Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band

April 30, 2022

Charlotte, NC

PNC Music Pavilion

Review by Joseph Hett

Charlotte Is Packed To The Gills For Jimmy Buffett

You know Jimmy Buffett is in town when a concert venue’s allowed items list says, “Beach balls and inflatable sharks WILL be allowed into the venue for this show.” With that being said, the long-awaited Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band show finally happened just in time to kickoff summer at the PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, NC on Saturday night.

Since the show was a legitimate sell-out, the surrounding parking-lots quickly filled up. The Parrotheads, who were

obviously out in full force, started to party while tailgating. During the show, Buffett would say there were 20,000 people in attendance.

The show started when vintage video of Buffett started to play on the videos screens. After a few minutes, Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band came out and started with “Down at the Lah De Dah.”

Buffett started the fan favorite “Fins” and everyone knew to raise their arms up to make “fins” to correspond with the “You got fins to the left, fins to the right” lyrics. Buffett pulled out his 12-string guitar before drifting off with “Son of a Son of a Sailor.” Next up was the catchy “Mailbox Money” from 2020’s “Life on the Flip Side.”

During the first half of the show, numerous beach balls bounced throughout the amphitheater. Buffett even kicked a few back into the crowd and would throw up the field goal is good sign with his arms.

Mac McAnally got to play the part of Alan Jackson for “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.” A blue ukulele was brought out to Buffett for the timeless “Come Monday.”

Buffett gave a shout-out to the Carolinas for being so supportive of his musical journey over the years before launching into the aptly named “Coast of Carolina.”

The ageless “Volcano” ended the first portion of the set. Buffett then took a short break as McAnally took over with “Little Martha.”

Everybody’s fins perked up when they started the classic “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes.”

The jazzy intro of “Pencil Thin Mustache” was right on point since Buffett mentioned they were headed down to New Orleans to play the Jazz Fest.

As expected, there was an audience singalong with “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”

Tiki torches were shown on the screens for “One Particular Harbour.” The somber “A Pirate Looks at Forty” was up next.

McAnally showcased his own song titled “Back Where I Come From.” Kenny Chesney, who covered that song, just happened to be playing in Charlotte too at the Bank of America Stadium. That made for a whole lot of beach bums in Charlotte on Saturday night.

Buffett closed the set out with a cover of “Brown Eyed Girl” and the one and only “Margaritaville.”

For the encore, they played “Another Saturday Night” and “Southern Cross.” Buffett ended the show with the solo acoustic “Tin Cup Chalice.”

It’s almost like Jimmy Buffett comes out once the weather warms up – kind of like a reverse Santa. Well, Buffett was born on Christmas day…

The concert was being livestreamed on Buffett’s website, but one needs to see Buffett perform in person to experience the complete atmosphere of a Buffett show. Just hearing the steel drum ring over the speakers transports you to a tropical destination.