JIMMY BUFFETT IN CONCERT

It has been my dream forever to see Jimmy Buffett in concert and now I can mark that one off of my bucket list!

In January I heard that Jimmy was coming to Tampa but the date for the concert was after we were supposed to leave for home.  It didn't take much convincing to get Dick to stay an extra day so we could attend the concert.  I really wouldn't classify us as die hard "parrotheads" but we've got all his music and I've read all his books, and we both love the lifestyle that the music represents!  No, not the booze and women, but the laid back key west style of living ...

I got on the internet right away and started looking for some good tickets.  Found a couple that I thought we really good and snatched them up.  Then a couple of weeks later I found a pair of closer seats - and suddenly I had four tickets.  But I wasn't too worried - I did have, afterall, 2-1/2 months to sell one set of them.  So I posted them for sale on several bulletin boards in the RV Park.  I mean, come on .... every one there knew who Jimmy Buffett was and surely loved his music as much as me!  They'd sell quickly.  I didn't bank on people on fixed incomes not wanting to spend $319 on my great seat tickets.

Ok, so I was wrong.  Next I tried selling them in the local newspaper. Two weeks later not one single bite.  Well that cost me $40.

Ok, I'll repost them on the park bulletin boards and lower the price to $275 .

Ok, it's two weeks before the concert - I guess I'll try Craig's List at $290!  Day two - a hit, someone wants to buy my tickets.  But no, wait ... he found seats for sale a little closer!  Damn, damn, damn ....  Ok, maybe we can take them to the concert with us and get rid of them there!

Lowered the price again on Craig's List to $250.   Ewwww, ewww, ewww, another hit on Craig's List.  But this guy will pay what I want but can he give me $200 now and $50 next month???  Well, no we'll be gone by then.  Should I sell them to him for $200 and suck up my losses?  OK, OK .... he can have them for $200!

Then I made a mistake .... I went to Facebook and looked him up.  Yep, there he was, right there in front of me, and a true Parrothead to boot!  And then I made my second mistake .... I began reading some of his posts.  He was lamenting the fact that he really wanted to take his wife to see Jimmy Buffett.  That she was getting ready to graduate from nursing school and he wanted to surprise her but due to some unfortunate circumstances they were not able to afford to go right now.  He said he had tried to put together a "graduation party" for his wife but that fell through due to $$ problems.

So I logged into Craig's List and emailed him to call me.  I told him if he would meet us in the parking lot of the WalMart I'd bring the tickets.  An hour later we were face to face, I handed him the tickets and said tell your wife happy graduation - go and have fun.  I think it's the first time I've been hugged by a complete stranger with tears in his eyes.  Tom later emailed and said he was so happy on the drive home that he forgot to take his exit and drove halfway to a neighboring town before turning around and going home.

Things happen for a reason and I thank the Lord that he has given us the ability to do things like this once in awhile!

NOW ..... for the concert!

Jimmy Buffett ..... he's right up there in my book!  Love the music and always have, the talent of a writer and his ability to tell a story both in the written word and his music that wants - no makes you yearn for the livestyle.  Living on a beach somewhere, watching the pelicans (or sand hill cranes) play, smelling the salt water, and ... well, ok, tipping back a margarita or in my case a Corona!  Those of you who know me know what a margarita does to me lol .... no, I don't get loosey goosey, I get sick.

We arrived at the Ampitheatre which has a seating capacity of 20,000 and an unknown capacity with the use of the upper lawn area but I'd guess 7,000 additional.  It was pretty easy to get into the grounds and not too hard to find a parking place but we were way the hell out in the left 40.  It was a good mile walk around to the entrance and I was wearing my flip flops (bad choice).  At least we had a lot of company walking with us and a lot of entertainment along the way.  I would say that there were half as many people tailgating as were attending the show.  I wish I would have taken more pictures as we made our way to the entrance.

These people had been partying all day .... lots and lots of costumes, guys in hot tubs, girls in bikinis, tents all decked out in proud parrothead style; people giving out pirate beads and free margaritas ... dang I wish I could drink them!  Parrot hats, shark head hats, coconut bikini tops worn by both men and women, colorful shirts and, of course, lots of Jimmy Buffett t's; people carrying palm fronds, hats that light up, jewelry that lights up, and lots and lots of beer and margaritas.  It was crazy...

The opener - Ilo - a 30-year-old African singer named Ilo Ferreira.  Ilo, whose sound is an upbeat mix of influences from Paul Simon to Elvis, with some African rhythms thrown in, will soon leave Buffett’s tour to play his own dates. “Jimmy is a shortcut I didn’t see coming,” Ilo says, happily.

A little history on Jimmy:
Buffett began his musical career in Nashville, Tennessee during the late 1960s as a country artist and recorded his first album, the folk rock Down to Earth, in 1970. During this time Buffett could be frequently found busking for tourists in New Orleans. Country music singer Jerry Jeff Walker took him to Key West on a busking expedition. Buffett then moved to Key West and began establishing the easy-going beach bum persona for which he is known. Following this move, Buffett combined country, folk, and pop music with coastal as well as tropical lyrical themes for a sound sometimes called "gulf and western". Today, he is a regular visitor to the Caribbean island of Saint Barts and other islands where he gets inspiration for many of his songs and some of the characters in his books.

The Coral Reefer Band is the touring and recording band of Jimmy Buffett. Originally it was a fictional band consisting of the imaginary members Marvin Gardens, Kay Pasa, Al Vacado and Kitty Litter.  The name "Coral Reefer" alludes to both coral reefs (in line with Buffett's tropical-themed music) and also "reefer," which is slang for marijuana. The term is also related to sailing; a sailor who shortens or "reefs" a sail is a reefer.

The music was awesome, the crowd was huge and noisy, and everybody knew the words to the songs lol ... I called Sean & Lisa just before the last encore just so they could hear all of the excitement in the crowd.  They couldn't hear a word I was saying but that didn't matter.


The walk back to the car seemed more like five miles ...  Saw lots of inebriated people and one fight but they were both drunk so I think the only thing hurt was feelings.  We sat in the car for awhile and let the cars thin out and then headed home - singing JB songs and feeling young once again.


FINS UP PARROTHEADS ....

For Photos .... CLICK HERE.
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

By: jimmy buffett, 1977

I took off for a weekend last month

Just to try and recall the whole year

All of the faces and all of the places

Wonderin’ where they all disappeared

I didn’t ponder the question too long

I was hungry and went out for a bite

Ran into a chum with a bottle of rum

And we wound up drinkin all night

It’s these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes

Nothing remains quite the same

With all of our running and all of our cunning

If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.........