Category: Reviews & Set Lists

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a review of Saturday’s show: “Jimmy Buffett talks to fans like old friends during Pittsburgh concert”

Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band’s “Son of a Son of a Sailor ’18” tour docked in Burgettstown Saturday, drawing a crowd that stretched from the gates at the pavilion to PA-18 around showtime. One fan in the sea of Hawaiian shirts wore a cardboard sign around her neck that read “BUFFETT VIRGIN.” For many other fans, Saturday was a return to Margaritaville. It certainly wasn’t their captain’s first time.

“I can tell, oh I can tell,” Mr. Buffett said to the crowd a few songs into his set. “We’re gonna have a B-I-G T-I-M-E.”

The crowd filed in slowly while opener Caroline Jones played a stripped-down set alongside only a box drum. Pulling mostly from her latest album, “Bare Feet,” released on Buffett’s Mailboat Records, Jones sounded much bigger than her band suggested. Coral Reefer Mac McAnally joined the singer for his song, “Down the Road,” before Jones closed with her own track, “Chasin’ Me.”

Buffett and his 11-member band kicked off their set with “Livingston Saturday Night,” naturally subbing “Pittsburgh” into the title on the final chorus. Transitions between songs were clean both in terms of stage banter and physical movement. Buffett doesn’t look his 71 years — tan and fit, he bounced around the stage with energy, hopping during his songs and quickly swapping guitars in between.

When he addressed the crowd, Buffett talked like he would with old friends who already know the punchlines to his inside jokes.

Buffett wears his heart on his sleeve. He likes strumming his guitar, he likes beaches, he likes boats and he likes bars. At some point during the show, he lost his flip-flops (later in his set he gifted them to a fan), and when the sun went down and Buffett took off his shades, he almost looked unnatural.

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band performed on Saturday night at the KeyBank Pavilion in Burgettstown PA as part of the 2018 Son Of A Son Of A Sailor Tour. The set list from the show is now available.

From WPIX: Fans at Jimmy Buffett concert report “gridlock” at gates, long lines. Anger and frustration outside of KeyBank Pavilion as some fans waited for hours to get through security at the Jimmy Buffett concert.

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band performed on Thursday night at Coors Field in Denver CO. The set list from the show is now available.

From 303 Magazine: “Review – The Eagles’ Performance Matched the Denver Heat”

Since the ’70s, The Eagles have been known as one of America’s most popular bands. The group has gone through decades of ups and downs, including member changes and deaths, record-breaking album sales and more than one reunion tour. After their infamously messy breakup in 1980, Eagles fans rejoice in pleasant shock every time the band graces a stage in their area. In 2018, they brought another reunion, this time to a scorching hot Coors Field along with Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band.

Jimmy Buffett is a man of all trades, having careers in music, writing and restaurant ownership, but at Coors Field last night his expertise remained solely of the tropic-rock kind. While the Caribbean-rock creator entered the stage on time, which is foreign to island-folk, Buffett’s ensemble channeled a fresh-off-the-boat look, with a blue, airy button up and a lack of footwear. Beach balls catapulted all over the atmosphere on the floor while intricate backdrops showcased scenes of the ocean, beach and all things tropical, which felt appropriate in 105-degree heat.

No one can accuse Jimmy Buffett of not knowing how to throw a good time, and his performance last night was continued proof that this sailor’s still got it. “Pencil Thin Mustache,” one of the first bits of the set, garnered thousands of voices singing along, which echoed throughout the stadium. After the island vibes had flowed for a few more songs, Buffett brought out Jones to assist him in “Come Monday.” “Cheeseburger in Paradise” stole the show from his tracklisting of the night, which came as no surprise.

A post shared by Timmy Langton (@timmylangton) on Jun 28, 2018 at 6:54pm PDT

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band continued their Son Of A Son Of A Sailor Tour last night at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls OH.

The set list from the show is now available. There was one change to the set list the addition of the song “School Boy Heart”.

From The Plain Dealer: “Jimmy Buffett hosts the season-opening party at sold-out Blossom Music Center”

Sailor and licensed pilot Jimmy Buffett clearly prefers the open ocean, vast beaches or empty skies … and the fans who had to navigate horrendous traffic for his Son of a Son of a Sailor tour stop at Blossom Music Center Sunday night probably can understand why.

A few changes in latitude and altitude could help with the frayed attitudes caused by battling surprising road closures – why was Northampton Road, the access to the Valley Gate entry, shuttered with no notice? – and lengthy lines to oversold parking lots that moved so slowly that snails were saying, “Eat my dust!”

At least the music made it worthwhile. For two solid hours, Buffett and the crackerjack Coral Reefer Band, aided by 10-time Country Music Association musician of the year Mac MacAnally, kept 20,000 sets of fins moving left and right in the sold-out venue.

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band continued the 2018 Son Of A Son Of A Sailor Tour last night at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines IA.

