Following a recent trend in cruising, in which cruises are thematically planned around certain hobbies or interests, Jam Cruise (January 6 to 10) and Jam Cruise II (January 10 to 14) include not only a four-day cruise but also a heaping helping of jam bands. And despite the old stereotype that fans of such bands are dead-broke hippies, tickets for the cruises, which run between $600 and $1,500, have been selling out fast. The ticket price makes some sense -- concert tickets to see all of these bands would blow away the amount you're paying for the cruise (barring a festival setting, of course).
Jam Cruise features Galactic (pictured), Keller Williams, the Disco Biscuits, Mofro, and a dozen other groups, while Jam Cruise II includes Les Claypool's Frog Brigade, Yonder Mountain String Band, Michael Franti and Spearhead, the Hackensaw Boys, and a bunch of others. If you can't afford the cruise, don't sweat too hard -- check those concert listings. A lot of these bands are also playing at a venue near you, both before and after the cruise.