San Jose Concert Crowd Review

[The Lost Manatee]

Well, my keet and I went to see Jimmy in San Jose on Saturday night and I have to admit that we were both impressed with the seats at the arena. However all we can conclude is that soft seats results in a great many people sitting through the entire show. We were even told to sit down by the people behind us! To me this was shocking, I've never seen such a mellow crowd at a Jimmy Buffett show, not in Denver, not in Phoenix, Irvine, San Diego, Las Vegas or even in Salt Lake City! As far as I could tell the floor and the indoor lawn and the first two sections of the risers were the only active parts of the arena.

I'm sure that some of it was due to the fact that a good portion of the crowd only seemed to know the Greatest Hits and LTC but even so it was really odd to me to have someone suggest that one should sit down during the show.

[NorCal]

Well, my keet and I went to see Jimmy in San Jose on Saturday night and I have to admit that we were both impressed with the seats at the arena. However all we can conclude is that soft seats results in a great many people sitting through the entire show. We were even told to sit down by the people behind us! To me this was shocking, I've never seen such a mellow crowd at a Jimmy Buffett show, not in Denver, not in Phoenix, Irvine, San Diego, Las Vegas or even in Salt Lake City! As far as I could tell the floor and the indoor lawn and the first two sections of the risers were the only active parts of the arena.

I'm sure that some of it was due to the fact that a good portion of the crowd only seemed to know the Greatest Hits and LTC but even so it was really odd to me to have someone suggest that one should sit down during the show.

I agree! This was my first show upstairs ever at a JB concert and I could feel the laser beam eyes frying me from behind! But we still had a great time especially my 9 year old keet who had her first JB experience. She never had so much fun with a squirt gun!

[landshark04]

glad to see im not the only one who loves to stand at concerts. to me it takes away from it, if you sit for it

[finsup2k]

Well, my keet and I went to see Jimmy in San Jose on Saturday night and I have to admit that we were both impressed with the seats at the arena. However all we can conclude is that soft seats results in a great many people sitting through the entire show. We were even told to sit down by the people behind us! To me this was shocking, I've never seen such a mellow crowd at a Jimmy Buffett show, not in Denver, not in Phoenix, Irvine, San Diego, Las Vegas or even in Salt Lake City! As far as I could tell the floor and the indoor lawn and the first two sections of the risers were the only active parts of the arena.

I'm sure that some of it was due to the fact that a good portion of the crowd only seemed to know the Greatest Hits and LTC but even so it was really odd to me to have someone suggest that one should sit down during the show.

We were at the Vegas show in Section 11, row J, and I noticed that many, many people were sitting during the show. My wife and I stood the whole time, and frankly, I think if you go to a Buffett show and think you'll be sitting down, you s***.

[manatee47]

Sad to report we had folks throwing things at us to get us sitting down. We did try to explain to the people next to us you do not sit at a Jimmy Buffett concert but they didn't get it. We also saw a table near one entrance with conficscated hats. If Jimmy doesn't want to go back to Shoreline he needs to find another outdoor venue in the Bay Area......

[ToplessRideFL]

I wasn't at the San Jose show, however I recall a Buffett concert in the late 80s early 90s where the same thing happened.

It was @ the "new" (at the time) St Petersburg Thunderdome...now known as Tropicana Field. The security people spent the fiirst half of the show trying to get people to sit down.

I guess Jimmy caught wind of it, because after the break... he announced that he would take the heat and if you wanted to stand... "stand the hell up".. if I can recall the quote! Needless to say the crowd was on its feet the entire rest of the concert!

[Brown Eyed Girl]

It's funny...I keep hearing different stories from different sections, it appears that the crowd was rather diverse. I think the upper decks and floor were the most wild. We were in 109 and it was pretty mellow around us. I can't complain about that this time because I had to be able to sit down. The incompetent Arena staff did not provide a wheelchair for me and we had to check mine downstairs and I walked the rest of the time. There is no way I could have stood the entire time, no matter how much I wanted to. Luckily I was right next to a railing so I could hang on when I needed to. Everyone was certainly very nice around us tho...no beligerent drunks or people telling folks to sit down. When folks stood...everyone stood. When some sat down, rows behind followed. Maybe we had the ultra courteous section. It was good for me, so I can't complain, but I sure am sorry that other folks had to deal with rude people.

