Hot Buttered Rum kicked off the day’s festivities with an outdoor breakfast set, before handing the stage over to fellow San Francisco travelers, ALO. Nodding to the warm weather, Hot Buttered Rum offered a set of self-described “spring music songs,” setting the tone for a sunny day at sea. The afternoon’s festivities featured a number of funk bands, including an increasingly rare set by Deep Banana Blackout and a Karl Denson-led workshop featuring Burbridge, Stanton Moore and Galactic’s Rich Vogel. Though Jam Cruise’s schedule simply listed “Kras” at 2:30, the poolside set turned out to be a superjam featuring Soulive’s Eric Krasno, Denson, Burbridge, and most of Derek Truck’s solo backing band. Later in the evening, Trucks returned the favor, inviting Krasno out during the Derek Trucks Band’s headlining set for a cover of the Band’s “The Weight.” Trucks also brought out his real-life wife Susan Tedeschi, to supply lead vocals on the cover.

In the reggae department, Burning Spear drew one of the festival’s largest audiences with an outdoor sunset poolside performance. For those looking to take a break from the music, Skerik led a bingo tournament, while a number of artists, and a number of Relix staffers, tried their luck in a Texas hold’em tournament (our own Aaron Benor scored next month’s rent in the cruise’s all-night casino).

The cruise’s after hours performances were also stacked with unique collaborations. During Dumpstaphunk’s set in the Caruso Lounge, Skerik, Krasno, Burbridge and Denson all emerged for a series of extended funk workouts. At one point, Skerik and Denson stood on opposite sides of the stage and engaged in a humorous saxophone duel. Soon after, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Boot Band, which won a spot on Jam Cruise through an online competition, closed out the intimate stage. Later, two generations of San Francisco musicians collaborated when proto-jamband Zero brought out members of ALO for a Zach Gill-led cover of Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help from My Friends.” Meters bassist George Porter, Jr. also joined Zero for a portion of its set, before riding the elevator to the pool level to perform with Galactic and, later, back downstairs to hold court in the Open Jam Room (where performers are able to rehearse publicly and host open improv-sessions). After leaving Galactic’s set, the New Orleans natives brought on a number of additional players including Denson, Skerik, Robert Walter and JJ Grey, the latter of whom sang lead on a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil.” At one point, Skerik played one-handed while holding a small-framed fan, Jam Cruise’s own Annabel Lukins, onstage. A few fans were also treated to a solo set by Yonder Mountain String Band’s Jeff Austin, who recorded a few songs in the ship’s lobby for Relix’s podcast, Cold Turkey.

Fans looking for a mellower atmosphere were treated to a set of solo songs by Drive-by Truckers’ Patterson Hood in the Cotton Club. Later, the room opened up for a series of free-form jams, featuring Porter, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Ivan Neville, Dumpstaphunk/Trey Anastasio Band bassist Tony Hall and Steve Kimock’s 17-year-old son, John Morgan. Kimock later emerged to lead another jam, featuring his son, Burbridge, Perpetual Groove’s Brock Butler, and passenger Avi Goldberg. At press time, the room is still full of stragglers.

Collaborations dotted a number of additional setlists, including that of English funk ensemble the New Mastersounds, which temporarily added Karl Denson to its lineup, and Perpetual Groove, who invited Jambase employee Deanne Herman out on violin at the end of its set. In addition to her work at the media hub, Herman also performs in the Brooklyn Community Symphony Orchestra. Other highlights included a joint performance by southern roots revivalists JJ Grey, Luther Dickinson and Stanton Moore and the latest in the series of reunion shows by the Greyboy Allstars.

After the New Mastersounds’ set, Porter and Moore anchored an extended improve session in the aptly titled Jam Room. After boarding delays pushed back the evening’s festivities, both Derek Trucks Band and Tea Leaf Green decided to play even later into the night in the ship’s cabaret performance spaces. For much of its set, Tea Leaf Green jammed with Railroad Earth fiddler Tim Carbone, while Trucks invited his wife Susan Tedeschi and longtime friend Eric Krasno out during his headlining performance. In an interview with Relix, Trucks confirmed that he will take time off from his current tour with Eric Clapton to play with the Allman Brothers Band at the Beacon Theater this spring. He also mentioned that the group’s annual Beacon residency may take place a few weeks later then usual, in late March or April. For daily Jam Cruise updates, please read Mike Greenhaus and Benjy Eisen’s Road Trip http://www.relix.com/content/view/2046/112/ .

Deer Creek has achieved near-mythic status among music fans thanks to its onsite camping and wooded surroundings. During the summer months, a number of nearby farms open their doors to campers, giving the outdoor venue a festival-like feel. Road warriors like the Grateful Dead, Phish, and Dave Matthews Band regularly scheduled multi-night runs at the venue, offering unique setlists each night. In 1995 a number of fans rushed Deer Creek's gates prior to a performance by the Grateful Dead, forcing the group to cancel its performance. Keller Williams, who co-headlined Deer Creek with Dark Star Orchestra in 2004, documented the event in his song, "Gate Crashers Suck." Regardless of its prospective buyers, Deer Creek will remain open throughout the 2007 summer concert season.