Issues with last nights show!!!!!!!!

PizzaPub · Post by **PizzaPub** » June 21, 2005 12:10 pm

I want to first state that I am a huge fan of Buffett. It is pretty much the only music I listen to. I understand he won't be touring forever and appreciate every concert I go to. I do however have a couple issues with last nights show.

It was so nice to be back at Great Woods this year. The parking lot was in full force and the weather was awesome. Although the concert left a little to be desired. I know Buffett can't please everybody, but from a diehard parrotthead point of view, myself along with several other diehard couples walking out of the concert last night felt like we just saw a glorified cover band perform with a couple Buffett songs thrown in between. I have seen some people on BN the last couple weeks complain about the set list. I didn't give it much thought until I went to the show last night. Last night I heard Jack Johnson, Crosby Stills and Nash, James Taylor, Dave Matthews, Toby Keith, Alan Jackson, Van Morrison, and if he had time to play his second encore, it probably would have been the Neil Young cover he has been doing.

Like always, Jimmy played the staples and you hear everybody go nuts for Cheeseburger and Margaritaville. But its only the true Parrottheads that go nuts when he plays Ragtop Day and Woman Going Crazy on Caroline Street. With ALL of Buffett's albums there are so many great gems that he could be playing that none of us have heard in a long time.

Other than that, the band sounded great, the crowd was awesome, and Jimmy was upbeat and a great performer as always. I just wished he would play more of his own stuff.

Am I the only one that is feeling this way?

Zuke · Post by **Zuke** » June 21, 2005 12:17 pm

I actually commented to some friends after Friday night that I would rather hear one of his old gems at the end instead of Neil Young, or Dave Mathews, so I do see your point. It seems like there a lot of covers this time around, but I love "Southern Cross" and "Brown Eyed Girl", since they have been played for so many years, I accept these versions as part of the repetoire.

I never heard the song "Tripping Billies", I'm not a fan of DMB, I couldn't tell you more than 2 or 3 of his songs, but I did enjoy "Lighthouse"

drparrotheadphd · Post by **drparrotheadphd** » June 21, 2005 12:19 pm

Hey PizzaPub... I'm sure you are not the only one who is feeling this way, but I am going to argue the other side. Your thoughts are understandable.

Buffett has been touring for 30 years. He plays almost 30 songs a night. I can only imagine that it might get old playing the same songs every night, at every venue, every summer. I am sure he is getting to a point where he wants to pay tribute to some of the bands that he enjoys listening to. I say go for it. I am huge fan of Jimmy.... no matter what he plays. I am fan of his lifestyle, words, songs, and actions. He could play 30 versions of "happy birthday" and I would be happy just to be part of the atmosphere. I have been listening to him my whole life, and will continue to do so even when he has stopped touring.

Being a true parrothead isn't about the music.... Its about the lifestyle

JAMOW

buffettbride · Post by **buffettbride** » June 21, 2005 12:20 pm

My only issue with last night's show is that I wasn't there.

SchoolGirlHeart · Post by **SchoolGirlHeart** » June 21, 2005 12:21 pm

Set 1:

01 Star Spangled Banner
02 Piece Of Work
03 Stars On The Water
04 Hey Good Lookin
05 Holiday
06 Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes
07 Come Monday
08 Diamond As Big As The Ritz
09 Woman Goin Crazy On Caroline Street
10 License To Chill
11 The Horizon Has Been Defeated
12 Ragtop Day
13 Cheeseburger In Paradise
14 Volcano
15 Brown Eyed Girl

Halftime

Set 2:

Carson Tribute/ WDWGDaS
16 La Vie Dansante
17 Lighthouse
18 A Pirate Looks At Forty
19 Tripping Billies
20 School Boy Heart
21 Trip Around The Sun
22 Last Mango In Paris
23 Five O'Clock Somewhere
24 One Particular Harbour
25 Margaritaville

First Encore:
26 Fins
Band Intros
27 Southern Cross

Five covers out of 26 songs, not counting the National Anthem. Although they're covers, Jimmy's been doing Brown Eyed Girl and Southern Cross so long, I consider them almost staples.

I also don't count Five O'Clock Somewhere as a cover, since Jimmy had a part in it, and won an award for it.

What Toby Keith cover? Piece of Work? While Will Kimbrough wrote it, and it's a duet with TK, it's on a JB album, so I don't count that one, either.

I'd prefer a show of entirely JB songs, sure, but I can live with some covers. I do wish he'd finish the show with a JB song and move Helpless, Helpless (a GREAT rendition of it!!!!) to the second set....

