The Good

In 2004, Jimmy Buffett played a series of concerts at Boston’s Fenway Park, and I am proud to report that I won a pair of tickets for his first show because I had collected the most drink tickets at our local watering hole. 

The venue

Judging from the sheer hype surrounding Buffett’s shows at Fenway Park, I was quite excited about the show.  Buffett was going to be only the second act to play the famed ballpark, and our seats were in the outfield, close to the stage.

The prep

Other than throwing on a couple of leis we found at the bottom of our closet and making a quick stop at the ATM, we did nothing.  Nada.  So far, so good! 

The tailgating

Part of the city’s nervous anticipation of Jimmy’s show was because of the hard-partying “Parrotheads”.  Normally confined to the parking lot of a large stadium, they’d be jam-packed on the narrow and congested streets surrounding Fenway.

Surprisingly, this was the best part of the show.  The notoriously unruly and inebriated fans were quite happily buzzed and relaxed, roaming in and out of the bars on Landsdowne Street before and after the concert.

The show

The venue was outfitted with tons of accessible beer and drink concessions, so fans could continue to party inside Fenway.  The concert started in the late afternoon as the sun started to set, and ended under the stars and bright night lights of Fenway.  Pretty much the best atmosphere ever. 

I knew a total of probably two songs going into this thing, but I quickly learned what to sing when (“Salt!  Salt!  Salt!”) and what to do during certain songs.  And though I often felt like a complete idiot, it was actually fun.

Did you know? -> Some say that Buffett broke the fabled Red Sox curse during his shows in Boston.

The aftermath

Super easy: We hopped on the T along with tons of happily singing fans and went home.  Done!

The verdict

Two huge thumbs up.  The partying was controlled and fun, and the crowd was buzzing and excited.  The vibe was great, and being in the outfield of Fenway Park, walking along the Green Monster, was pretty amazing for everyone there.  This, by far, was one of the best concert experiences I’ve ever had.

The Bad

Two years later, in 2006, we again had free tickets to our second Buffett show: this time, at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts. 

This time around, the manager of said watering hole didn’t bother having a contest to give the tickets away; he simply gave them to my husband and I.  I like to think we earned it by our presence at the bar six days a week. 

The venue

The Tweeter Center is in the middle of nowhere, but is a pretty decent place to see a concert - unless, of course, you happen to get stuck behind or near a giant cement column.

But other than the lack of the magic of Fenway Park, the real difference that had the most effect on this show was the presence of a parking lot, in which fans would be able to tailgate and party.  All.  Day.  Long.

The prep

Going to this particular concert involved quite a bit of shopping and organizing.  First, since two leis were clearly not going to be enough, we had to load up on several more, along with beads and other ridiculous plastic accessories.

Then, knowing we would be tailgating in a confined area lot for several hours, we needed to stock up on food and beverages, paper plates and napkins, sunblock and ice, and a beach umbrella. 

The tailgating

Complete and utter chaos. 

Let’s back up.  Early on, it was all smiles and laughter and excitement.  People had just arrived, and a few beers in where still blowing up their giant palm tree decorations and setting up their makeshift hot tubs and beer roller coasters.  Later, it became rowdy, but not out of control.  Bare breasts, men wearing empty beer cartons on their heads, and the like. 

But as the hours ticked by, adults who had 20+ years of legal drinking under their belts were complete messes.  Anyone younger than that could barely stand up.  And, hello, we still had a concert to see!

The show

So, listen.  I think the show itself was fine.  It lacked the energy and spark of the Fenway show, that’s for sure.  And our seats weren’t that great, so that didn’t help matters.

But the real issue was the crowd.  Everyone was so skunk drunk that you were contantly getting smoke blown almost directly into your lungs, beer spilled all over your arm, and your husband fondled by a wacked-out woman dressed as a pirate. 

But the real highlight of the evening was when a guy tumbled down three rows of seats, cracking his head open right next to me.  My instinct to punch him in the face was replaced by a real fear for his well-being – and his blood all over on my hands was a bit of a bummer.  And having to use crumbled napkins I picked up from the ground to wipe it off was a real treat!

The aftermath

We left a few songs before the end, but it wasn’t soon enough.  On our way out of the venue we were still caught up in a throng of drunken, scary-rowdy people who had also came up with the brilliant idea to cut out early.  (How did these people all of a sudden make one intelligent decision?) 

Aaaand….two hours later, we finally got on the highway.  Nothing like sitting in your car, crawling through the parking as people are urinating on your hubcabs.

The verdict

A giant, foam-fingered thumb down.  All-day, free-for-all tailgating and Jimmy Buffett fans do not mix.  And, frankly, I don’t like his music enough to ever do it again.