Occupy Margaritaville

The Jimmy Buffet Experience
By – Ed Rupert; On Scene News; Reporter/Producer

Well it was not only my first concert ever, but it was an experience that I wanted to have before I left this earth; yes it was on my “bucket list”.
My amazing wife heard my call and ordered the tickets and we were going to the Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Bands, Fin Land Concert in the Mile High City of Denver.
The anticipation was more than I could handle, I have been dreaming of the “Buffett”, lifestyle for several decades. I don’t or didn’t consider myself a “Parrot Head”, but I did want Jimmy’s life…
A life of traveling the beaches of the world by boat, plane or motor coach, crooning about my amazing life drinking boat drinks and margaritas in cargo shorts and Hawaiian shirts…it doesn’t much matter to me as my 9-5 was a little old after more years that I am willing to admit. The idea of being a free spirit in the world today or over at least the last 40 years gets more and more appealing as we approach the end of the Aztec Calendar, YIKES!!!
This concert was in effect a realization and confirmation that I wanted the balance of my years to be focused on embracing the joys of my experience in this life I am living and less to do with the “rat race” of accumulation. Could I be happy in a parking lot of 3000 of my closet, soon to be friends, tailgating my way to Buffett Nirvana, or perhaps with 45,000 other fellow Margaritavillians; Do I like margaritas that much?

• Tickets?  √
• Press credentials?  √
• Tie Dye shirt?  √
• Grass Skirt?  √
• Lovely Wife?  √
• Money for concert food?  √

The 65 mile drive was filled with the anticipation of Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefers breathing the same air gave me oneness with the lifestyle, when arriving at the press parking lot and seeing the groups motor coaches, I must admit, my excitement was growing. Upon exiting our vehicle we could hear a Coral Reefers style cover band at a local bar and smell the grilling meat smelling of cheeseburgers in not quite paradise, waffling into the air. I must admit for down town Denver at 6:00 P.M. it was better than the usual rap and hyper base sounds, throbbing their way into my mind.
As, this reporter was listening to the cover band at the local restaurant, we were drawn to look at 6 grass skirt, coconut bra, flip flop and straw hat wearing men walking out towards the parking lot where more activity was spotted. Ah yes the famous Buffett parking lot tailgate experience, behind the concert venue.

It look like a stationary parade and the observers walked up and down the aisles, wearing Leigh’s beads lighted necklaces and more and more grass skirts and coconut bras, worn by both men women. I have never met such a friendly and sharing group of people, we were offered cheeseburgers, shrimp that were beginning to boil, land shark beers, margaritas and my lovely bride who made all this happen received two Leigh’s in the parking lot! I couldn’t help but think if Jimmy Buffett would run for President of the United States, that we would be living in a much more laid back country. Talk about bi-partnership! No one cared about the disliked 1% or the 99%, Republican or Democrat; we were all Margaritavillians; looking for our own peace and paradise. Wait isn’t that what we all really want anyway?

As I walked down aisle after aisle of tiki huts, colorfully decorated motor homes, grills, blenders, coolers and oh yes more people in grass skits, coconut bras and straw hats, sporting shoulder parrots, pink flamingo beer bongs, all made me think about the simplistic apparel required for the Margaritavillian lifestyle. These Margaritavillians were Doctors, nurses, business executives, housewives, secretaries, communication specialists, teachers and board members of companies you would not believe, all parading around in unbelievable attire in not so perfect harmony with another cover bands version of a Pirate looks at 40.
Burgers, bands and brew, is the order of the day a Jimmy Buffett tailgate, Margaritas’ flowing like water as the parade of observers walk through the tailgate drive-in, everyone willing to share their story of previous tailgates at a Buffett concert, playing yard/ parking lot games, hula hooping or sharing a meal and beverage of the day, to reveler strangers. At 8:00 p.m. the concert arena was full of the parking lot devotees, as if moths drawn to the light. The blow up beach balls, Finish Flags, and balloons being batted around the arena, made the event much more interactive. The previously inebriated bar patrons were now being carried in by their escorts only to be removed after the first couple songs due to their projectile illness (too much Margaritaville tequila perhaps?).