A sight-seeing boat tour around Manhattan will cost you a pretty penny and some sanity, due to the pain-staking tourists. However, when you trade in the tourists for some old hippies and a tour-guide for DONNA THE BUFFALO, you’re speakin’ my language.
The “cruise ship” departed at 8pm, and Donna wasted no time jumping in to the first set, announcing that they want to squeeze as much in as possible. “Funky Side” kicked off the night and patrons begun rotating between the awe-inspiring upper deck, where you could see the financial district, Statue of Liberty or Governor’s Island, and the lower cabin, where Donna was set up.
As the sun set on the west side of Manhattan, the first set began to come to a fitting end. The crowd rotated to the upper-deck to snap pictures of the sights and themselves (a friend and I joked that this was the “selfy-cruise”). Once the sun was set, the second set started.
With the sun down and slightly less visible sights, Donna became more of the focus. The group, now quietly enjoying in their 25th anniversary as a band, had a blast delivering a long second set, playing right up until the boat docked, including a fan-favorite “Family Picture.”
The cruise was unlike anything I’ve ever really done. Music brought people together to float around Manhattan, like some little slice of what Jam Cruise must be like. Hopefully I’ll find out come January!