Labor Day weekend is usually just another holiday for me but this year I was really looking forward to the Sailing Southern Ground Cruise.

Four days at sea on the Carnival Inspiration with some great live music is what I call a perfect holiday as I love checking out bands and photographing live performances. Some bands I was familiar with and some I was not, but half the fun is checking out bands I don’t know. Sometimes I check out the bands online beforehand so I know what to expect, but not this time. I’ve been photographing so many bands and dealing with other issues that I didn’t have time to research. Winging it, and discovering them live would be my method.

Sixthman, a company out of Atlanta helmed by my friend Andy Levine, has been doing music cruises since 2001 and Sailing Southern Ground was their 25th full-ship charter cruise. Sixthman prides itself on attention to details and providing a great personal experience for the fans and artists, resulting in the ultimate connection between the two parties. The Zac Brown Band has been on nine previous Sixthman Cruises.

Thursday we boarded the ship and settled in to our cabins. Part of the boarding process included a photo with the Zac Brown Band for every passenger. My friend Will Byington photographs everybody with the band as they board, with passengers getting the ultimate photo as part of the cruise package.

I made a mistake by skipping the Sail Away party on the Lido deck by the pool. I was too busy settling in and getting a little quiet time and ended up missing a short unannounced performance by the Zac Brown Band. Anytime I photograph a festival I end up missing some performances because I can’t be everywhere but the nice thing about cruises is every band plays several sets and I would eventually catch up.

The first performance I caught made up for my mistake. Joey + Rory played an intimate set on the Serenity Deck on the back of the ship with the Gulf of Mexico and a beautiful sky as a backdrop. I admit I wasn’t very familiar with them before the cruise, but they totally blew me away with their charm and great songs. My first experience on the Sailing Southern Ground Cruise was a wonderful discovery of a new artist that I will now catch live every chance I get.

The next set I caught was Levi Lowery in the intimate Candlelight Lounge. I was really looking forward to his sets onboard as I love his songs and dry wit. He started his set solo on guitar but was soon joined by fiddle player Casey Driessen and bassist Matt Mangano to up the energy level a bit and fill out the sound. I stayed for his full set. I also caught part of Oakhurst’s gig on the Lido deck as they performed under the night sky. Their set ended with confetti cannons shooting streamers over the fans joyfully dancing to the music.

I then headed to the Paris Lounge, the main stage and the largest venue on the ship, to check out the Wood Brothers. They played an intense set that had a rocking, bluesy feel with some excellent musicianship that took the music to a different place. Afterwards, I caught some roots music by Kurt Thomas on the Atrium Stage then caught the end of the set by Gaelic Storm, which had the Lido Deck packed and dancing to their Irish-sounding roots music. Not many bands include authentic Irish and Scottish instruments such as bagpipes and even fewer create a party atmosphere while doing it. Gaelic Storm ended their set by wandering into the crowd while still playing.

I then headed back to the Paris Lounge for part of the set of southern rock by Blackberry Smoke. I had seen them before, but they seem to have more energy now and definitely converted some fans on the cruise.

Friday would start out, not with performances, but with some different activities. A cruise ship festival is a lot different than most festivals and there are plenty of different activities for passengers to choose from. There are also different theme parties everyday; Friday was homegrown hillbilly night, Saturday was Rasta themed (with plenty of people wearing fake dreads) and Sunday was Red, White & Blue formal night.

I began Friday with a music theory class taught by Coy Bowles (one of the guitarists with the Zac Brown Band) in the Avante Garde Room, followed by a songwriter‘s workshop hosted by Clay Cook (another of Zac‘s guitarists). In-between I visited the Lido Deck where Zac Brown was hosting a cooking demonstration with his friend Chef Rusty that included free samples for fans. Other events I missed were flip cup with Gaelic Storm, a Zac Brown swap meet, and a Songs of the South roundtable.

Other days included Bingo, a belly flop contest and a cannonball competition, all hosted by the artists themselves. One person just cannot make it to everything for quality time, although I sometimes wish I could.

My first performance of the day was a Gaelic Storm set on the Lido Deck. Fans that weren’t dancing were in lounge chairs getting a tan or floating in the pool or in hot tubs listening to the music, and the band ended their set by doing belly flops and/or dives into the pool.

I headed aft again for a set by Sarah Dugas on the Serenity Deck. I had seen her before with The Duhks and knew she had a great set of pipes. She was backed by her brother Christian and Matt Mangano (who seemed to play bass with almost every band I saw on the cruise). Fiddle player Casey Driessen also sat in on a couple of songs. After her set I headed to the Lido Deck again for most of former Drive-By Trucker Jason Isbell’s set of new southern rock, then caught the end of Sonia Leigh’s set in the packed Candlelight Lounge.

My day ended with a marathon five-hour set by the Zac Brown Band and friends in the Paris Lounge that included opening sets by the Casey Driessen Band and the Wood Brothers. The Zac Brown Band included all of the hits, new songs and guests sitting in throughout the night. Again I was too tired for the late-night sets although I later heard Zac did a surprise set of covers (Motown and Bad Company, I was told) at 6 a.m. on the Promenade Deck.

Saturday was our day on the Grand Cayman Island from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. There were wonderful shore excursions that included snorkeling, swimming with friendly Stingrays, tours, a beach, and shopping in tourist shops. I needed the time to catch up on my photos though so I stayed on the ship working until it was time for an afternoon set by Michael Franti & Spearhead on the Lido.

Franti worked the crowd, playing from the upper and lower parts of the Lido and even from a hot tub with a wireless mic (I’m not sure how he did that without frying the electronics but he pulled it off). He ended his set by inviting children and seniors onstage with him then mingled with the fans afterward. Afterwards I caught part of Nic Cowan’s set on the Lido (with a dinner break in the middle; thankfully the buffet’s are quick and easy).

I then headed to my favorite spot (the Serenity Deck) for part of Shawn Mullins’ set. Clay Cook sat in for a few songs and I chatted with Clay’s father and Coy Bowles’ father about my photos. I left a little early for a set by Joey + Rory in the Candlelight lounge. They were just as charming as before and even brought their daughter Heidi onstage for a couple of songs. Heidi’s boyfriend Andrew Combs accompanied her on one song.

Then it was time for a marathon set by Zac Brown & Friends. The running order was a bit different tonight, with the Zac Brown Band playing four songs to start the set (with Casey Driessen and the Wood Brothers sitting in). Then Zac brought some of his friends out for a song each; the friends included Levi Lowery, Sonia Leigh, Nic Cowan, and Sarah Dugas (in that order).

A short set by the Casey Driessen Band included a great cover with him playing all the parts (using a violin and loop machine to build the beats, bass parts and melodies). Then came a short set by the Wood Brothers, with Zac sitting in on a song. I also visited the Lido during a break to photograph a song by Blackberry Smoke on the Lido Deck.

The long and intense Zac Brown Band set included the hits again and new songs from the forthcoming album. Zac’s father joined him onstage at the end of “Highway 20 Drive,” and the character from the “Toe’s” video making a brief appearance during the song. It’s amazing the band can fit such a large production on a ship (including a video screen behind the band, great stage lighting and follow spots). Shawn Mullins also came out for a song and Merija Temo came out and played a flamenco/classical guitar intro for a song.

Then there was the music. The Zac Brown Band has country hits, but onstage they rocked harder than many rock bands. On the road, they play country festivals like the Stagecoach and jamband festivals like Bonnaroo where they never fail to impress, jamming better than most without succumbing to mindless hippie noodling.

Most of the fans on the Sailing Southern Ground cruise seemed to be country fans, young and old. And they appreciate the marathon sets filled with a diversity of material, much the same way they accepted outlaw country artists like Willie and Waylon. On the cruise, they appreciate the deep cuts and the side projects and the artists selected by the Zac Brown Band. At the last minute the Zac Brown Band dropped “Chicken Fried” from the set list in favor of covering Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name Of.” And the fans loved it. Perhaps they are creating their own hybrid genre.

After the headlining set, bassist John Driscoll Hopkins fronted Brighter Shade in the Candlelight Lounge and many of the fans turned out to support him. Zac Brown sat in for a couple of songs, as did fiddle-payer Jimmie De Martini from the Zac Brown Band.

Sunday, I caught another set by Joey + Rory in the Candlelight Lounge, and a set by Yacht rock (a cover band with nautical outfits) rocking the fans on the Lido Deck as fans listened from the pool or danced and swayed to the covers by the stage. Dinner featured lobster tails at no extra cost (much better than the six dollar slice of pizza found at landlocked concerts).

I also got to talk to Andy Levine of Sixthman on Saturday about the amazing success of his charter cruises. Rather than acting as a promoter at risk, Sixthman generally partners with bands like Sister Hazel (Andy used to manage the band but gave that up in 2006 to focus on the cruises), Barenaked Ladies and Lynyrd Skynyrd to create the ultimate fan experience. Kid Rock and John Mayer did cruises with Sixthman that were very successful sell-outs. The ships have from 1,000 to 1,400 cabins, with 80-90 percent of the cabins going to fans (the rest is for crew and bands) and they often sell out. This is the future of live rock music.

Sixthman also partners with Time-Life for the Malt Shop Memories Cruise (which features groups from the 50’s), with Viacom for the VH1 Best Cruise Ever and with Elvis Presley Enterprises for the Elvis Cruise. Next year will see a 311 Caribbean Cruise and the Jillian Michaels Ultimate Wellness Cruise, Sixthman’s first non-musical cruise.

I spent most of the final day though listening to Zac Brown Band side projects. Coy Bowles played a set on the Lido Deck and Clay Cook played a set on the Serenity Deck. Coy jumped onstage during Clay’s set to tell a story about Clay’s shirt and it was a hilarious story. Friends Levi Lowrey, Sonia Leigh, and Nic Cowan also played sets again in the Candlelight Lounge. Levi’s set was even better this time as he had a full band that rocked much harder than his previous set. He even covered Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues. Danny McAdams, Levi’s electric guitarist, was amazing but I can’t find much about him online.

Sailing Southern Ground was an amazing cruise and it was unbelievable how much Zac and band participated. I couldn’t keep up with them. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was witnessing a phenomenon much like when the Grateful Dead or Willie Nelson were in their prime. This time, the phenomenon is not from San Francisco or Texas, but rather from Georgia, and it has a patriotic southern theme that perfectly fits the mood in America today.

The only bad part about the Sailing Southern Ground Cruise came on Monday. I had to exit the ship and return to the real world. For four days, I was off the grid – no cell phone, no Internet, and virtually no television (the one in the cabin was mostly ignored). I did not need to worry about anything except which band to catch live.