Beginning of the end?

[surfpirate]

Jimmy's not attracting new fans and the old fans who have seen him in concert a gazillion times are tired of the Big 8 or 9 or 10...so maybe it's time to dump some of the old favorites and bring on some new old favorites.

Point taken. Generally I agree ....

Then again these boards are filled with "Noobies"
(which is great)
that acknowledge that they
are "arriving late to the party"
and may not have tired of the Big 8 or 9 or 10 ....

It's a helluva balance.
No win situation for any established artist.
Play too much of the commercial stuff
and covers
and you might annoy the hard core base,

but ignore those songs or cut a few out and you lose
the more casual fans ....

[LiveandletLiver]

I may be a "noobie" to this board but I've posted on message boards for over a decade. I was on TOS for several years as well before it pretty much died. When I go to a show I want a Buffett concert not a show where he tries out song after song on his audience. It's one day a year I can go slip into something comfortable and listen to some favorite songs with a few thousand other people who are enjoying the same experience.

There are a few posters here who are card carrying members of the Church of the Orthodox Buffett and will always pull the "Jimmy sold out" card at any given chance. I get the "I saw him at the Golden Bear in '72 dude" crowd bitching about hearing Margaritaville 2,000 times but frankly my dear I don't give a crap.

[ParrotHead67]

I may be a "noobie" to this board but I've posted on message boards for over a decade. I was on TOS for several years as well before it pretty much died. When I go to a show I want a Buffett concert not a show where he tries out song after song on his audience. It's one day a year I can go slip into something comfortable and listen to some favorite songs with a few thousand other people who are enjoying the same experience.

There are a few posters here who are card carrying members of the Church of the Orthodox Buffett and will always pull the "Jimmy sold out" card at any given chance. I get the "I saw him at the Golden Bear in '72 dude" crowd bitching about hearing Margaritaville 2,000 times but frankly my dear I don't give a crap.

I couldn't agree more. Living in Canada I will never see 200 concerts like some of the people on this board. A weekend in Vegas ends up costing about $2500 for my wife and I. We want to hear the old favorites the "casual" fn likes. I've been listening to Jimmy for almost 30 years and still love it. If he takes his big 8 out, he will be alienating a big part of his fanbase as Surpirate says. We all go into the concerts knowing exactly what he is going to play so it's OUR decision whether we want to spend the $226 plus fees for his ticket.

[lime rickie]

[Tiki Torches]

I hate that there's such a divide amongst Buffett fans but it's more than apparent that there is one. That said, I don't claim any ownership or assign any superiority to my fandom. Plenty of people have seen him earlier than me (my first show was in '79) or have seen him way more times than me (I attended somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 concerts between '79 and '96). This isn't a competition so none of that bothers me. Mainly I'm just thankful that he's still out there performing and continuing to release new material. A lot of folks are content to coast on past glories but thankfully Buffett isn't one of them. I may or may not see him in concert again at some point. If I don't I'm perfectly content with the concerts I have seen.

[jbfins]

That reference to CoBO was awesome!
What I think I am seeing is that the people who go to JB concerts to hear SYKBH and other stuff that seems to have a permanent place in the setlist these days are not going as much any more. That was what my original post was about. There are not as many people going to his shows. Price, setlist selection, days of the week etc... There may be a multitude of reasons, I was just pointing out that I am realizing for the first time that it is happening. Concert attendence for JB is slowing, when I always thought it was growing.

[jbfins]

That reference to CoBO was awesome!
What I think I am seeing is that the people who go to JB concerts to hear SYKBH and other stuff that seems to have a permanent place in the setlist these days are not going as much any more. That was what my original post was about. There are not as many people going to his shows. Price, setlist selection, days of the week etc... There may be a multitude of reasons, I was just pointing out that I am realizing for the first time that it is happening. Concert attendence for JB is slowing, when I always thought it was growing.

[STL Parrot]

Let me clarify...I'm not saying Jimmy should or shouldn't dump the old standards. I'm just saying if concerts are not selling out and he's concerned about it (which I don't really think he is), then switching up the setlists might be a way to generate some addtional interest.

I, for one, would attend any Jimmy Buffett concert in my hometown if he only played The Big 8 and covers. Hell, I still go see REO Speedwagon and Styx every year and I guarantee you all they play is their "Big 8" equivalent. If its good music (music I enjoy) and I have a good time...I'm going.

[parrotheadstueby]

Hey maybe they'll drop the prices like Atlantic city last year. Big difference from my first show at jones beach in 1995 think I got two front row seats for $60 each-miss those days

[sonofabeach]

I've never really cared what songs he played live.
For me, I love the whole experience of a Buffett concert and the day or days before and after.
The traveling and exploring, the kick-ass party with good friends, and the great music...all fine by me.
I fully agree that ticket prices are too high.

[msu#1]

Jimmy's not attracting new fans and the old fans who have seen him in concert a gazillion times are tired of the Big 8 or 9 or 10...so maybe it's time to dump some of the old favorites and bring on some new old favorites.

Not even close, just like the Beatles every year there is a crop of new college kids who discover Buffett their first year at keg parties and the dorm

plus as noted earlier............ real music crazy states like Michigan sell out in minutes mid week every year.

[STL Parrot]

I see very few college age kids at a Buffett concert. The ones that I do see are staggering around the parking lot and are lucky to make it into the show. Of course that's just at the concerts I attend so I don't pretend to speak for all cities.

[LiveandletLiver]

I hosted 25 college age kids the last Irvine concert. My daughter's and their friends hung out at the motorhome and we had a great time. A few of them have gone to Vegas with us since. They loved the party and seemed to enjoy the concert too.

Too bad JB hasn't come back to Irvine in quite a few years.

[sistergoldenhair]

Pass the popcorn, Nan...Got any Junior Mints??

[sistergoldenhair]

hiccup

[chippewa]

It was also the Beginning of the End around here in 2009.

[Rabbitz]

Is it that time of the year already?

Geez that snuck up on me.

The end of the world you say?

Maybe it is just the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. (Go on, look it up)

[spucketts]

Everything changes, that should be understood. I've noticed it here in Atlanta, 15 years ago two shows would sell out in minutes even if they were on a Tuesday. Back then there was little in the way of restrictions during the tailgate and everyone seemed to be trying to out do the next guy-flatbed trailers with sand and water, working volcanos, an aboveground swimming pool, etc, I even met two guys that had rolled a keg in the night before and were allowed to stay on site for two days.

Now the city owns the venue and the p-lot doesn't open until near noon, no sand allowed, cost to park, and so on. There isn't quite the enthusiasm during the tailgate and there seems to be a lot more "observers" than "participants". The show, now two weeks on sale, isn't sold out and you can still get lawns, in previous years you could only get lawns the first on sale day. And if you look at the crowd there's a lot more college kids and "newbies" that showed up because 'they heard good things' then sit around waiting for something to happen instead of making it happen.

It is what it is. So this year I've decided to be extra excited about the show and am in "collection mode", that being, out on an all point search for way cool, cheap tropical theamed accoutrements.....It'll be just me and the wife this year, friends backed out but we've never had trouble finding someone to Buffett-it-up with down there.

[spucketts]

Everything changes, that should be understood. I've noticed it here in Atlanta, 15 years ago two shows would sell out in minutes even if they were on a Tuesday. Back then there was little in the way of restrictions during the tailgate and everyone seemed to be trying to out do the next guy-flatbed trailers with sand and water, working volcanos, an aboveground swimming pool, etc, I even met two guys that had rolled a keg in the night before and were allowed to stay on site for two days.

Now the city owns the venue and the p-lot doesn't open until near noon, no sand allowed, cost to park, and so on. There isn't quite the enthusiasm during the tailgate and there seems to be a lot more "observers" than "participants". The show, now two weeks on sale, isn't sold out and you can still get lawns, in previous years you could only get lawns the first on sale day. And if you look at the crowd there's a lot more college kids and "newbies" that showed up because 'they heard good things' then sit around waiting for something to happen instead of making it happen.

It is what it is. So this year I've decided to be extra excited about the show and am in "collection mode", that being, out on an all point search for way cool, cheap tropical theamed accoutrements.....It'll be just me and the wife this year, friends backed out but we've never had trouble finding someone to Buffett-it-up with down there.

[jbfins]

That is my whole point. When Atlanta doesn't sell out you know ticket sales are trending down, dramatically.
I actually bought tickets to the Jones Beach show (Tuesday night) for me, my wife and our two kids. It will be my first show in over 8 years. The only reason I bought the tickets (days after they went on sale) is because I could see that the show is not even close to being sold out. There are entire sections with hundreds of seats available. (I figure the less people the better for my kids' first show. Plus, I got first row mezz so no one is in front to block our view.)
I believe Jimmy likes playing, but I can't imagine he is going to enjoy playing a show that is not even close to sold out. Heck, when do you think was the last time he looked out from the stage and saw hundreds upon hundreds of empty seats and a bunch of "partyheads" talking on their cell phones or texting while he is playing the little known gem that I just spent $500 bucks to hear. If he feeds off the engery of the crowd and there is no crowd giving him engery, well?
Plus, I can't imagine venues are going to be willing to pay him as much next year as they may have this year. I don't think that would stop him from touring. But let's face it, if no one is going to the shows there is no reason to have a show. For example, I guarantee two Jones Beach shows will not be on next year's schedule.
When an artist has to limit the number of shows he/she plays due to limited demand, then that my friends is the beginning of the end.