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Tiki Bar in Paradise –
The Honolulu Shell!
There was
a party going on at the Shell – and Bufett was the music.
– More Buffett Coverage
–
•
Prime Parrothead Party Page, With Buffett Concert
Dates
•
Los
Angeles Anaheim Pond, January 2004
• Las
Vegas Margaritaville Cafe Grand Opening, Jan. 2004
• More
concert photos (includes Parrotheads PreParty)
• Jimmy
at Jazz Fest
• Front
Row at Irvine Meadows
The Tiki Bar was
definitely open in Honolulu's Shell amphitheater.
The Bama Breeze 2007 Tour Photos !
The Salty Piece of Land Tour Photos !
PubClubbers and the PubClubettes get primed at the preparty.
• Buffett
Concert Schedule and More Parrothead Photos!
Under the stars of the water, with One
Particular Harbor over the shoulder and a Volcano (Diamond Head) keeping
watch, Jimmy Buffett exploded into Hawaii for a special concert at the
Waikiki Shell in April, 2005. Then again in October of 2007.
He went Crazy on Caroline Street, saw some pirates and, of course,
dubbed the whole place Margaritaville. But he could not hold off the
feeding frenzy of the land sharks, so he gave way to their Fins. He
did an oustanding double-song of Cowboy in the Jungle and Banana Republic,
mainly for a guy he saw earlier on Waikiki Beach who said, "Hey,
you gonna do Cowboy in the Jungle?"
It was 7 to 11 in Honolulu, but 5 O'clock Somewhere.
And, while he changed his latitude, he needed no change in attitude.
Neither, we would like to point out, did the Parrotheads.
Jimmy "surfing"
on stage; photos by PubClub reader and Parrothead Gavin.
The Tiki Time Tour, '04
To have the Jimmy Buffett Tiki Time Tour
conclude in the haven of tiki bars proved to be as appropriate as salt
on the rim of a margarita glass.
For the first time since 1992, Buffett played a full concert in Hawaii
on Wednesday, Jan. 28, making a long-overdue appearance at the Waikiki
Shell, a cozy amphitheater on the edge of Diamondhead and the Pacific.
(He played a small venue in Maui two days later.)
This moment had been building for Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band
since the tour launched last spring. He added a Hawaiian song called
"The Natives Are Restless Tonight," had fire-eating dancers
open each show, added ukuleles to the famed "Let's Get Drunk and
Screw," featured Hula girls and labeled the whole thing the "Tiki
Time Tour."
 And
thank goodness the Tiki Bar was open in Honolulu! It was one of the
most fun times we've ever had at a Buffett performance. While surprisingly
there was no on-premesis pre-partying despite a huge grass field adjacent
to the venue – a Parrothead gathering a Duke's served as the primary
launching point – the concert itself filled the void. That missing
tailgate party actually occurred DURING the show.
The casual nature of Hawaiians – who move at a leisurely pace
that would be considered absurd in, say, New York – made this seem
more like a house party than a concert. People watched from the aisles
– but always conscious of leaving a lane clear for others to pass
– everyone was in shorts and sandals, there were no
beefy security guys waving flashlights causing fans to scurry to their
assigned seats and conversations carried on unabated throughout the
show among friends, strangers and newfound friends. Buffett often says
he's just the background music for a party and never more was this the
case than in Honolulu.
Perhaps energized by finally playing again in Hawaii – where
two years ago he threw a surprise show at Duke's Canoe Club with just
one day's advance notice – Jimmy went nonstop for three full hours.
There was no break, no intermission and the only pause was to roll out
a mobile tiki bar prior to playing that song.
The show itself had a few new twists from others on the Tiki Time Tour.
He brought up a local, popular Buffett-esque local musician, honored
the founder of the Waikiki Shell and ended with a tease. Alone on stage,
he played "Licensed to Chill," from an upcoming new CD (April
2004 release).
In Hawaii, one would
expect there to be fins by the water!
"The Bartender" was thrilled to discover his seats were next
to the beautiful Tracy.
Among the songs he played were:
• Come Monday
• The Natives Are Restless Tonight (mentioning how nice it was
to be in Hawaii while people were freezing in places like Madison, WI)
• Grapefruit Juicy Fruit
• It's 5 O'clock Somewhere
• One Particular Harbor
• We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us About (a great song we're
happy to see included)
• A Pirate Looks at 40
• Far Side of the World
• It's My Job
• Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
• Mexico
• Margaritaville
• Volcano (encore)
• Fins (encore)
Jimmy and Mac stood
alone when they performed "It's My Job."
The setting was sensational. The Waikiki Shell is located in Kapiolani
Park and only holds approximately 7,500. The lawn is as close to the
stage as the second section in many other venues, and this added to
the house party feel of the concert.
The staff was as casual at the attire – no strip searches, no
scrutinizing every pocket or pocketbook. While beer and margarita tiki
stands were specially erected, the $5 price for a drink was not outrageous.
At the standard stands, the fine art of ripping off concert-goers with
ridiculous overcharging seemed lost on the Hawaiians. Large soft drinks
were just $3, as were huge chili cheese dogs. A heaping mound of chili-covered
nachos that looked much more appetizing than what is usually found at
ballparks and arenas was just $3.75.
The only real problem was the fact there is only one entrance for the
lawn seats; a huge line of several hundred people existed from about
two hours prior to the show to well after the music began. This made
the local news more than the actual event.
After the show, PubClub visited an appropriate place just down the
street, the newly opened Tiki Bar. It really didn't look like a tiki
bar but instead consisted almost entirely of an open-air deck across
the street from the ocean. Several other Parrotheads went back to Duke's
where Buffett was spotted lounging by the pool earlier in the day.
This was PubClub's third show in 6 days in three states. While this
one practically required us to travel to the far side of the world,
and while we feel the locals need to grasp the concept of the PubClub
Parrothead Party Bus, this ranks near the top as one of the
best Buffett shows of them all.
Mahalo Jimmy, the Coral Reefers, the Shell Amphitheater staff and the
Hawaiian people.
Okole Ma Luna!
Buffett on stage
– having cameras and stopping to snap pics was a snap.
From the affordable concession stands with Buffett in the background.
The Bartender enjoys
a salute with local PubClubber "Luau Larry."
There were not many
funky hats, though this couple was in the spirit(s).
The Pirate was looking
at something much younger than 40!
 Buffett
Anaheim Pond 2004
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