ParrotHead67 wrote: ↑February 27, 2017 12:19 pm
ASaltyPieceOfLand wrote: ↑February 27, 2017 11:53 am
JB really does need to drop the cover songs. He's 70 now. No more BEG or Southern Cross. How about more A1A songs? Or some "other" songs from any of the 1970s albums, the albums and songs that made him Jimmy Buffett.
I really get a kick out of it when people say, "Jimmy NEEDS to..." Jimmy doesn't "NEED" to do anything. Yes he's 70. That's even more reason he doesn't "NEED" to do anything. Would we prefer more old stuff? Of course we would. The fact is 75 percent of the crowds only know his SYKBH album. Hence he sings cover songs everyone knows. Every time he play BEG and Southern Cross the crowd goes crazy and sings along. Why the hell would he stop? Get used to the fact that these songs are part his core concert songs and he has a good reason for playing them.
It's not about his hardcore fans. We go to his concerts regardless.
Not all of us still go to his concerts regardless. I don't. I stopped going about five or six years ago. I couldn't take the stock set list shows year after year. And I've been going to Buffett shows since the '80s and even spent some years in the '90s where I and a few of my buddies would travel around to all of Jimmy's west coast shows. And that was back in the day when he'd play two Bay Area shows -- Concord Pavilion and Shoreline Amphitheater -- in addition to multiple LA shows, Vegas, Phoenix, Santa Barbara, etc. It was a blast. Jimmy will always be one of my favorite artists and I still listen to Radio Margaritaville every day in my car.
But I got to a point where I needed more out of his live shows. I wanted to hear deep cuts and rarities. I grew tired of hearing the same songs every year with so little variance in the set lists from tour to tour. While there is always an urge to go when Jimmy's in town, I really hadn't been enjoying the live shows as much as I wanted to. And that had been going on for a few years before I finally called it quits on the Buffett shows.
I understand why Jimmy and the band do a canned set list. The "fans" want it and they go crazy for it. Jimmy and the band don't have to worry about changing up the set list or rehearsing other songs to fill the venues every year. I don't blame them, really. But for an artist with such a tremendous and vast catalog of great music, the fact that so much of it is ignored in the live shows is a real shame.
It almost seems like at times Jimmy does want to go deeper into his catalog. They did that special show in Key West a couple of years ago where the "fans" voted for the setlist online. I expect they did that contest hoping to play some different stuff, or at least as a way to reward the fans who are longing to hear some different material live. But it completely backfired since the "fans" voted in all the same songs he always plays. In fact, the set list for that show was even more hit-laden than a regular Buffett show. I think I remember that Jimmy threw in a few other songs during that show that weren't voted in, probably to do anything different than all the same songs he plays every night.
Then last year (or was it the year before?) they started breaking out the list of songs that hadn't been played live in (I think) over 10 years and they played a single song from the list at each show (again, voted on by the fans). It was a nice effort but then again, it was just one "rare" song per show so it didn't really satisfy those of us who want to hear more. And for a moment a few years ago they experimented with the idea of celebrating one of his albums by playing the entire album start to finish live (they did it with Volcano for a few shows I seem to remember). Unfortunately, that didn't last and they were back to the same old show before too long.
I don't blame fans who enjoy the shows. It's still a great experience for many and we might as well enjoy it while Buffett is still willing and able to go out and tour every year. But it's just not for me anymore. I actually get annoyed hearing the same stuff, with so little variation, time and time again, and that's not the way I want to feel at a Buffett show.
This happened very recently when I was lucky enough to get a ticket to Jimmy's show at the Belly Up Tavern here in San Diego back at the end of March. It was the first show I'd been to in years. I figured that playing in such a small and intimate venue that Jimmy might feel free to shake things up a bit and maybe play some songs he doesn't usually play. No such luck. The show was all hits, and it was much shorter than a normal live show. No rarities, no deep cuts. Yes, it was cool and fun to see Jimmy in such a small venue but I left with a sour feeling because of the lack of willingness to even try to do something different in a small room in front of adoring fans who would have loved whatever he did. I actually took the opportunity at that show to yell out "Weather is Here!" a few times between songs because, in all the years I've been going to Buffett shows, I don't think I've ever seen him perform "The Weather is Here, I Wish You Were Beautiful" and it's one of my all-time favorite songs. So I was yelling it out in the off-chance he might actually do it. Instead at one point I swear he shot an annoyed glance over in my direction. It's like, gee, Jimmy, I'm sorry it's so difficult and inconvenient for you and your band to play something not on your canned set list. Sheesh!
So, yes, it's a bummer for me that Jimmy doesn't explore more of his catalog in the live shows. I honestly don't think the "fans" who don't know anything other than the hits would mind all that much if he took a few liberties and devoted more slots to deep cuts during his shows. When you see artists, such as Tom Petty doing a "rarities" tour where he only played deep cuts, or Bruce Springsteen, who mixes up his set lists at every show and even switches things up to play audience requests on occasion, it feels to me like Buffett is taking the awfully convenient route and charging us a lot of money for his product.
Some say at Jimmy's age he doesn't "need" to do anything the fans say. That is true. But he's at the point in his career where he could be celebrating and showcasing more of his songbook. He could play smaller venues where he could better connect with his fans and play songs he doesn't normally play. But I won't question his motivations at this point. Jimmy can do what he wants, and he clearly feels he's serving his fans best by playing cookie cutter shows year after year. So be it.
On the bright side, last week I did go see Jimmy's new musical "Escape to Margaritaville," which is previewing here in San Diego at the La Jolla Playhouse before it goes to Broadway. When they announced the show I had to go even though I wasn't sure what to expect. And, to be perfectly honest, I was expecting the worst, figuring it'd be all the hits crow-barred into some corny musical. Thank God I was wrong on this one. I had an amazing time at the show. They've really done a fantastic job with this musical and any Buffett fan who has a chance to see it absolutely should. I went in expecting disappointment but by the end of the show I was on my feet cheering and clapping as the cast took their bows (as was everybody else in the house). I left with a very large smile on my face. I hadn't felt that ecstatic after an actual Buffett show in many years. And even though the musical does feature many of the hit songs I don't care to see him play live anymore, in the context of the musical they gained new life and I appreciated them again. It's a testament to how great his music really is. And there are some deep cuts in the show as well, including "The Weather is Here, I Wish You Were Beautiful!" So I finally got to see that song done live! Not by Jimmy, unfortunately, but the cast of "Escape to Margaritaville" did it justice.
