out another year of ShipRocked.

Music fans that didn’t make it into the Five Finger show had the opportunity to check out Wilson in the Headbanger Lounge or Jim Breuer on the Meliti Stage.

The night came to an end with In this Moment closing out the Monster Deck Stage for the night with their second and final performance on the cruise. Hopefully everyone on board checked out their one-of-a-kind metal theatrics at least once!

Three days down, and only one to go. Is ShipRocked really coming to an end? Say it isn’t so!

Day 3 ShipRocked Photos:

Butcher Babies:

Three Days Grace:

Five Finger Death Punch:

Black Stone Cherry:

Candlebox: