From the Sun Sentinel: “Why is Jimmy Buffett playing his first comeback concerts in Delray Beach, Fla.?“
When sun-baked rock star Jimmy Buffett announced his first live performances in more than a year would take place next week on Delray Beach’s Old School Square, the Jimmy-sphere went coconuts.
The full allotment of 3,552 seats for his four outdoor concerts on May 13-14, 17-18, sold in four-person pods that started at $450 each, were gone in 10 minutes. Soon, a handful of tickets were ricocheting around internet resale sites, including a pod reportedly priced at more than $10,000.
The buzz quickly went nationwide — one pod will reunite four Parrotheads from Idaho, Indiana, Ohio and New York, who have combined to see more than 500 Buffet concerts — and then global, with media requests from as far away as Australia. The local effect will be obvious at nearby Atlantic Avenue hot spots gearing up with Jimmy-themed parties and shows.
The explantion for why Buffett’s comeback shows are happening in Delray Beach is not something the singer was willing to discuss directly, and his management team declined requests for a statement. But in many ways it’s no mystery at all.
What Sinatra is to New York and the Eagles are to California, Buffett is to Florida, the embodiment of an attitude and a lifestyle reflected in his accessible lyrics and an unending parade of turquoise beaches, surf breaks, bars and bonefishing on his Instagram.
And as a longtime resident of Palm Beach, it’s an easy commute.
Old School Square’s Brinkman says the venue and Buffett were disappointed to see some tickets turn up on online reselling sites, including industry powerhouse Vivid Seats. She notes that they comprised less than one-half of 1 percent of tickets sold.
“We knew the demand would be overwhelming and that people would be attempting to do this. We were certainly proactive,” Brinkman says. “From Jimmy’s perspective, it was important that this show be affordable and accessible.”
Preventative measures were in place to discourage brokers from grabbing blocks of seats: Tickets could be purchased only through a single vendor (Eventbrite); each purchase was limited to a single, entire four-person pod; and the tickets were nontransferable, with guests admitted only with an ID associated with the purchase.
“It’s important to Jimmy Buffett, too, that people aren’t getting scammed and ripped off. He wants to make sure that we are doing our best to help and to mitigate it,” Brinkman says.
According to Florida law, ticket resellers must provide a full refund if a ticket buyer is denied admission to an event. That’s a small consolation, which Old School Square is trying to avoid, Brinkman says.
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