Parrots, Pirates, and Plenty of Margaritas: Jimmy Buffett Brings Beach Vibes to Charlotte

The Life on The Flip Side Tour Redux Kicks Off The Outdoor Concert Season at PNC Music Pavilion

“It’s these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes. Nothing remains quite the same…”

Do changes in latitudes really bring about changes in attitudes? If you’re talking about a Jimmy Buffett concert, they most certainly do. Well, ok, honestly the latitude of the PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, NC hasn’t changed. It’s still roughly 35.3272 degrees North, but it sure felt more like Key West or a tropical island Saturday night when the venue was transformed into Margaritaville as Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band made a stop in the Queen City on the Life on the Flip Side Redux Tour.

“Nibblin’ on sponge cake. Watchin’ the sun bake…”

This was my first time at a Buffett show and I wasn’t prepared for the way his fanbase of Parrotheads was going to throw down. The entire parking lot areas of the venue were a sea of Hawaiian shirts and hula skirts. There were parrot hats and giant cheeseburger hats, inflatable sharks, a costumed Parrot mascot, and people ready to enjoy the beautiful day. As I walked through the crowd, people were drinking, barbecuing, and playing cornhole. There was even a handful of religious protesters which I found hilarious and unusual for this type of show. I saw more than a few tiki bars set up and although I have been to a ton of shows, I have never before been offered so much tequila from complete strangers. In fact, I have never seen that many margarita machines in one place at the same time. Maybe it was a world record, who knows? Welcome to Charlotte, the new Margaritaville of the Carolinas.

It was a fabulously fun atmosphere and a great way to get things rolling on what would be a beach party like you have never seen. And as with any great party, it’s always about the music for me and tonight Charlotte was in for a treat because we were about to witness the laid-back, feel-good energy that only Jimmy Buffett can bring. Finally, it was time to escape to the islands and get the show underway.

There is no opening act on the tour so it would be an evening devoted solely to Jimmy Buffett and the sold-out crowd wouldn’t have it any other way. The stage was set up like a giant beach scene complete with beach grass, a lighthouse, a starfish, and an octopus. Behind the band, there was a giant LED screen that would change throughout the evening, displaying various things including fish to make it look like a giant ocean scene and floating cheeseburgers, interspersed with images of the crowd that were taken earlier in the day. As the members of The Coral Reefer band made their way out onto the stage, the crowd erupted with cheers and enthusiastic shouts. Jimmy Buffett himself came out, picked up a guitar, and made his way to the center microphone to get things started with “Down at the Lah De Dah.”

The first thing I noticed is that Jimmy sounded great with all the vim and vigor of his youth as his vocals soared across the venue. The talented musicians that make up The Coral Reefer Band are truly world-class and we had keyboards, guitars, horns, various percussionists, and vocalists making it a full band experience. Jimmy’s blue ukulele made an appearance for “Come Monday” and he joked that “I’ll take Charlotte on a Saturday” during “Volcano” which signaled the end of the first half of the show.

After a short break, Jimmy and the band were back in full force with a cover of “Little Martha” by The Allman Brothers Band followed by Allen Toussaint’s “Yes We Can Can” which Jimmy introduced, telling us how much Allen meant to him and his musical career.

“I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes…”

It was time for the crowd to go crazy and dream about all those cheeseburgers out there as we all got silly singing along to “Cheeseburger In Paradise.” After an exquisite performance of “A Pirate Looks at Forty,” we were taken on a journey to the small town where Jimmy grew up for “Back Where I Come From” which was sent out with love to the people of Ukraine and the most touching moment of the evening. Soon after, we would be back on an emotional high as Jimmy led the crowd on the “Sha, la, la, la, la, la, la” section of Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” before we were all looking for our lost shakers of salt with what is undoubtedly Jimmy’s most well-known song “Margaritaville.” Everyone was on their feet and having the time of their lives, swaying in unison as we all soaked up the sunshine that is Jimmy Buffett and The Coral Reefer Band. What a night!

“Another Saturday night and I ain’t got nobody. I got some money cuz I just got paid…”

The night was not over yet as Jimmy and his band came back out to wow the crowd one more time keeping the party going with a cover of Sam Cooke’s “Another Saturday Night” and the Crosby, Stills, and Nash tune “Southern Cross.” The band departed but Buffett remained giving us one final song with a solo acoustic performance going all the way back to 1974 and “Tin Cup Chalice.”

“Cause I want to be there. I want to go back down and die beside the sea there. With a tin cup for a chalice, Fill it up with good red wine. And I’ll be chewin’ on a honeysuckle vine…”

The parking lots were jam-packed with the remnants of a spectacular day in the sun and I may or may not have backed over the remains of what used to be someone’s tiki bar. If you haven’t made it out to a Jimmy Buffett show yet, what are you waiting for? It was a perfect way to not only open the outdoor concert season here at PNC Music Pavilion but a perfect way to kick off another great season of fun no matter what latitude you find yourself in. Until next time…Fins Up!

Click Here for the Full Gallery of the Evening!

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