Jam Cruise 12

I really wish there was some way that this would be possible for me. I tried to talk my mom into getting us tickets for a wedding present but she laughed at me.

I have heard great things about Jam Cruise and I love this lineup. It is an extension of Bear Creek. And Bootsy! This time he is on a boat and no way he can be late. We will march down to his Cabin and wake that funker up.
Jig, Convincing? Look at that line up?! See you on the boat. We are in XXXXX.

Sorry for double post...edit on mobile is impossible. I meant sitting next to Les Claypool's table at breakfast...fantastic moment. Or sitting in a hot tube with new friends and listening to Michael Franti!

I wish I could do this. What a great lineup!

This is the most interesting lineup for me personally that I've ever seen for JamCruise. I hope they will continue to book really solid acts like this in the future when I can finally afford to go.

Holy Funk ship! what they say is true. My first Jam Cruise(JC) was an amazing and magical experience, which I am still processing. It was so good, my natural sarcastic instinct is to say how bad it was and how much it sucked, but I can not do that, well, at least not with out cracking a smile.
I will start with the different stages. there are 3 main stages and 3-4 smaller stages

• Pool Deck Stage-Ever been on a boat? You know the pool deck, where the big pool is. Well, they emptied the pool, covered it up and then set up a stage. There was not a bad seat for this venue. It contained little nooks and crannies every where. Many excellent spots around the pool where one could sit or stand and watch a show. There are also many different levels/decks around the pool, allowing many other places one can experience a performance here. This stage made a huge jump to the top of my best places to see a show list. Then put this in the Caribbean.
  
• Black n White Lounge-Think 1970-80 lounge with a stage and a dance floor. It has a glass ceiling, relaxing lounges and chairs in the back, round Bar on the right and when the lead singer stands at the front of the stage, his head almost hits the ceiling. This place could get packed quick, but the chairs and couches in the back allowed for great people watching. man, did this boat ever have some characters!
  
• The Theater-It is just that, a theater, with inclined seating and a balcony. The seats in front of the stage, ground floor, are removed and a dance floor is created. Another great place to see a show. Not really a bad seat here either.
  
• Solar stage- is a small stage, set up on the pool deck, opposite the Pool Deck Stage. After a show on the PDS, one just has to turn around, for a show on this Magic Hat Solar Stage. It held a nice line up, but I was only able to catch some of Zach Deputy and stopping for a song of others shows as I was passing by to another show or the buffet.
  
• Jazz Bar-think small retro(orange, yellows, and browns)bar, with a small stage that barely fits two drum sets, we hung out in this lounge, it had the biggest and most amazing couch/sofa/island thing ever. 20 people could probably lay on it.
  
• Galaxy Disco-I actually never visited this stage and kind of wish I could have found it that one night.
• The Atrium-is the 3 story center piece of the boat. It contains dual glass elevators going up the the back, flashy stair on each side of the three levels. It contains lots of glass and lots of bright shiny light things. It is a beautiful area. In the center, on the lower level, sits a lone Black Grand Piano. Every thing centers around this beautiful instrument. An instrument when touched in the proper manner, can tell stories and create sounds that will make the strongest of men cry tears of joy. 
• The Spot, well it is just that. A random spot where people showed up and made music, on the Spot. You find the spot when you least expect it, which just means, "the Spot" finds you.
  

The food was decent. "I do not eat pizza everyday, but when I am on JC..." The only time I could not find pizza, was at breakfast and they corrected that faux pas with pounds of bacon. All one could eat, of bacon, and sausage, and eggs(scrambled, fried, or omelet), and pancakes, and french toast and cereal and fruit, and what am I talking about, at breakfast, there is pounds of bacon!
Drinks cost a lot, they do, but there are ways to lessen the cost of that.
Compared to Bonnaroo it cost more than VIP, but on JC, in relation to the stages, my sleeping quarters,(with a soft bed, air conditioning, bathroom, hot shower, ect.) are down the hallway and up or down a few flight of stairs, or if more take the elevator. The line to get in, onto the boat, was about an hour long. We can argue line up, but for me, I funking loved it!
Instead of 80K+, there were about 4K people and these numbers contain the artist and their family.
At Roo, I had to wait in the VIP tent to meet the drummer of a band, on JC, we seem to have the same eating times, because we had lunch, breakfast, and dinner together. Well, when I say together, I mean we are at this table and she is eating at the table next to us, but still not your everyday dinner companions.
It is times like this, seeing the drummer of another band walk out the bathroom, only to notice the lead singer of one of your favorite bands, is standing behind you in line and then they ask you, "How is your JC?", which leads to a conversation about the 10 year old who set in for a cover of the Whipping Post, with them the night before.
There are many times, in just passing, I ran into some one from this or that band and I am sure many more times that happened with someone who I did not recognize or know. Not once did I ask for a picture or autograph, that would be rude, but it can be hard to not be star struck and  I often gave a quick, "thank you, I appreciated what you do", comment, if appropriate. Like not when they are disciplining their kids for having too many toys around the pool and not cleaning them up.