[ragtopW]

Well, my keet and I went to see Jimmy in San Jose on Saturday night and I have to admit that we were both impressed with the seats at the arena. However all we can conclude is that soft seats results in a great many people sitting through the entire show. We were even told to sit down by the people behind us! To me this was shocking, I've never seen such a mellow crowd at a Jimmy Buffett show, not in Denver, not in Phoenix, Irvine, San Diego, Las Vegas or even in Salt Lake City! As far as I could tell the floor and the indoor lawn and the first two sections of the risers were the only active parts of the arena.

I'm sure that some of it was due to the fact that a good portion of the crowd only seemed to know the Greatest Hits and LTC but even so it was really odd to me to have someone suggest that one should sit down during the show.

Missed You too????? We Danced but around us everyone else sat
And I also have found the Bay crowds to be less than energetic\

[hikingontuesday]

I wasn't in San Jose (sniff, sniff) but I have to admit that I sat in Vegas a bit. We were the first row of the cheap seats and had an amazing view, but a few songs were so slow that I sat. Now it could be that I had lost my buzz, could be that I didn't sleep the night before, or it could be that my sprained ankle was the size of a grapefruit... but some parts were just right for sitting.

I had never done that before, and I don't plan to do it again, but it was still so enjoyable! Some of my favorite songs are from the Ballad side of Jimmy so I really had a nice time.

Now, back to the dancing!!!

[mason]

my 2 cents.....

i sat in section 120 behind ralphs right shoulder. jimmy paid little attention to the crowd behind and to his left and right. as someone who has been a standee, i liked the idea of being able to sit thru most of the show, especially when jimmy wasn't going to notice, and the the rest of the reefers paid little attention to what was going on around them.

"jimmy buffett--a legend in his spare time"

member of the parrothead nation

[aparrotheadindenver]

Another 2¢ worth…

If you like to sit or make others sit during a concert, go see your local symphony.

[SchoolGirlHeart]

Another 2¢ worth…

If you like to sit or make others sit during a concert, go see your local symphony.

I don't think there's anything wrong with sitting yourself, as long as you don't expect those in front of you to sit...

[SchoolGirlHeart]

my 2 cents.....

i sat in section 120 behind ralphs right shoulder. jimmy paid little attention to the crowd behind and to his left and right. as someone who has been a standee, i liked the idea of being able to sit thru most of the show, especially when jimmy wasn't going to notice, and the the rest of the reefers paid little attention to what was going on around them.

Jim Mayer spent a LOT of time interacting with the crowd behind him.

[Brown Eyed Girl]

I have to say...many of the songs are far more mellow than on past tours...especially the first set. They aren't exactly conducive to dancing around. I enjoy those songs as well as the upbeat bop around songs too.

I'm just glad the people around us were considerate...standing or sitting. No need to ruin someone's good time.

[Brown Eyed Girl]

my 2 cents.....

i sat in section 120 behind ralphs right shoulder. jimmy paid little attention to the crowd behind and to his left and right. as someone who has been a standee, i liked the idea of being able to sit thru most of the show, especially when jimmy wasn't going to notice, and the the rest of the reefers paid little attention to what was going on around them.

Jim Mayer spent a LOT of time interacting with the crowd behind him.

I was going to mention that...but figured it would be better coming from you since you were there...

[boatdrinker]

I was in 101 and there was a group in the first row that was sloppy drunk, asulting the purple coated security staff. They were vandalizing the stadium, taunting the security and generally acting like rotten children. The purple coats came and asked them for thier camera and got flashed in the eyes by the hooligans, then they started throwing the banister covers into the walkways for everyone to trip on. Later the danced up and down the row blocking views, triping over folks, dancing on the banisters.

I wish they had been thrown out as thier act was distracting.

I find bay area crowds to be lousy for Buffett shows. All of the venues s***. There isn't a legal tailgate at Shoreline, SJ HP Pavillion or at Concord Pavillion. It's a big money crowd and frankly 40 percent of the folks that go to see JB in the Bay Area are not fans, IMHO. Those 40% are just drunken a**'s looking for a reason to drink and party, JB passes for an excuse.

I'm not going to another Bay Area Show. I'll head down to SoCal where they have the tailgates, the crowds are into JB and they know how to drink and enjoy the show without turning into jerks. (although the parking lot at Irvine got fairly nasty after a show down there 2 years ago with broken glass and riot helicopters).

I found that as always a few drunken jerks messed up a whole section, endangered thier own and others safety. And in the tradition of the Shark Tank, the "security" were completely without any ability or desire to control the situation.

