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Atlanta, GA 6/30/98 |
| The evening of June 30th brought thunder, lightning, and rain to Atlanta,
Georgia. However, if you judged solely from the sold-out crowd at Lakewood
Amphitheatre, you'd think it was just another sunny day in the islands.
The crowd, drenched, drunk, and happy, came for one reason only - to see
the man that could bring the tropics to Georgia, Jimmy Buffett. (He brought
the spirit of the tropics. The Georgia weather provided the tropical heat.) The tour itself is called the "Don't Stop the Carnival '98" tour, and the stage set had every bit of a carnival atmosphere, from the Mardi Gras dancers onstage to the people firing confetti and streamers into the audience. The parrothead audience seemed to fit equally into the whole party atmosphere, dressed in costumes as colorful and varied as the patterns in a kaleidoscope. From the moment Jimmy Buffett hit the stage, until his last encore, he became once again what he has always been, the penultimate showman. The show was bookended with songs from the new album, and was made up of a wide variety of selections from his musical career, including quite a few pleasant surprises. Mr. Buffett wasted no time in getting the crowd transported to the islands, opening with the calypso number "Kinja," which tells the story of a fictitious tropical island. He followed this up with a roaring version of "Fruitcakes," which, judging from the title alone, could describe everyone in attendance. The crowd danced and sang along to every song that was played, and the stage set featured two big video screens, one on either side of the stage, that displayed crowd shots throughout the night, much to the delight of everyone there. There was never a letdown in energy, either from the performers or the audience, as the band churned it's way through a 26-song, three hour set. There was a brief intermission, however, as the band cooled off and as we waited for the worst of the weather to pass. (In fact, it was probably more than just coincidence that the band chose as it's third song "The Weather is Here. I Wish You Were Beautiful.") Jimmy and the band always enjoy playing in Atlanta, and as usual, they pulled out all the stops in this show. In addition to the Buffett originals, the crowd was treated to covers of James Taylor's "Mexico," CSN's "Southern Cross" and Van Morrison's "Brown-Eyed Girl." Jimmy told stories about the songs ,and had witty asides inbetween the songs. My favorite of the night occurred when he told the crowd "Kenneth Starr won't be listening to this song," and then launched into "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw." For the song "In the City," which was written and sung by Coral Reefer guitar player, and Nashville resident Mac McAnally, there was a video played onscreen that showed Jimmy and friends visiting various Atlanta landmarks. At another point in the show, Jimmy talked of a part-time job he had worked that day, and then pointed to the video screen. It showed him behind the counter at Parliament, a burger joint in Atlanta, taking orders, and the whole time singing "I like mine with lettuce and tomato, etc." This delighted the crowd, especially when the band went into "Cheeseburger in Paradise," as the video ended. The show featured all the classic live numbers that Buffett shows are known for, and a few surprises, such as "If the Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me" and "Down on the Knees of my Heart." The band did two encores, and when the show finally ended with "Time to Go Home" (from the "Don't Stop the Carnival" CD), the crowd was very exhausted, very wet, probably very drunk, and very sated. Comments heard after the concert ranged from "Awesome" to "Amazing" to "Bitchin" (though no true Southerner will admit to saying "Bitchin.") It left everyone definitely wishing the Carnival wouldn't stop any time soon. Due to the length of the concert, I wasn't able to touch on every song played, but I have included a set list from the concert for any Buffett fans who are interested, or for anyone who wishes to get some idea of what they can expect if they attend one of his shows this summer. If you're thinking about it, it's an excellent way to spend a summer evening. Setlist: "Kinja," "Fruitcakes," "The Weather is Here, I Wish You Were Beautiful," "Down on the Knees of my Heart," "If the Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me," "Pencil Thin Moustache," "Come Monday," "Hotel Room," "Jamaica Mistaica," "Grapefruit, Juicy Fruit," "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes," "Cheeseburger in Paradise," "Last Mango in Paris," "Smart Woman in a Real Short Skirt," "Son of a Son of a Sailor," "A Pirate Looks at 40," "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw," "Mexico," "In the City," "One Particular Harbour," "Margaritaville," "Southern Cross," "Fins," "Brown-Eyed Girl," "Volcano" and "Time to Go Home." |
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