There are a lot of participants on JC. The costumes and outfits are amazing. It brings everything together. Looking out at a sea of purple on one night and the next night was a pool of sea life and underwater creatures. I for one enjoy the costume part of JC greatly and believes it participation adds to any experience.

The Music:
Lettuce is Funkin' tight, those guys always bring it at JC was no different, I am gonna say maybe even up a bit.
Les Claypool, duo de twang, did an interesting take on staying alive, but took an unexpected weird twist, and we moved onto,
The Revivalist. They provided a great amount of entertainment in the BnW Lounge. From Wanee and with Galactic, I am a fan of David Shaw, it was our first introduction to 10 yr old Brandon Niederauer as well. This kid can JAM! funk me! 
Galactic is amazing. I love when David Shaw sings with them. That combo blew us away at Wanee. They delivered on JC, big time! Maggie Koerner sang with them on some songs, and she is amazing and adds a special element to this awesome band.
Thievery Coperation put on an amazing show and Lotus delivered to help create an amazing night.
Conspirator threw it down on Purple night.
Orgone blew me away on the Pool Deck, not sure of the lead singers name(Nikki J crawford?), but her voice is BIG! WOW!  when M4 horns set in!!!! funk Yeah!
Each night had late night Jam sessions. Magic was made here.
March Fourth Marching Band exceeded previous performances, I enjoy them more each time I see them.
We missed the private Island show by Warren Haynes, the waters were too choppy for the boats to carry us to the island, so they flew Warren on to the boat and we had the show on the Pool Deck.
Warren Haynes is amazing. It was a relaxing JAM day, he said he had just met anders obsborne hours ago and now they are on stage making music together. John Popper and George Porter and many others set in with Warren. It was 3 hours of great quacking music. I have to find this set list. You showed me the treasure at the end of my rainbow, thank you! Well done JC, well done indeed.

Then there was the Atrium, with the shinny stairs, the glitter, the black lone piano. That piano begged to be played, and boy did it ever get that. When done right it light up the atrium like no other. It was beautiful. It was nice to catch a late night on the spot Jam session on that piano,
but on the last night, when Ivan Neville took control of that black beauty. you knew something special was about to happen, or you were about to find out. It was the most intimate, personal, emotional, musical experience of my life. He said what happens on JC, stays on JC, maybe I have said too much, but sitting on the ground in my PJ's looking from above on Ivan Neville on the piano in the Atrium, singing old songs with his brother or covering DMB's Crash or Landslide by FW mac, It was magical and an experience I will never forget, words do it no justice, it was fucking Priceless!!!  

Cloud 9 does an excellent job with Jam Cruise. The crew they hire to set up this event is absolutely amazing. They had less than half a day to get the equipment from the dock onto the boat, set up multiple stages with sounds and lights, and be ready to go the first night. Job well done!!!



I almost forgot, we danced with Bootsy Collins! Yes. we did, and I am not talking like we were dancing and he was dancing on stage, we actually danced with Bootsy!
At the end of the show, he asked the crowd to part, and he would come down into the crowd. I knew this from Bear Creek, so I parted the crowd with my sword. Bootsy came done from the stage and started hugging people in the crowd. He made it to Megan and then to me. I gave Bootsy Collin a big bear Hug. I squeezed him tight and said the first thing that comes to my mind. As we hugged, I yelled,
"Bootsy, I give a FUNK!" 
He leaned back a little bit, still  holding onto me, I could tell under his fat STAR shaped glasses that his eyes opened wide, he cracked a big grin, then smiled some more before letting out a big YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Then he, still holding me, starts bouncing, Bootsy and I are bouncing, we all start bouncing, everyone around us is bouncing, I am dancing with Bootsy, I look around Megan is dancing with Bootsy, we are all dancing and bouncing, and bouncing and dancing and dancing and bouncing and dancing!!
It felt like a long time, it may have only lasted 20 seconds, but either way, because I gave a FUNK, I danced with Bootsy Collins!!! 

Love the reviews!!! I'm def gonna get pre-booked for next year...it's just been way too long!

a cruise fest sounds pretty much like my heaven. i looooove cruises. (but am a little scared after the carnival poop cruise disater a few years ago.) too bad i am not a fan of any of those bands really. maybe one day they will do an EDM/electropop cruise. lol

Who ended up being the surprise performance at half moon cay? I really wished I had heard about this much sooner before the event. Unfortunately I found out in mid-November I think and was sooooo bummed. The line up was awesome. Glad everyone had a great time!! (Although I'd expect nothing less)

Holy Ship always has a decent lineup since it's run by HARD Presents.



And TIESTO made a random appearance on the boat.