Following an afternoon of beach hangs at a port stop at Grand Turk in the Turks & Caicos Islands, Jam Cruise 19 continued on Friday for its fifth night aboard the MSC Divina.
The second and final port stop of the voyage brought a few new heavy-hitters into the Jam Cruise mix including Umphrey’s McGee, Oteil Burbridge, Jennifer Hartswick, Eric Krasno, Steve Kimock, Paul Hoffman (Greensky Bluegrass), and more.
In addition to powerful Pool Deck performances by Umphrey’s and Oteil & Friends, Friday’s schedule featured sets from Andy Frasco & The U.N., phoffman, Trouble No More, Honey Island Swamp Band, Ivan Neville, Dogs In A Pile, Fackn’ A, Cymande, Pixie & The Partygrass Boys, Little Stranger, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, and Yesmann as well as a late-night Jam Room session led by Brandon “Taz” Niederauer.
With several sets running simultaneously throughout the night and into the early hours of Saturday morning, it was impossible to catch all the music played on the ship, both on stage and otherwise. Here are just a few of the most memorable moments from the fifth day of Jam Cruise 19.
The MSC Divina spent the afternoon docked on the scenic shore of Grand Turk for a day of beach hangs and whale sightings. As sandy, sun-kissed, bathing suit-clad Jam Cruisers made their way back onto the ship, they were greeted in kind by Dogs In A Pile’s SpongeBob SquarePants-themed Bikini Bottom Jam in the Atrium.
In addition to getting bassists Karina Rykman and Dan Kelly (Neighbor) in on the F.U.N.—”F is for friends who do stuff together,” after all—the young pups made the most of the occasion with costumes, Bikini Bottom lyric updates to original numbers like “Craig & Pat” (“There was a sponge named Bob, he was a real nice guy…”), jammed-out takes on SpongeBob songs like “Ripped Pants” (featuring a cameo from a fan in a “ripped pants” costume), and more.
When the Dogs closed the set with SquarePants arena-rock anthem “Sweet Victory”, it felt like a perfect encapsulation of a successful week aboard their first Jam Cruise.
Birthday boy Andy Frasco had the honor of opening the Pool Deck on Friday as the ship sailed away from Grand Turk. Contrary to the lyrical warnings of a Talking Heads “Life During Wartime” cover, this performance was both “party” and “disco” as fans flooded the pool deck in ’70s club regalia for the evening’s “Studio 54” theme (when it comes to Jam Cruise costumes, there truly “ain’t no fooling around”).
Like any good U.N. summit, this energetic set featured a parade of sit-ins—from Mihali to Brandon “Taz” Niederauer to Mike Dillon to Kanika Mooreand beyond—and plenty of amusing banter. “Thank you for letting us get sloppy,” Frasco joked partway through. Shoutout to the dining hall pizza. You’re the real hero here.
Ivan Neville‘s Atrium piano set is consistently a highlight of Jam Cruise, and this year’s edition did not disappoint. While the Dumpstaphunk bandleader’s songs-and-stories sets often incorporate a number of unique covers, his Jam Cruise 19 performance pulled predominantly from his forthcoming solo record, Touch My Soul.