by Margaret Schlem Sherris
The cause was wounded soldiers. The weather on the north folk was beautiful. The setting … smack dab in the middle of the Martha Clara Vineyards… was spectacular. The food, the wine, the music and of course, JB; the sum total: a Parrothead’s dream.
It was an appearance put together in the last 72 hours before the show, and the word was only confirmed and out 24 hours before the show, so if you couldn’t get there, don’t feel too bad … although, in all honesty, for me, it was Jimmy at his best … even without the Coral Reefers.
I would be remiss not to mention the reason we were there: to assist servicemen/women who have been wounded in the service of our country. Seeing these fine men was sobering as we don’t think of them in our day-to-day lives. So, I remind everyone to remember them in your prayers every day. These are heroes who are so often kept out of sight and out of mind. So a big thanks to Peter Honerkamp of The Stephen Talkhouse (http://www.stephentalkhouse.com), WEHM 92.9 (http://www.wehm.com); Martha Clara Vineyard (http://www.marthaclaravineyards.com), and Wound Warrior Project (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.com) giving us an opportunity to recognize these men and women.
The show opened with a great, riveting set by Nancy Atlas Project (http://www.nancyatlas.com). My husband has seen her at the Talkhouse and had said I should see her, but wow. By the time she finished her set the place was up, dancing and rocking. She is definitely someone I’ve got to hear more from.
While the stage was being cleared, a golf cart containing four men drove up behind the stage; and, several of us moved to see who disembarked. First standing above all was Charlton, well who could miss him, and then not 15 feet from us, guitar in hand, was Jimmy Buffett. We called out and waved. Jimmy smiled back while he tried to discuss pre-set business. He waved to let us know he knew we were there.
Soldiers who had taken part in the Soldier Ride (http://www.soldierride.com) were introduced to cheers and shouts; then one stepped forward and introduced Jimmy. Jimmy climbed the stairs onto the stage and shook each soldier’s hand and exchanged a few words before moving to the mike and starting his set. Of course, the minute Jimmy greeted the crowd, it went wild. Of course, we went wild … the whole crowd went wild. Cameras clicked, digitals worked silently, and not 10 feet in front of me was the greatest (I am not given to exaggeration) troubadour of the last two generations. For all the GW shows, for the Montessori shows, this was one of the best shows I have ever seen Jimmy do. It was a standard list, but it was the man, his guitars and the music. Now, I love the Coral Reefers, but this was as close to the man’s origins as I’ve ever seen him and he was great. The 50 minute set flew by, but was so full of what has come to be known as Parrothead spirit. Jimmy appeared to enjoy himself too, and yes, he kicked off his sandals and performed barefoot. What a piece of work! He also announced that there would be a Jones Beach show next year … how great was that! Major cheering!
Jimmy was followed by Joan Osbourne and the Funk Brothers, who were really good, but had to follow JB, that is always a tough position to be in. And the show was wrapped up none other than Mary Wilson (www.marywilson.com). Now, I have always loved Motown and grew up on The Supremes, but I cannot remember the music sounding as good or moving as it did this evening! Mary looked great and her voice, her music; her spirit flowed out over the crowd. All and all, it was an amazing evening!