Still, a FANTASTIC show!!!

LIPH · Post by **LIPH** » June 21, 2005 12:25 pm

JB's been doing cover tunes for years, what's the problem?

Parrot Monkey · Post by **Parrot Monkey** » June 21, 2005 12:35 pm

I don’t mind covers, but I made a thread of KIND criticism not too long ago about things in the current live performances (and of the past years) that, at least in my opinion, weaken great songs or make them clique sounding.

If interested, that’s here: http://www.buffettnews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36750

The main thing is the over emphasizing of lines and the way horns have been running M’ville, Volcano and Fins for years. They are just good like that, but if they went back to steel drums and electric guitars that would be great.

The Coral Reefer Horns are great, don’t get me wrong, but their used wayyyy too much.

I like when artists do covers live, but agree on the part where they shouldn’t become concert staples when they weren’t his original songs.

SomeGuyNamedDan · Post by **SomeGuyNamedDan** » June 21, 2005 12:38 pm

I can't wait to see the belly-aching on this board when Jimmy finally hangs up his guitar for good! There's going to come a day when you'd wich you could see him play ANY song live.

He's still playing. . .the glass if half full man.

SchoolGirlHeart · Post by **SchoolGirlHeart** » June 21, 2005 12:42 pm

SomeGuyNamedDan wrote:I can't wait to see the belly-aching on this board when Jimmy finally hangs up his guitar for good! There's going to come a day when you'd wich you could see him play ANY song live.

He's still playing. . .the glass if half full man.

as we say in New England.... ah-YAH!

Parrot Monkey · Post by **Parrot Monkey** » June 21, 2005 12:45 pm

Umm Hmm… This happens every time any criticism is placed on Jimmy on this board, and I do mean every time. Someone always says we should be glad he’s still doing his thing. Sure I’m grateful he’s still playing, but look at the others who are also still playing that have been around for as long as he has or even longer. There’s Dylan, McCartney, Elton John, The Stones, Brian Wilson, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson etc, etc. My point is, is it really that big of news that he’s still doing his thing in his late 50s? Like I said in the other thread I linked to, I do give him credit, but touring this late in your life is something just about all singer/songwriters do, so there’s no surprise.

conched · Post by **conched** » June 21, 2005 12:47 pm

buffettbride wrote:My only issue with last night's show is that I wasn't there.

Ditto!

I just wish I could go to a Jimmy show and see, hear, do whatever Jimmy and parrotheads put out there.

LIPH · Post by **LIPH** » June 21, 2005 12:51 pm

Parrot Monkey wrote:I don’t mind covers, but I made a thread of KIND criticism not too long ago about things in the current live performances (and of the past years) that, at least in my opinion, weaken great songs or make them clique sounding.

How exactly does a song become "clique sounding"? Does only a small group of people get to hear it?

SchoolGirlHeart · Post by **SchoolGirlHeart** » June 21, 2005 12:54 pm

Parrot Monkey wrote:Umm Hmm… This happens every time any criticism is placed on Jimmy on this board, and I do mean every time. Someone always says we should be glad he’s still doing his thing. Sure I’m grateful he’s still playing, but look at the others who are also still playing that have been around for as long as he has or even longer. There’s Dylan, McCartney, Elton John, The Stones, Brian Wilson, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson etc, etc. My point is, is it really that big of news that he’s still doing his thing in his late 50s? Like I said in the other thread I linked to, I do give him credit, but touring this late in your life is something just about all singer/songwriters do, so there’s no surprise.

There's nothing wrong with saying we should be grateful he's still touring. We damn well should be. He could have hung up his guitar YEARS ago. I strongly suspect he could make a very comfortable living at this point off of his business interests alone, without touring.

You're damned right we should be grateful.

Criticism comes in many different forms, and it's usually in HOW something is expressed as much as by what is said..... "I'd prefer to see a bit more guitar and a little more steel drum and electric guitar" is a very different statement from "The main thing is the over emphasizing of lines and the way horns have been running M’ville, Volcano and Fins for years. They are just good like that, but if they went back to steel drums and electric guitars that would be great." Despite the fact that the two statements say essentially the same thing, one expresses an opinion in a fairly civil manner while the other is in your face.....

The horns don't run the band. JIMMY BUFFETT runs the band, and I for one am glad he still hits the road.

Parrot Monkey · Post by **Parrot Monkey** » June 21, 2005 12:54 pm

LIPH wrote:How exactly does a song become "clique sounding"? Does only a small group of people get to hear it?

Maybe I used the wrong them, but the live arrangements with the over use of horns play into the ground easier than the originals from the 70s.

