Jam Cruise 21: Collaborative Close Out [A Recap]

February 19, 2025

Photo Credit: Gabby Barbieri

On Tuesday, Feb. 18, the final day of Jam Cruise commenced on the Pool Deck with the so-called “New Funk Pranksters,” Chicago’s own Sneezy. The ensemble unleashed a genre-bending surge that fueled the audience with the right rhythm to dance. Fan favorite “Fat Girlfriend” received a vivacious response from the crowd, who stuck around for the amalgamated might of Ivan Neville and Cris Jacobs.

During the frame above, Neville and Jacobs’ were joined by a bevy of players who helped them elevate their choice numbers, including Chali 2na, who produced ’90s-era nostalgia during a cover of The Verve’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony,” complete with a hip-hop interlude that drew praise from the audience at the unexpected twist. They also conjured the spirit of The Band, with the associated cover, “Don’t Do It,” setting a tone that would be reprised during Dogs in a Pile’s nighttime appearance.

Everyone Orchestra brought out the very best of Jam Cruise: collaborative spirit and the power to excite with mass representation on stage. Matt Butler’s brainchild included help from Steve Kimock, Allie Kral, Neal “Fro” Evans, The Horn Section, Shira Elias, and Sammi Garett from Cool Cool Cool, Jimmy Law, and more, who ignited the Pantheon Theatre with an explosive display of prowess, audience participation and heightened vigor.

Grammy-nominated Southern Avenue took a turn on the Pool Deck next, bringing the spirit of Memphis and delivering a soul-shacking performance. In the Atrium, 15-year-old River Eckert delivered an hour-long piano performance that drew comparisons to New Orleans’ greats and reinforced his status as one of the city’s most promising torchbearers.

Summer Zen, featuring George Porter Jr., Steve Kimock, Johnny Kimock, Lebo, and Robert Walters, scratched the boat’s Dead itch with covers like “New Speedway Boogie” and “They Love Each Other.” Kanika Moore’s Super Jam brought friends and collaborators together, peaking with Elias and Garett’s arrival for an ode to Janis Joplin, delivering a staggering rendition of “Piece Of My Heart.” Moore mentioned the importance of female representation on stage, thanking the aforementioned vocal duo.

Reviving the spirit of New Orleans, Galactic took their final Jam Cruise set a step further, filling out the lineup with added assistance from powerhouse Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph and Chali 2na. Dogs in a Pile elevated their take on The Band’s “Ophelia,” creating a big band feel with brass and woodwind instruments. Throughout the 90-minute set, Law’s guitar work was on opulent display, evoking hoots and hollers.

Kral’s set was a musical peak during the final day at sea. The fiddler was joined by members of Hot Buttered Rum for much of her performance, which started with a bluegrass take on Nancy Sinatra’s famed “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” and went on to produce a jammed out take on “Maggie’s Farm,” helmed by Erik Yates.

Andy Frasco joined Kral for his own “Iowa Moon” before another lineup shift and members of the Sweet Lillies arrived for a hair-raising take on “The Two Sisters,” also known in some circles as “Dreadful Wind and Rain.” The folk favorite was invigorated by a fiddling trio: Kral, Becca Bisque, and Ben Andrews. After finishing the number, even Kral acknowledged the intensity of the delivery. During the final number of Kral’s set, the traditional/ acapella “Down to the River to Pray” produced an aura similar to the Jerry Garcia/ David “Dawg” Grisman associated cover.

As night turned to morning, the final hours of Jam Cruise 21 continued to unfold sumptuous stagings and expansive jams from the final acts and their choice collaborations, including Porter Jr., during 2025’s last Jam Room experience. Nikki Glaspie, Nick Cassarino, and Nate Edgar evoked the musical presence of Earth, Wind, and Fire.

At the same time, Pigeons energized the Pool Deck with assistance from The Horn Section and ALO’s Ezra Lipp on “Whoopie.” Lipp’s ALO bandmates turned up for the final song and percussive help from Adrian Tramontano during the Pigeon-picked cover of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

All said and done, Jam Cruise 21 united a cast of artists who brought a multidimensional music display to sea, concerts that summoned the funk-fueled energy of New Orleans, paid homage to jam figureheads like the Grateful Dead, The Band and beyond while still offering a node of artsy absurdity akin to Talking Heads, Phish and others.

To find out more about Jam Cruise, visit the official website.