a Jimmy Buffet concert: wildest party of the summer

A maroon 15-passenger van barrels down a four lane highway towards Philadelphia and follows the sign reading “Last Exit Before Bridge”. The van wasn’t headed for Philly, better yet, Camden, NJ, the location for the wildest party of the entire summer, a Jimmy Buffett concert.

Inside the long, dark red bus-like vehicle were 14 sweaty people dressed mostly in unbuttoned flower print shirts, shorts and flip flops. Four people were sitting on coolers filled with Corona, Coors Light, Yuengling, Amstel Light, and also some sandwiches and a few trays of cheese, to be eaten with the several boxes of crackers strewn somewhere inside this mess of eager folks, party supplies and booze.

Those fortunate enough to place their asses on a bench seat were sitting over folding chairs, a fold-out tarp, another case or two of beer, and a box with a mix of goodies: honey roasted peanuts, tortilla chips accompanied by salsa, and the biggest bottles of Jose Quervo, Captain Morgan and Smirnoff Vodka money can buy.

The van flew down the back roads of Camden, anxiously approaching the destination. Inside, another two beer bottles was tossed underneath the seat as Tim and Frank cracked open two more. “I think I’ll have a Yuengling this time,” said Frank. He was on his fourth. “We’re going to be late!” someone hollered.

“We’ll be fi ne, it’s only 1:45,” the driver replied. We had wanted to be there almost an hour ago. Now there was a line to get in and park. $15 dollars to park.

Thousands were already there. Blue, white, green tarps could be seen all over the parking lot. A yellow moving truck was parked with the back open exposing speakers that were at least 4 feet tall. The reggae music rang out. On the far right, some people lounged in a small baby pool in the back of a pick up truck; how appropriate for this hot July day.

Frank and Jeff, with beers in hand, took a walk to scope out the scene of the parking lot. The cloudless sky allowed the sun to beat through onto their sweating bodies. Sunglasses are a must.

A group of concertgoers made a bar that looked like a huge pirate ship. It was 9 feet high, at least 15 feet long and it was painted flawlessly. It was obvious that the creators were totally proud of their constructive capabilities. They were being interviewed by Philly’s NBC station. A few strides away, a group of people, probably in their late 30’s, stood around chatting with red cups in hand. Nothing out of the ordinary, except that they were standing on a patch of beautifully green grass in the middle of a hot, black parking lot. They had actually brought in sod to the tailgate for the Jimmy Buffet concert.

Of course, it wasn’t long before the unforgettable tune was heard in the distance, and the line that everyone can sing approached. Across the parking lot, voices cried out, “WASTING AWAY AGAIN IN MARGARITAVILLE!” Some nearly screaming.

The concert wasn’t scheduled to start for another 5 hours, yet the parking lots were full. No one else was allowed in. They began putting people in the lot designated for the minor league baseball team, a block down the main strip. Where the maroon van had parked was jumping with silliness.

Small water guns were filled with tequila and Tim shot the girls in bikinis as they strolled by unsuspecting. Hey, it was a good conversation starter. “Hey!” one girl nearly yelled with an angry tone. “Hey, how you doin’?” replied Tim, as he stood up and offered them a drink. You didn’t have to mention that it was Jose Quervo in the gun unless they noticed it wasn’t water. By the time the “water gun with tequila” phenomena died down, 5 or 6 people looked like the got in a fight with a fire fighter trying to put out a blaze. But water, no way, viva tequila!

The excitement grew as the hours of partying passed. Similar to Deadheads - the loyal followers of the Grateful Dead - Parrot Heads are the devoted fans of the long-running star Buffett. And they were hungry for some “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” Buffet, 57, had a new album out called Meet Me In Margaritaville: The Ultimate Collection. Released in 2003, it features some classic favorites like “Cheeseburger in Paradise”, “Fins”, and “Why Don’t We Get Drunk (and Screw)”. But, this double disk album also has new songs such as “Everybody’s Talkin’” and “Sail on Sailor” with new recordings of “The Captain and the Kid” and “He Went to Paris”.

The sky turned from hazy blue to bright red as the sun began to set behind the tall buildings of the Philadelphia cityscape. Crowds had diminished in the parking lot and moved like cattle in the direction of the venue. It was a 10 minute walk from the main parking lot party.

Outside the entrance, Frank – a 5’8” 21 year old Italian guy – recognizes a former fellow employee of his. The 300 lb. black man was selling straw hats for $4 and he instantly remembered the little guy and yells “Frankie!”

Frank hustles over. The huge man grabs him and completely lifts Frank off the ground, bear hugging him and fl ailing from side to side causing Frank’s legs to swing back and forth like a limp piece of rope. The group bought five hats off the guy, and casually cruised into the concert wearing their new straw hats that stuck out 6” in all directions. No eyeballs were poked out, luckily.

Pandemonium brews inside. Thousands of people of all ages cram into the outdoor concert venue, and the overpriced beers continue to flow: $11 for a yard of Yuengling, 6 bucks for a 16 oz. Many had been drinking for 8 hours when Buffet and his band took to the stage. Someone fumbled to stomach a pretzel to soak up some of the intoxicating liquid in their gut. Then the drunk dancing began immediately following the first notes. The crowd was loving it. Buffet and his boys played two sets, both about an hour or so long, closing the night with their signature song “Margaritaville.”

The maroon van again was packed with people as it fought its way out of the traffic jam in the parking lot.

Eventually, after getting a little lost in downtown Camden, the van and its throng of drunkies found its way to Cooper Hospital where a not so sober lady was being treated for a broken wrist. She declared she was shoved, but she had been drinking all day in the sun at the biggest party of the summer, the tailgate for the Jimmy Buffet show.