wanderingtoes wrote:In the early 2000's I think, I had an idea (not sure at all just a hope really) that JB might be performing at Margaritaville in New Orleans. So my wife and I got it together with the idea it would be a fun day either way. We were in line with a group of people we just met, starting out with maybe 10 and growing as the day went forward. Everyone asking the same question, is he or is he not playing? I got some confirmation from the manager in a round about way, where he could keep his job, that he was playing. So that was the energy boost we needed to prevail in the heat, we all kept it quiet. Then mid afternoon the black SUV's showed up for sound check, here comes JB walking by smiling to see his fans already waiting. We listened to the sound check and then later the Manager came out and said ok we are going to get you guys inside. By that time there was probably more than 500 waiting not everyone got in maybe 250. We were so close we could hear the banter among the Band and JB, plus he was conversing with us a little and very happy. It was a great couple of hours and we all knew it would never be better with Jimmy than that night. Having seen him 26 times, that was always a very warm memory. A few years later, without warning my wife passed away, and I was happy to have shared many great moments with her, and that was always our favorite Buffett moment. Also unknown to all of us inside, the crowd outside was over 5,000 and the traffic jam was a nightmare, but in side we were nibbling on sponge cake !
One additional funny event from the New Orleans Margaritaville show. During the opening of the show the CR's were playing, maybe one song into the show, and Jimmy wanted some Red wine, so Mac passed Jimmy a glass, upon tasting it, he spit it out, and said what is this sh@t, the explanation given was the cork broke and someone pushed it into the bottle so the fragments were in his glass. Jimmy looked at us and said, "don't I own this place"' so a replacement was sent out the CR's watched as Jimmy tried the new glass, they all laughed when Jimmy said, "that's better we can play now", he looked at us and you know the smile he gave us, we've all seen it. Being so close it was more like being in the show than watching, but it was warm and inviting, more like friends watching friends. We continued to nibble on sponge cake the rest of the night.
Back in the late 1980s - early 1990s Jimmy used to play "Summerfest", on the waterfront along Lake Michigan in Milwaukee. Since it was a multi-day music festival tickets were reasonable — and a one-day admission would not only get you into Jimmy's show but everything else that was there that day.
So I had always wanted to get down there to see him, but I never had a car that I could trust to get me there and back (I also had some troubles holding onto a driver's license back in those days, but that's a story for another time and place), and by the time I'd gotten myself a decent set of wheels Jimmy had decided to make Alpine Valley — with its higher-priced ticket structure — his venue of choice in Wisconsin. And he was selling it out every year, so unless you knew someone who knew someone who had some pull, the casual fan was pretty much SOL. -"BB"-
"I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead." "Some of it's magic, and some of it's tragic, but I've had a good life all the way."
NelliBli wrote: That Buckeye Lake concert was in 1995... my football game poncho STILL has ineradicable mud from that concert on it... no matter how many times cleaned or warn in rain!!
I miss Blossom... except the Ohio State police are the "No Fun Patrol"... at Blossom, they even examined our sodas in coolies, to make sure it wasn't beer ( we wqere eating @ the time... LOL!). BUT Blossom was a great place to watch a concert. It was a place where JB always said 'I'll always come to Blossom because I was born near here".. but he doesn't
Fun time, Buddies and I got a package from the Hooters eatery off east Main in Columbus, Ohio where we received tickets and a bus ride from there. Tailgated in the confines of Hooters not having to worry about rain and they even let us get beer from a nearby carryout to take on the bus!
Another location (hope it was not mentioned): Capital Music Center Grove City, Ohio (Beulah Park racetrack). Cool place to see him. Not really a bad seat in the house that I can remember. (Late 80's / Early 90's)
I was there when the term "Parrot Head" was coined in 1985 at the Timberwolf Amphitheater in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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![[smilie=gt-happyup.gif]](./images/smilies/gt-happyup.gif "gt-happyup"){kind=small}
That Buckeye Lake concert was in 1995... my football game poncho STILL has ineradicable mud from that concert on it... no matter how many times cleaned or warn in rain!!