In a blur, a splash of color wizzes by, just over your head – red, yellow, blue. . . red, yellow, blue. It’s a spinning, tumbling beachball, and it bounces harmlessly off of the head of an unsuspecting concert-goer, before their neighbor volleys it deeper into the crowd. You hear the swish of grass skirts, as a group of middle-aged women dances by, spirits (and glasses) held high. The smell of tequila is in the air, and wafts under your nose, as a stranger breaks through the social distancing barrier, offering “free shots!!”

You’re not at the beach, in Key West, or roaming the streets of New Orleans. You’re at a post-lockdown Jimmy Buffett concert, and the crowds are so happy to have their favorite beachcomber bringing the fun back into their lives! It’s Buffett’s 4th 2021 concert. He kicks the party off via a Zoom-like grid on the big screen. The joins the “meeting” only to find 8 empty chairs. “Where is everyone?!”

His beloved Parrot Heads are tossing beachballs across the lawn, after some intense tailgating in the parking lot. They ignored any threat of rain, splashing in puddles from the pop-up showers earlier in the day. Lawn chairs, beach blankets, and blown-out flipflops are everywhere.

“The term “Parrot Head” was coined in 1985 at a Jimmy Buffett concert in Cincinnati, Ohio. At the show, Jimmy commented about everyone wearing Hawaiian shirts and parrot hats and how they kept coming back to see his shows, just like Deadheads. Eagles member Timothy B. Schmit, who was then a member of the Coral Reefer Band, coined the term “Parrot Head” to describe those fans, and you could certainly say the name stuck!” (Colorado Parrot Head Club)

Let’s party – fins up!

“If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.” ~ Jimmy Buffett

“Breathe in, breathe out, move on.” ~ Jimmy Buffett

“Go fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see.” ~ Jimmy Buffett

“Take it all in… it’s as big as it seems. Count all your blessings. Remember your dreams.” ~ Jimmy Buffett

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” ~ Jimmy Buffett

Buffett is definitely in support of the country opening back up, now that there is a vaccine widely available. After 18 months of confinement, lockdown, and maintaining a 6-foot distance from anyone but the friends and family in your ‘pod’. . . . . it’s time to party!

A Capital Forth, which aired on PBS, featured Buffett in a lineup that included the NASA astronauts on the International Space Station, Robert Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur and Mark T. Vande Hei and Kermit the Frog. Buffett sang “This Land is Your Land.”

“I have always been a big admirer of Woody Guthrie’s…his simple songs and poignant lyrics,” Buffett remarked. “They were some of the first songs I learned to play. I have been lucky enough to travel this land, and think it is the best song that encapsulates what America means and is.” ~ Jimmy Buffett

Jimmy Buffett fans show up in numbers! They come together as Parrot Heads in Paradise, Inc. With over 200 clubs around the U.S. plus international clubs in Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, and Australia, there were a lot of fans waiting for the end of COVID lockdown, and the return of live music.

“The purpose of the organization is to promote the international network of Parrot Head Clubs as a humanitarian group sharing information and social activities for mutual benefit.

The organization will engage in activities that are charitable, educational and that promote the general welfare of the community. Parrot Heads in Paradise, Inc. is a Not-For-Profit Corporation, whose purpose is to assist in community and environmental concerns and provide a variety of social activities for people who are interested in the music of Jimmy Buffett and the tropical lifestyle he personifies.“ (Parrot Heads in Paradise, emphasis added. . . for effect.)

If you want to hear some fan favorites, check out Buffett’s latest release, featuring 15 acoustic recordings voted on by Parrot Heads – Songs You Don’t Know By Heart, available for $10.99 as a CD or $29.98 on vinyl. (Songs You Don’t Know By Heart – link below.)

This is a lifestyle, indeed!

Join me on my next adventure,

~ Kat

Related Links:

Jimmy Buffett’s ‘This Land is Your Land’: https://www.jimmybuffett.com/news/jimmy-buffett-to-debut-special-rendition-of-this-land-is-your-land-on-america-s-independence-day-celebration-a-capitol-fourth-on-pbs

Cision (PR Newswire): https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jimmy-buffett-to-debut-special-rendition-of-this-land-is-your-land-on-americas-independence-day-celebration-a-capitol-fourth-on-pbs-301322939.html

Songs You don’t Know By Heart: JIMMY BUFFETT SINGS SONGS YOU DON’T KNOW BY HEART – Margaritaville Blog