Grumpy Old Man

I’m a huge Jimmy Buffet fan – figuratively and literally (I’m over 300 pounds).  I’ve been to many concerts and each one seems a little better than the last – until last night at the Welcome to Fin Land show at Toyota Park in Bridgeview.  The tailgating was great.  We got there early enough this year to get great parking.  We had our cheeseburgers, Margaritas, chips, etc.  Our car was decorated.  It was hot, steamy and off to a great start… then the show began.

The party continued inside the stadium.  Shark-boy was very entertaining.  The warm-up music was hot and had people dancing and finally Jimmy Buffett took the stage.  Hmm.. that’s interesting… he started the show with some obscure stuff that changed the mood of the place.  The party kind of flattened out a bit.  He sang us a new song he wrote about him falling of the stage… that was fun.  Then finally a crowd pleaser and the party was going again.

I don’t know, though – he seemed off his game somehow, it just wasn’t flowing as smoothly as what I’ve come to expect from him and his band.  He always looks like he’s having the greatest time in his life when he’s on stage, but last night he just didn’t emit that energy.

Finally he started “Fins” and the crowd went wild.  About 2/3 of the way through the song,  half the band just suddenly disappeared.  Not like rapture or anything like that, but the sound system was having problems and half of the band couldn’t be heard.  It crackled in and out while they (and the crowd) finished the song.  That sucks!  One of the crowd’s favorites ruined because of technical difficulties.  The next song began and the video monitor showed Jimmy strumming and singing, but you couldn’t hear him at all.  They did another tune that I didn’t recognize because it could barely be heard.  The big video screens went black so unless you were up close to the stage you couldn’t even really see what was going on.  They got the sound (sort of) back together again and did another tune and then it just ended.  No encore, no screaming, chanting fans.  It was over.  The band left the stage.  The lights came on and people left the stadium.

I heard several people say it sucked on the way out and I have to agree.  I spent well over $200 for the evening and looked forward to it since last year’s concert and it was a big giant turd.  If this had been my first Jimmy Buffett concert it would also have been my last.  It was that bad.

BUT… like I said earlier, I’m truly a parrot head and will dutifully buy my tickets again next year (it’s the law when you a dyed in the wool parrot head).  Next year I’m going to Alpine Valley instead, though.  I’m growing weary of Toyota Park.  I liked it much better when he used to play at Tweeter Center (now Midwest Bank Amphitheater).