He did his bit of smuggling, he once sang, and he ran his share of grass. Now, the late, great Jimmy Buffett is being honored by an assortment of his many friends and admirers in an all-star tribute concert Thursday night at the Hollywood Bowl.
Keep the Party Going, as the show is billed, takes place seven months after Buffett died from skin cancer in September at age 76, leaving behind a lifestyle empire that reportedly made him a billionaire — and, of course, a deep catalog of wryly literate songs that blend country, pop, folk, rock and Caribbean music.
In the wake of his death came warm remembrances from the likes of former President Clinton, who said Buffett’s work “brought happiness to millions of people,” and Alan Jackson, with whom Buffett recorded the No. 1 country hit “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.” Elton John called him “a unique and treasured entertainer”; LL Cool J said he was “glad we had time to vibe.”
Among the many acts set to perform at the Bowl are Paul McCartney, the Eagles, Jon Bon Jovi, Jackson Browne, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Sheryl Crow, Zac Brown, Jack Johnson, Pitbull and members of Buffett’s longtime Coral Reefer Band.
7:11 p.m. Greetings from Margaritaville! (Sorry, I had no choice.) With a lineup long on boomer icons — and an audience full of the fans Buffett often compared to Deadheads with credit cards — tonight’s show promises to be like a stylishly graying Coachella, a prospect for which I’m all in. I’m Mikael Wood, The Times’ pop music critic, and I’m happy to be here with my colleagues August Brown and Erin Osmon to play-by-play this tribute to the man who did as much as anyone to bring fruity drinks and sandy desperation into the pop vernacular. — Mikael Wood
As the native Floridian on the Times team here, I am thrilled to see tonight as the beginning of a Buffett-sance among LA’s songwriter set. Parrothead wear is the look of the summer to come. — August Brown
And we’re off with a festive take on “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” by Buffett’s stalwart backup crew, the Coral Reefer Band. — M.W.
Introducing himself as a Florida boy, Jake Owen says he knows “a lot about citrus” — his way to queue up “Grapefruit – Juicy Fruit.” — M.W.
The Coral Reefer Band puts a brass-infused NOLA spin on “Pencil Thin Mustache,” opener of Buffett catalog highlight “Living and Dying in 3/4 Time.” This colorful crowd — the Bowl looks like a pastel kaleidoscope of leis and Hawaiian shirts — is on its feet and loving it. I wore my Hush Puppies for the occasion. Perhaps I’ll join them. — Erin Osmon
7:26 p.m. Woody Harrelson is here in a beat-up cowboy hat recalling the time he and Buffett smoked a joint on the roof of the Vatican. “That’s not true of course,” he adds, “but wouldn’t that be a great story?” As one of the night’s first celeb presenters, the actor goes on to extol Buffett’s creation of “a new genre of music — and hotels and restaurants and old folks’ homes.” — M.W.
7:32 p.m. Kenny Chesney takes “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” — which, as bite-size philosophies go, is up there with the best. — M.W.
Kenny Chesney says that, as a kid growing up in east Tennessee, Jimmy Buffett was the first person who showed him that a person can paint pictures with words; a touching and fitting sentiment before he launched into “Where I Come From,” a song that evokes the powerful, everyday images of Buffett’s (and Chesney’s) rural upbringings. — E.O.
7:35 p.m. In a video tribute, Dolly Parton emphasizes Buffett’s multi-hyphenate brilliance — songwriter, author, mogul — and that he was more than just a dude in flip flops. — E.O.
7:42 p.m. The Jimmy Buffett lifestyle crosses seas and transcends continents, as Angélique Kidjo proved on a regal take of “One Particular Harbour.” The two were old pals and collaborators on “Ti Punch Café,” from Jimmy’s final album “Equal Strain on All Parts,” and the respect and camaraderie between them is really delightful. — A.B.