During the Bing and Bong show Buffett announced he will be performing at Alpine Valley and Detroit in 2019.

The set list from the show is now available. There was one change to the set list from the first show, the addition of the song “Knees Of My Heart”.

From the Des Moines Register: “Jimmy Buffett sails into Des Moines for a fun night with frenzied fans”

Thousands of Iowans went sailing Tuesday night in downtown Des Moines. Well, sort-of.

They wore parrot hats and donned flip-flops. They downed margaritas and bottles of Landshark. They danced and tossed beach balls, singing songs of cheeseburgers and volcanoes.

And it was all in the name of easy-goin’ songwriting staple Jimmy Buffett.

“Hello, Des Moines,” Buffett said, introducing the show to his Iowa faithful. “Tuesday night is Saturday night as far as we’re concerned.”

Buffett and his band sailed for the first time since 2012 into Wells Fargo Arena, bringing along a crowd of 11,900 Parrotheads. The show marked the second of Buffett’s “Son of a Son of a Sailor” 40th anniversary tour, which launched Saturday in Kansas City.

The 71-year-old southerner offered what a fan wants in an arena-sized star. He’s engaging, telling stories of his biggest 1970s and ’80s hits. He’s energetic, punting beach balls into the audience.

A splash of Show Ponies: About halfway into the set, Buffett introduced his band’s alter-ego: Daphne Blue and the Show Ponies. Bluegrass Buffett followed, banjo and all.

The four-song Show Ponies medley treated Parrotheads to a break from his traditional (and self-described) “three-chord songs.”

“Deep in the heart of the Coral Reefer Band,” he said. “… there’s bluegrass genes.”

From KansasCity.com: “Maiden voyage of sailor-themed Jimmy Buffett tour is a pleasure cruise in Kansas City”

Jimmy Buffett’s nautical-themed concert at the Sprint Center in Kansas City took about 15,000 giddy passengers on a two-hour pleasure cruise on Saturday.

During the opening night of his “Son of a Son of a Sailor” tour, Buffett, 71, proudly proclaimed that “it’s actually true — I am the son of a son of a sailor.”

The added assurance wasn’t necessary. The storied singer-songwriter is beloved for his shaggy-dog stories, such as the woozy 1977 smash-hit “Margaritaville.”

His devotees are less like fans than members of a colorful cult of gregarious fun-lovers. Many enthusiasts in Saturday’s audience wore wacky costumes or Hawaiian shirts with leis.

Those fans are eager to buy whatever their hero is selling, a trait that has made Buffett a branding juggernaut and a serial entrepreneur.

One of his latest ventures is a pair of retirement communities named Latitude Margaritaville. During the mandatory rendition of “Margaritaville,” video footage promoting his current Broadway musical “Escape to Margaritaville” was displayed on an enormous screen behind the stage.

Most of the images that flashed behind the barefoot Buffett and his 11-piece Coral Reefer Band depicted tropical paradises, boat schematics and references to the revelry that causes his concerts to resemble Fat Tuesday, Halloween and New Year’s Eve celebrations rolled up together into wild beach-themed parties.

Buffett cited Mark Twain as an inspiration before performing the agonizing “A Pirate Looks at Forty.” Perhaps sensing that the atmosphere became uncharacteristically grim after singing the lyric “I feel like I’ve drowned,” Buffett ad-libbed “but I won’t wear a frown.”

Caroline Jones, a country-oriented artist who demonstrated formidable blues chops in a brief opening set, added additional depth to the forlorn ballad “Coast of Marseilles” in an enchanting duet.

The refreshed set list touched on all but two songs from the 1978 album “Son of a Son of a Sailor.” Only “Cowboy in the Jungle” fell flat.

An unusual array of cover songs ranged from inspired (the Beach Boys’ “Sail On, Sailor”) to dull (Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl”).

Buffett, a trustworthy navigator, mostly circumvented choppy waters. The maiden voyage of his “Son of a Son of a Sailor” tour made for a memorable excursion.

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band kicked off the 2018 Son Of A Son Of A Sailor Tour last night at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO.

The set list from the show is now available. The show included 7 songs from the album “Son on a Son of a Sailor” which was released 40 years ago. Songs from the album included the title cut, “Fool Button”, “Livingston Saturday Night”, “Cheeseburger in Paradise”, “Cowboy in the Jungle”, “Coast Of Marseilles”, and “Mañana”.

Some of the other highlights from the show included “Tampico Trauma” and “Sail On Sailor” (last played Aug 19, 2003). There was an instrumental break with featuring Robert Greenidge on steel drums and Peter Mayer on guitar performing “King Of Somewhere Hot”. Buffett and the Coral Reefers included a Bluegrass Medley with the songs “Grapefruit Juicyfruit”, “Manana”, “Fool Button”, and “Piece Of Work”.