The Rock Boat is an annual rock-themed "floating music festival at sea."
The Rock Boat concept was born in 2001 with a joint venture from Sister Hazel and Sixthman in a partial charter onboard the Carnival Jubilee. Sister Hazel was also joined by the band Dexter Freebish, and approximately 400 of their fans. The bands performed once on the ship, which sailed from Tampa, FL to Cozumel, MX.
Since then, the concept has grown to become an annual event taking place in the month of January on board various Carnival cruise ships. Destinations have included locations such as Mexico, Nassau, Jamaica, and Turks & Caicos. The event is always hosted by Sister Hazel, and includes musicians from all over the nation. Some past performers are: Tonic, Collective Soul, Hanson, Cowboy Mouth, Pat McGee Band, Michael Tolcher, David Ryan Harris, Better Than Ezra, Marc Broussard, Wideawake, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, and many more. There are generally four or five performing stages constructed on the venue, and performances are scheduled from noon until 3AM. However, many bands have been known to continue performing well beyond their scheduled set times and often collaborate with other artists on stage until the sun comes up.
The cruise has been described by Ken Block (Lead Singer/Guitar for Sister Hazel) as "Spring Break for people with jobs."
.
