Guide to the 2010 Jimmy Buffett Tour: Under the Big Top

Searching for a cross-generational rocking good time? Where can a 60 year old grandpa, 40 year old son and 20 year old grandson all go to spend some quality time together? Why a Buffett concert, of course. The 63 year old singer hops on stage, barefoot, guitar in hand, an brings an escapist state of mind to a town near year you. Scan the crowd in any direction and catch a glimpse of grandpa and grandson singing along to classic Buffett tunes.

The 2010 Under the Big Top Tour is already in high gear, after celebrating a 25 year anniversary in Cincinnati at Riverbend Music Center. An inexplicable love affair between Jimmy Buffett and the "Queen City" began forty years ago when he started performing to small, yet rowdy audiences in southern Ohio. The May 17, 2010 performance celebrated the quarter of a century mark of concerts at the Ohio River venue.

"I don't know why this city and I have always had such a bond, but I get it man. I really do. You bunch of River Pirates," Buffet belted through the microphone to exuberant shouts of "We love you" from the 20,000 plus audience.

No matter what town, or even what country, this senior citizen can still sell out a venue in less than 15 minutes. Something with the laid-back Buffett tunes resonates with the inner-desire to run away to a tropical paradise in all of us. This spring and summer tour is the fortieth year that the barefoot crooner has been on the road. Throngs of followers, commonly known as "Parrot Heads" start the party early tailgating in concert venue parking lots hours before the first sound check begins.

While those of us who haven't reached our "Golden Years" yet might assume the term "Parrot Heads" has been around since Buffett struck his first chords, it has not. During a 1985 concert at the Cincinnati King's Island an on-stage conversation between Buffett and a member of the Coral Reefer band compared the constant followers of the group to Grateful Dead fans, i.e. "Dead Heads" and a new slogan was born.

At any given Buffett concert, people-watching is almost as much fun as swaying along to the music. College guys clad in coconut bras and grass skirts, thousands of colorful Hawaiian shirts, outlandishly decorated straw hats and tie-dye clothing are the norm when Buffett comes to town. While the crowds are massive and over imbibing is common, the temporary Jimmy Buffet community is low-key and very friendly. A fight is almost unheard of at a Buffett concert.

"I'm not through with you people yet," Buffet shouted from the stage as he emerged for his second encore while in Cincy. A three-hour show is to be expected when Buffett takes to the stage across the United States for his annual concert tour.

"I'd like to see what the stage looks like at 73, if the people will have me," Buffett stated. " If not, then I will just go to the beach."

Dust of your swim suit, dig out your favorite beach vacation digs and head to a Buffet concert with your significant other, friends or even Grandma. The all-accepting vibe of the portable "Margaritaville" community has been likened to Woodstock more than once. Take a mini-vacay to the mystical world of Jimmy Buffett - don't forget your cooler and stuffed parrot hat!

Sources used for this article include attendance at concerts and the Margaritaville Official Jimmy Buffett website.