MIAMI (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Sixthman seems to be on to something. Returning for the second time, Lynyrd Skynyrd is planning to set sail in January 2008 for another go on the popular Gimmie Three Days Cruise. This past year's event was a sell-out success and wildly popular with fans.
The cruise features live performances by different artists, in this case the boys from Skynyrd, who perform intimate sets in the comfortable accommodations of a Carnival Cruise ship. Other cruise ship get-aways feature music from other groups like the Barenaked Ladies & Guster on the Ships & Dip Cruise or the seminally popular Rock Boat put hosted by Sister Hazel.
The Rock Boat is where it all got started. Back in the distant days of 2001, the first trip took 400 or so passengers on a partially-chartered cruise on one of Carnival's smaller ships. Fans were treated to private concerts and meet & greet sessions and other activities with performers during a leisurely cruise to Cozumel, Mexico. Since then, it has grown considerably, with the most recent incarnation completely taking over one of Carnival's big boats with a sell-out crowd of over 2,100 people and this year's Skynyrd cruise pulled in over 2,200 people, according to a report in Billboard.
It is a nice money-maker too. The most recent cruise with Lynyrd Skynyrd grossed a clean 1.5 million on cabin sales alone, never mind the alcohol and merchandise concessions.
The 2008 cruises have already started to book (and fill up), and there are plans in the work for additional cruises as well. "We're absolutely going to do the Beach Boys," Tod Elmore, Sixthman co-founder told Billboard. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
