Category: Special Appearances

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band performed last night at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis MD. The 2018 tour kicks off on Friday at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore MD.

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band are rehearsing at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis MD before they kick off the 2018 tour on Friday at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore MD.

From ABC News: “Jimmy Buffett sails to aid of regatta on storm-hit St. Barts”

Jimmy Buffett knows all about hurricanes and sailing, so it’s appropriate that the singer-songwriter has been enlisted to help promote a regatta on the Caribbean island of St. Barts and show that life is returning to normal after a direct hit from Hurricane Irma in September.

Buffett will serve as U.S. ambassador for the Les Voiles de Saint-Barth, April 8-14, a mainstay on the Caribbean yacht racing circuit.

“I sailed into the harbor in 1978 and it’s always kind of been my second Caribbean home, after Florida,” Buffett said by phone from New York, where he’s getting ready for the Broadway premiere of his musical, “Escape to Margaritaville.” ”My kids all kind of grew up down there. I have a fond attachment from those early days. I’ve seen it in a lot of phases and I think it’s one of the most unique spots on the planet.”

Buffett owns a villa on St. Barts that was undamaged by the storm. He said he’s impressed with how the island residents are bouncing back and he’s eager to help.

“They’re pretty resilient people there. They always have been,” he said. “They did an amazing job, I thought, in getting the place in any way presentable.”

Buffett played a free concert on the main dock in Gustavia on Dec. 27 to give locals a break from the recovery work and attract visitors to the island.

“People know St. Barts as a ritzy place, but what makes it so unique is the people in the service industry, the working people on the island,” he said. “They don’t live in mansions on the hill. They live in houses that took the brunt of storm. Everyone has worked together to get back to normal.

Buffett will be onsite for the regatta but won’t be sailing and isn’t scheduled to play a concert. But he has done impromptu sets at local bars.

“It’s been known to happen,” he said, adding: “It’s always fun. It’s always been a sailing community. Sailors sing, sailors sing in bars and all the accouterments that go along with it are there.”

Jimmy Buffett put on a free concert in Gustavia St Barts on December 27 to support the island’s recovery from Hurricane Irma. He was joined by Soley and other great local musicians.

If you attended the show, please send along the set list from the show.

Photos and video courtesy Ed Gudenas.

Jimmy Buffett performed last night at the Margaritaville Café in Key West. Mayor Craig Cates and Senator Elect Doug Jones made an appearance.

Update from TheHill.com: Singer Jimmy Buffett reportedly serenaded Sen.-elect Doug Jones (D-Ala.) and his wife, Louise Jones, in Key West, Fla., on Saturday as the couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.

The event, which was first reported by Politico, took place at Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant less than a week after Jones scored a surprise victory over Republican candidate Roy Moore, who was plagued by sexual misconduct allegations.

Buffett sang “Stars Fell on Alabama” to the couple and gave them a special shoutout, according to the news outlet.

From the Caribbean Journal: One of St Barth’s favorite sons is planning a major concert in Gustavia this month.

Jimmy Buffett, the music superstar and frequent St Barth visitor, is planning to play a free concert in Gustavia on Dec. 27.

The concert will be held on the quai in St Barth’s tiny capital; Buffett will be accompanied by local musician Soley and other musicians from the island.

“He hopes that by performing there he will persuade a few more people to come down for the holidays,” said Stiles Bennet, president and CMO of Wimco Villas. “It’s a fun way for folks to support the island’s recovery.”

Buffett has had a decades-long relationship with the island, and some of his most legendary songs were inspired by St Barth, including One Particular Harbor, Au Tour de Rocher and Cheeseburger in Paradise.

As Caribbean Journal reported, St Barth has been making a rapid recovery in the wake of Hurricane Irma; Buffett’s concert should only provide an even bigger boost.