Parrot Monkey · Post by **Parrot Monkey** » June 21, 2005 1:02 pm

SchoolGirlHeart wrote:There's nothing wrong with saying we should be grateful he's still touring. We damn well should be. He could have hung up his guitar YEARS ago. I strongly suspect he could make a very comfortable living at this point off of his business interests alone, without touring.

You're damned right we should be grateful.

Criticism comes in many different forms, and it's usually in HOW something is expressed as much as by what is said..... "I'd prefer to see a bit more guitar and a little more steel drum and electric guitar" is a very different statement from "The main thing is the over emphasizing of lines and the way horns have been running M’ville, Volcano and Fins for years. They are just good like that, but if they went back to steel drums and electric guitars that would be great." Despite the fact that the two statements say essentially the same thing, one expresses an opinion in a fairly civil manner while the other is in your face.....

The horns don't run the band. JIMMY BUFFETT runs the band, and I for one am glad he still hits the road.

Ugghhh… You can’t say anything around here that would be or relate to negative criticism without getting the “We should be grateful” speech, even if you explain your point of view in that area. And it even seems I got an English lesson in that post, I sure didn’t mean to be “in your face”, whatever you mean by that. Also, I never said the horns run the band, just those songs contain a little too much of them to detract from the original arrangements IMO.

Gee, you can’t say anything around here that’s even slightly negativity related without insulting the JB/PH Empire, even if you don’t intend to.

LIPH · Post by **LIPH** » June 21, 2005 1:04 pm

Parrot Monkey wrote:
LIPH wrote:How exactly does a song become "clique sounding"? Does only a small group of people get to hear it?
Maybe I used the wrong them, but the live arrangements with the over use of horns play into the ground easier than the originals from the 70s.

It's called evolving, everybody does it. Even you may evolve from a simian-like creature and become human someday.

Parrot Monkey · Post by **Parrot Monkey** » June 21, 2005 1:08 pm

To me, evolving is just changing your sound or style from album to album, not weakling the arrangements of your earlier material.

I have seen Jimmy evolve from Down To Earth to License to Chill, but I’ve haven’t seen an over use of horn arrangements anywhere in there.

conched · Post by **conched** » June 21, 2005 1:10 pm

LIPH wrote:
Parrot Monkey wrote:I don’t mind covers, but I made a thread of KIND criticism not too long ago about things in the current live performances (and of the past years) that, at least in my opinion, weaken great songs or make them clique sounding.
How exactly does a song become "clique sounding"? Does only a small group of people get to hear it?

The very first time I heard Jimmy do Hey Good Lookin...whatcha been "smokin," it kinda made me feel like he was being disrespectful of ole Hank and in a way weakened the song...

I got over it!!!!!

Maybe that is the type of KIND criticism Parrot Monkey was thinking about?

pir8dave · Post by **pir8dave** » June 21, 2005 1:10 pm

Hi Pholks:

Just a bit of my two cents...last night show at Great Woods was, from my point of view pretty good. It was awesome to hear "Woman Going Crazy on Caroline St." after so many years missing from the concerts...the number of covers was a bit of a drag...but I liked Lighthouse and it tied into the theme of the show (Jimmy's book "A Salty Piece of Land.")

Here's the bad news, for all the virtuosity and great playing, as well as JB really seemingly being into the performance...the crappy sound, the overflowing portable toilets (and damn too few of them and no toilet paper)as well as all the OVERLY drunk rude a**holes stubling around and stepping on my feet and going to the can ever 15 minutes, falling over quite a few in the audience.

It is obvious for many it is NOT about the music, but a big excuse to get totally trahsed and out of control and be obnoxious. Well, I sat back with my friends and drink a few Coronas and Margaritas and enjoyed a beautiful day and show. I really think that this stuff is way out of control...I wish it were more about music and those damn SYKBH things...but it was still a refreshing show. I also didn't think the DMB cover was that great either. But that's me.

Those greed heads at the venue need to do something about not enough toilets...the woods were full of folks relieving themselves becuase the portalets were overflowing...this at three in the afternoon. For $90+ a ticket we deserve better.

Parrot Monkey · Post by **Parrot Monkey** » June 21, 2005 1:14 pm

That’s probably one of my least favorite on the LTC album, I don’t know why. I’m not familiar with Williams’ original, so I can’t speak there, but Jimmy’s is quite the overuse of country singers and could even be seen as an over done cash-in to 5 O Clock Somewhere. Sure the whole album is loaded with duets, but 6 people singing? Yikes! But, I can be hypocritical sometimes, as I do enjoy it.