BuffettNews.com

Parrot Heads rejoice. Jimmy Buffett's coming to town.

Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band will perform Feb. 10 at the Civic Center to benefit the United Way of the Big Bend, United Way President Ken Armstrong said.


"He does concerts on a regular basis, but for it to be for charity, is a pretty amazing thing," Armstrong said.

There were no details available Wednesday about ticket prices or when they would go on sale. Armstrong said that information will be announced during a news conference in early January.

There are, however, corporate sponsorships available, and they come with some perks. Sponsorship levels are: Parrot Head, $5,000; Margaritaville, $10,000 and Land Shark, $20,000. Sponsors will receive premium seating for the concert, access to a VIP reception, and two people from the $20,000 level will get to meet Buffett.

Armstrong said those interested in a corporate sponsorship can call him at 414-0853.

The proceeds will benefit the United Way, which hasn't decided how it will use the money, Armstrong said.

But the concert could be the organization's biggest fundraiser.

"Hands down. I can't image that there will be a more popular concert in Tallahassee in 2007," he said.

Not to complain, but you'd think he could say hey to all the people that paid 20k!

comemonday wrote:Not to complain, but you'd think he could say hey to all the people that paid 20k!

yeah... the 50k donors get the serious "face time", maybe even a ride in the Duckmobile with Utley as well

any news on ticket sales?

nothing on United Way of Big Bend site
Nothing on Leon County CIvic Center site

ToplessRideFL wrote:any news on ticket sales?

nothing on United Way of Big Bend site
Nothing on Leon County CIvic Center site

I have heard sometime soon, but I am beginning to wonder. I would think they would have to go on sale soon.

Nole Pirate wrote:

ToplessRideFL wrote:any news on ticket sales?

nothing on United Way of Big Bend site
Nothing on Leon County CIvic Center site

I have heard sometime soon, but I am beginning to wonder. I would think they would have to go on sale soon.

one would think..... its 6 weeks away....

From the Tallahassee Democrat:

http://www.tallahassee.com/special/blog ... tt-is.html




Thursday, December 14, 2006
Buffett is coming - repeat - Buffett is coming
Jimmy Buffett is coming to town Feb. 10 at the Civic Center. It was reported first on Tallahassee.com. Twice, in fact.

I thought it important to note that you are not seeing double. You are not experiencing déjà vu. This is not a bad dream, at least not for you. You very well could have read this announcement before.

We reported this as breaking news a couple weeks ago after a local official – apparently prematurely – announced the concert during a public meeting. There was miscommunication and misunderstanding somehow, I don't know the details.

Within two hours of the headline being posted on the Tallahassee.com, more than 1,300 people clicked on it to read the story. Thousands more saw the headline. I got phone calls from several people who had first-hand knowledge that the deal had not yet been made.

The concert is a benefit for the United Way of the Big Bend and we had heard about the possibility of this happening as far back as last summer. So when it was detailed at a public meeting, our reporter came back and posted a short story.

Routine stuff, right? Not.

Buffett is one of the top concert draws in U.S. music history so this is news. It's not exactly an investigation into wrongdoing, but still important news. It just wasn't ready for prime time. After confirming that the deal was not done, I decided to take the story down from Tallahassee.com and did not publish it in the Tallahassee Democrat the next day.

So everybody's happy, right? Again, not.

Some people, including some in my newsroom, accused me of “caving-in” to pressure, since something said in a public meeting is public record and we have every right to publish it. I'm not really sure what kind of pressure they think the United Way could bring to bear on the editor of the newspaper, but whatever.

There is an important principle at stake, and officials try to violate that right all the time. Some are silly enough to turn around to a reporter or reporters and say things like, “Don’t print that” or “That’s off the record.”

Answering for one and all on my staff: No, it’s not off the record. And we’ll decide whether to print it. That needs to be underscored.

But doing our utmost to make sure we are getting the facts right and using the best possible sources for our reporting are also important principles. And in this case, the deal was not done and the announcement was premature, so I decided being right was more important than being first. The key words in that phrase were "I decided."

Turns out, things worked out almost exactly as we had reported the first time. But that doesn’t change anything in my mind. You can call it caving-in to pressure if you wish, but the reality is, it also followed the principle of us deciding when and what we print.

