Fins Up And Sin City Not Always A Perfect Match
It seems like a match made in Margaritaville, Jimmy Buffett and Las Vegas.
Fins Up and Sin City. A tropical state of mind in a vacation paradise.
But before you book a flight and a room and go searching for tickets, let me give you the scoop on seeing Buffett in Vegas. He’s there pretty much each October at the MGM Grand (Oct. 20 in 2018).
Frankly, I don’t get too excited about it. And as anyone who knows me will tell you I’m a huge Parrothead. I’ve seen Buffett some 75 times, including a few in Vegas.
But I would rather be at Irvine Meadows (alas, now closed due to a condo development!) or just about any other place on tour. That’s because Vegas has no parking lot scene.
There’s nowhere for people to pull up in motorhomes, party buses (you don’t need one since you can walk to the MGM Grand) or vehicles where Parrtotheads set up pop-up tiki bars.
And with no tailgate scene it’s well, just another concert.
There is a pretty fun party at the Hilton’s tropical pool (I’ve even seen Buffett play there, by the way). But you have to buy your own drinks, get a wristband, etc. Hey it’s fine but personally, I prefer the tailgate party scene for Buffett.
There’s another thing: MGM Grand is an indoor venue. Nearly everywhere else, Buffett plays outdoor places.
I do have a funny story about going to a show here. I was with a group, including a girl I call “The Blonde.” Upon walking in, I turned around and lost them. I did not know where our tickets were so I wandered into the arena (we all had quite a few drinks at this point; shocking, I know at a Buffett show) and I wound up sitting in the 10th row!
It was one of those frustrating things about Buffett shows. It’s next to impossible to get tickets because they sell out so fast, yet down low there are rows and rows of empty seats, bought by some corporation that never uses them.
I sat there alone for nearly half the show, hoping a few other people would come and fill up the area. I could not reach The Blonde to tell her to come join me (she has phone issues; probably lost it. Again).
Since I was sitting alone, I knew I would eventually get busted and I did, a security guard wanting to see my ticket. Dang! So I had to to my real seat which was – get this – on the very last row of the arena! I could lean back and be against the wall.
In a matter of moments, I went from being on the 10th row to being in the very last row.
Oh well, that’s the way it goes; as with anything, you have to make the most of your moments and “live the now” as Buffett sings in one of his songs.
Fins Up!
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