This year, I finally made it out to see Jimmy Buffett with my best friend. She and I have been friends all through out college and life and we are rarely out of touch. Now, I admit, back in the late 70s, I was not a huge Jimmy Buffett fan - I was so tired of hearing Margaritaville that I could puke. That was how often that song was played on the radio.
Some time has passed over the years and I still had not really listened to much Jimmy Buffett. However, my best friend was a HUGE fan - she still is. She manages to go see Jimmy play every year. This year, she asked me if I would be interested. It is a rarity that we get to see one another, so why not? Also, Huey Lewis and the News would be opening up for Jimmy. I could not pass that up. It has been 31 years since I saw Huey and the band perform at Six Flags Over Texas. How I managed to get to the front of the stage that night, I will never know, but I was there, looking right up at him.
I have to say, I was really blown away by the fans and the show. The fans come in their RVs and set up their tail gates. Some pretty awesome food was being prepared from the smells. Everyone is in a laid back mode, which is pretty cool.
When we got to our seats, fans were tossing around beach balls all over the place. I felt bad for the lady with the wine, as most of it splashed onto her when a ball came her way. She took it in stride, laughed it off, then served the ball back to the crowd.
Huey and the band started their part of the show when the sun was still up and glaring in our faces. I really could not see much on the video screen let alone the stage. But that was okay, all of us were dancing in our seats to The Heart of Rock and Roll. It really reminded me of when I was back in high school, about to graduate, and watching him perform at Six Flags.
Huey made a comment regarding his age. The thing is, he does not look like he has changed much and even more, he can still really belt out the tunes as he used to do. That really impressed me - as I said, I felt I was transported back to my 80s days.
He performed a song I had not heard in quite sometime. It was a cover of a 60's soul song by J.J. Jackson - But It's Alright. Talk about an awesome cover. It is such a cool and poppy song. My best friend and I were just dancing in our seats.
Once Huey was done with his set, I decided bathroom and a margarita were in order. I mean, come on, everyone was drinking them and you knew that the song was going to be played. Now, either those are weak margaritas or I had enough in my stomach to handle the alcohol, but I did not get any buzz. Of course, I chased that down with water.
Jimmy is a fun act to watch and he does get involved with his audience. I think he enjoys knowing that his fans have fun at this shows. Some guys were wearing lighted shark fins on top of their heads. He commented about how the constant rain we were having was causing the land sharks to run. It was funny, but still, it was a pretty tame crowd and everyone there is to just have fun.
He played a lot of his hits and had a moment for the steel drum player to take front stage. That music always sounds so pretty and having a beach backdrop makes one long for a vacation to get away.
I left with a wonderful impression for this show.
I sat here this morning and downloaded some of the stuff I heard. I was also reminded of some of the 60s and 70s soul my mother would play. Out of the blue, I remembered a song by a group called "Electric Indian". The song was called Keem-O-Sabe. I still have the 45, which my mother almost wore out. Several years before she became ill and passed away, I used my dual well CD recorder and recorded the 45 onto a CD, then I uploaded the song to my PC. The recording had all of the pops and scratches, but you could hear the song in all of its mystic sound.
Today, I found that song on iTunes. I cried a little bit remembering my mother and how much she loved that song. I ended up buying it, so every now and then, I could remember my younger days listening to that, Dave Edmunds' version of I Hear You Knocking, and many others. The music helps me through the tough times. Also, I know she would be happy to know what an influence she was for me.
Next week - The Rolling Stones!
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