I made the decision to pull the story the first time because being sure we are right is a higher principle in my mind.

It’s nice when these things all come together in a neat package, but that didn’t happen this time. I just want you to know what happened and the thinking behind the decision.

I know you’ll let me know what you think.

Bob Gabordi is executive editor of the Tallahassee Democrat and Tallahassee.com. He can be reached by clicking on the comments button below, via e-mail at bgabordi@tallahassee.com, or by calling (850) 599-2177. He also writes a column in the Democrat.

comtnfish wrote:From the Tallahassee Democrat:

http://www.tallahassee.com/special/blog ... tt-is.html

I'm not really sure what kind of pressure they think the United Way could bring to bear on the editor of the newspaper, but whatever.

How should we punish this guy?

so much for my birthday plans

LIPH wrote:

comtnfish wrote:From the Tallahassee Democrat:

http://www.tallahassee.com/special/blog ... tt-is.html

I'm not really sure what kind of pressure they think the United Way could bring to bear on the editor of the newspaper, but whatever.

How should we punish this guy?

"burnin's too good fer 'im. 'angin's too good fer 'im. 'e should be torn apart into itty-bitty pieces..." Hannover Fist, "Heavy Metal"

ToplessRideFL wrote:so much for my birthday plans

Say what?

I have had a very long day, so perhaps I'm missing something. But, the way I'm reading this, the show is still on. The paper just jumped the gun reporting it because it wasn't a done deal at the time they first reported it, but it now is a done deal.

Am I missing something?

Turns out, things worked out almost exactly as we had reported the first time. But that doesn’t change anything in my mind. You can call it caving-in to pressure if you wish, but the reality is, it also followed the principle of us deciding when and what we print.

I think it's still on, but this maybe explains a bit of why tickets seem like they're taking so long to go on sale??

Desdamona wrote:

comtnfish wrote:I think it's still on, but this maybe explains a bit of why tickets seem like they're taking so long to go on sale??

I don't see why it would. I'd think the venue would determine when the tickets go on sale,
not the local media. And there's nothing on their page about it yet http://www.tlccc.org
Nor on Ticketmaster http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/106897

It sounded to me like it's still on, but the deal was perhaps only very recently "inked" and so ticket sales are still in the works.

Kudos to Mr. Gabordi for pulling the story when he discovered it was premature. I'd rather have late reporting than inaccurate reporting.

SchoolGirlHeart wrote:

Desdamona wrote:

comtnfish wrote:I think it's still on, but this maybe explains a bit of why tickets seem like they're taking so long to go on sale??

I don't see why it would. I'd think the venue would determine when the tickets go on sale,
not the local media. And there's nothing on their page about it yet http://www.tlccc.org
Nor on Ticketmaster http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/106897

It sounded to me like it's still on, but the deal was perhaps only very recently "inked" and so ticket sales are still in the works.

Kudos to Mr. Gabordi for pulling the story when he discovered it was premature. I'd rather have late reporting than inaccurate reporting.

yes, SGH, that was along the lines of what I thought. That we found out about it because it was reported prematurally, and that the details had to be finalized before tickets can go on sale. Sorry Des, for being unclear!

Yeah, it sounds like the show is still on. And it better be, I am a 20 year old Tallahassee native and fsu student and big Buffet fan. This is gonna be my first JB concert.

Finally we have an on sale date. on the civic center site it is saturday jan 13. 10a.m. eastern time.
now the official countdown can begin.

Great I have a problem. I coach a Boys and Girls Club basketball team and our next game is scheduled for the exact time the tickets go on sale. I hope my fiance can help me out.

FloridaBoy wrote:Yeah, it sounds like the show is still on. And it better be, I am a 20 year old Tallahassee native and fsu student and big Buffet fan. This is gonna be my first JB concert.

Trust me it gets bad after you taste that first sip of paradise.. im 25 and since i turned 20 ive been to 41 shows.. slowly becomes an addiction thats makes you drink rum drinks and wear silly hats and drive from chicago to florida just for the purpose to see jimmy.... My, I remember my first show... enjoy man and perhaps ill pour ya a shot in the lot... FINZ