With beaches, boats and certainly lots of bars, San Diego has a lot of the elements to be a big Jimmy Buffett town.
And San Diego has at least one Jimmy Buffett tribute band, Jimmy’s Buffet.
That’s Buffet, not Buffett, as in a Vegas-style buffet. One “t,” not two.
Still, Jimmy’s Buffet does one thing like the double-t’d troubadour: it transports you to a tropical paradise for two or so hours.
Not only does the band sing many of Buffett’s songs all so familiar to Parrotheads – “Boat Drinks,” “Volcano,” “One Particular Harbor,” “Come Monday” and, of course, “Margaritaville” – but it tosses out “cheeseburgers” during “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” has an inflatable human-sized shark people dance with during “Fins” and tosses out beach balls to the lively crowd.
It’s not exactly like going to a Buffett show – nothing except the real thing can match that experience – but it’s close enough to put a smile on your face while having a very good time.
@pubclub.com PubClub.com Party Tip Of The Day. #jimmybuffett tribute band in San Diego, Jimmy’s Buffet at the Holding Company. #tributeband #sandiego #pubclub #partytip #oceanbeach ♬ original sound – PubClub
Front man Chris Maddox is also Elvis in an entertaining Elvis Presley tribute band, Graceband. The two bands have even performed the same night in the same venue, Music Box in San Diego. Talk about a wardrobe change!
“We like to involve the audience,” Maddox said. “For Jimmy’s Buffet, that’s why we have the shark, the cheeseburgers and the beach balls.”
I first saw Jimmy’s Buffet at The Holding Company in Ocean Beach, a top San Diego live music venue with a great weekend brunch featuring towers of drinks while you’re overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the OB Pier.
Jimmy’s Buffet was the early band, playing 8-10 p.m., on a Friday night and the stage was pure Buffett: grass skirting hanging from the steel drum and keyboard, palm trees and a tiki statue with a big screen behind it all with a logo that looked strikingly similar to Buffett’s Songs You Know By Heart album cover. But check the spelling. The band dressed in flip flops and aloha shirts.
You can follow the band on its website or Instagram page to find out its upcoming schedule. Look for it at several of San Diego’s free city concerts this summer.
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