I also find the Shark Tank sound quality to be about the worst in all of the concert venues I've been to. A bit better this time with the hanging column speakers, but the sound was still muddy and highly into accoustic saturation, likely due to the rather small volumen of the arena and hard surfaces reflecting lots of energy. Lots of compression to control the feedback making for high volume and low fidelity.

All-in-all I had a great time, the accoustic sets were nice, my seats were great, most folks were great parrot heads, some a**'s did what they always do and got away with messing up the place with no control.

I won't go back to SJ, lousy security, lousy entry lines, lousy sound and most of all a larger percentage of lousy people. But ... Jimmy was great!

How was Vegas? Maybe there next year for me.

Boatdrinker

[redwinemaker]

I was in 101 and there was a group in the first row that was sloppy drunk, asulting the purple coated security staff. They were vandalizing the stadium, taunting the security and generally acting like rotten children. The purple coats came and asked them for thier camera and got flashed in the eyes by the hooligans, then they started throwing the banister covers into the walkways for everyone to trip on. Later the danced up and down the row blocking views, triping over folks, dancing on the banisters.

I wish they had been thrown out as thier act was distracting.

I find bay area crowds to be lousy for Buffett shows. All of the venues s***. There isn't a legal tailgate at Shoreline, SJ HP Pavillion or at Concord Pavillion. It's a big money crowd and frankly 40 percent of the folks that go to see JB in the Bay Area are not fans, IMHO. Those 40% are just drunken a**'s looking for a reason to drink and party, JB passes for an excuse.

I'm not going to another Bay Area Show. I'll head down to SoCal where they have the tailgates, the crowds are into JB and they know how to drink and enjoy the show without turning into jerks. (although the parking lot at Irvine got fairly nasty after a show down there 2 years ago with broken glass and riot helicopters).

I found that as always a few drunken jerks messed up a whole section, endangered thier own and others safety. And in the tradition of the Shark Tank, the "security" were completely without any ability or desire to control the situation.

I also find the Shark Tank sound quality to be about the worst in all of the concert venues I've been to. A bit better this time with the hanging column speakers, but the sound was still muddy and highly into accoustic saturation, likely due to the rather small volumen of the arena and hard surfaces reflecting lots of energy. Lots of compression to control the feedback making for high volume and low fidelity.

All-in-all I had a great time, the accoustic sets were nice, my seats were great, most folks were great parrot heads, some a**'s did what they always do and got away with messing up the place with no control.

I won't go back to SJ, lousy security, lousy entry lines, lousy sound and most of all a larger percentage of lousy people. But ... Jimmy was great!

How was Vegas? Maybe there next year for me.

Boatdrinker

Maybe its the lack of tailgating that keeps the JB crowds away

The sound in the Arena is way better than in the MGM in Vegas

[Minty]

We sat dead center 4 rows up behind the sound stage. The sound was not that good in the Shark Tank, we got alot of bouncing from the walls. The crowd was ok, not the typical Alpine or Chicago kind of people who dance and sing their hearts out. I noticed that in Orlando too. Think it has alot to do with the new country line of fans who's jumped on the conga line.

I also sensed that Jimmy and the band were tired. Not too much energy. Although, TINA rocked!!! It brought a tear to my eye to hear her in doing her solo's. It's about time!

I really don't go to concert after concert for the show itself anymore. I've lost count on how many I've been too. I go to see the friends I've met and to make new ones.

We stayed at the travel lodge a few blocks down from the tank. Had a hell-of-a-good time. Met some super great people who I hope will be there again next year (if he goes back there).

Next for me? hmmm, may not be another next this year.

[jbfins]

I've been yelled at for standing during a song that no one knows AND for sitting during Volcano and WDWGDAS.

I often wonder what JB thinks when he sees a crowd that is sitting down.

[SchoolGirlHeart]

We sat dead center 4 rows up behind the sound stage. The sound was not that good in the Shark Tank, we got alot of bouncing from the walls. The crowd was ok, not the typical Alpine or Chicago kind of people who dance and sing their hearts out. I noticed that in Orlando too. Think it has alot to do with the new country line of fans who's jumped on the conga line.

I have to disagree to an extent on this one, Minty. I think it's more venue-dependent. I experienced the same baffling let's-sit-down phenomenon two years ago in both Tampa and Miami, pre-LTC.