Buffett and Lightfoot

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Buffett brings sunshine to ACC crowd
By JANE STEVENSON, SUN MEDIA
3 out of 5 stars

Last Updated: 20th November 2009, 12:13pm
When you go to a Jimmy Buffett concert, you’re truly entering Margaritaville.

Witness Buffett’s so-called Summerzcool Tour which blew into the Air Canada Centre on Thursday night for a rare cold-weather indoor show, drawing about 12,000 people, a.k.a. Parrotheads, many wearing pirate, sailor or straw hats, with flowered leis around their necks.

“It might be raining out there in Toronto but we got a cloudless, sunny sky in here,” said the 62-year-old Buffett, in a T-shirt, shorts and barefeet and weilding a guitar in front a video screen that showed endless images of beaches and sunsets all night long.

Joined by the 10-member Coral Reefer Band on a stage adorned with bamboo rails, palm trees, beach balls, strings of white lights, and the obligatory steel drums, Buffett’s good-time vibe seemed to go a long way with fans eager for sunshine.

After opening the two-and-a-half-hour show with the trio of Lage Nom Ai, Stars On The Water and the new song, Summerzcool, Buffett’s acoustic guitar player Mac McAnally traded verses with him on It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere followed by his backup singer Nadirah Shakoor joining him for Conky Tonkin’.

In case, you haven’t figured it out yet, this ain’t exactly Radiohead.

When a yellow beachball with a smiley face landed at Buffett’s feet, he held it up to his face and broke out into a big smile, commenting: “This smells like beer and marijuana. Not a bad smell.”

The crowd really came alive for Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes while videos of the Parrotheads’ legendary tailgate parties were shown, and Volcano as in: “I don’t know where I’m a gonna go, when the volcano blows.”

There’s just no getting these people down.

“It’s amazing what happens when thousands of people sing together,” said Buffett, who has Candian roots that trace back to Glace Bay, N.S. “It’s a wonderful release.”

The crowd singalongs continued with Cheeseburger In Paradise, Come Monday, Son Of A Son Of A Sailor, One Particular Harbour, Margaritaville, Fins, and covers of Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl, Crosby, Stills & Nash’s Southern Cross and The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine.

“I think we are doing a pretty good job of keeping summer extended up here,” said Buffett.

He also tried out new material from his forthcoming studio album, Buffet (one T) Hotel, due Dec. 8, like A Lot To Drink About, Wings and Surfing In A Hurricane, and played ukelele on the old chestnut, My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink & I Don’t Love Jesus.

Buffett made a big deal out of the fact that trumpet player John Lovell, who celebrated his birthday Thursday, was allowed to chose a song to do a solo to and went with Pencil Thin Moustache.

Other song titles included Jamaica Mistaica and Last Mango In Paris. You get the idea.

But before launching into a rare reflective and acoustic number, A Pirate Looks At Forty, Buffett praised Gordon Lightfoot who was singing across town at Massey Hall on Thursday night during the second evening of a four-night stand.

“I’ve never seen Gordon Lightfoot and on the night he’s playing, I’m working,” lamented Buffett, who closed the evening alone on stage with the heartfelt He Went To Paris.

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SET LIST:

Lage Nom Ai

Stars on the Water

Summerzcool

It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere

Mañana

Conky Tonkin’

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

Volcano

Cheeseburger in Paradise

Come Monday

Son of a Son of a Sailor

Brown Eyed Girl

One Particular Harbour

A Lot To Drink About

INTERMISSION

One Love

My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink & I Don’t Love Jesus

Pencil Thin Moustache

Wings

Jamaica Mistaica

Gypsies In The Palace

Last Mango in Paris

Surfing In A Hurricane

Southern Cross

A Pirate Looks at Forty

Margaritaville

Fins

ENCORE:

We are the People our Parents Warned Us About/Twist and Shout

Yellow Submarine

He Went To Paris (solo)