Stephen Engle of Bloomberg interviewed Jimmy Buffett before his January 18th benefit show in Hong Kong. They discussed how Jimmy got started, how he continues to have success, and even talked about the economy. There is some great video shown during the interview, and Jimmy even breaks out his guitar to sing an acoustic solo version of Margaritaville. Below is Part I of the interview:
The January 18th benefit concert in Hong Kong was a huge success, raising more than $420,000 for Hong Kong’s neediest children. The interest from Parrotheads in Asia was so great, that event organizers are apologizing that so many devoted fans couldn’t get tickets to the show:
As messages begging for tickets were left on Tom Crampton’s blog and strangers started tracking down Dave Garcia’s personal phone number, we understood our major miscalculation Jimmy Buffett’s appeal to devotees in Hong Kong, China, Thailand, the Philippines and beyond.
Truth is, we had no idea how big Jimmy’s first-ever appearance in Hong Kong would become. The concert outstripped all expectations, drawing fans from around Asia and we now realize that we could easily have sold 3,000 tickets instead of 650.
The article on Crampton’s blog goes on to explain Buffett’s generosity:
Buffett himself was confident of success from beginning. So confident, in fact, that he not only flew out with his band and gave the concert for free, but he also paid for the beer and tequila and donated the proceeds from the sales to the charity.
While visiting the orphanage during his visit, Jimmy led the kids in singing the Hokey Pokey and had such fun we actually had trouble getting him out.
At the concert, he played for more than two hours and added the song “Somewhere Over China” to the playlist for the first time in 14 years.
The good news for Buffett fans: Jimmy loved the fans, Hong Kong and the charity so much, he plans to return next year.
The action is in Glendale, Arizona the weekend of February 2 & 3! The new Margaritaville Cafe is just a stone’s throw away from the University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the Super Bowl, and Miles Hampton will be broadcasting live from there on Radio Margaritaville.
He’ll have partying guests, and a recap of the red carpet, celebrity packed Landshark ‘Big Game Bash’ being held Friday night! World renowned sports and entertainment stars will be at the Westgate Center Margaritaville Café.
Be tuned in Saturday at 5pm ET and Sunday at 1pm ET for a super party weekend from Margaritaville!
Jimmy Buffett performed a USO concert this week for our troops aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) during a recent port visit in the Middle East. Navy.mil has some photos of the event:
Jimmy Buffett played a private show on Friday night in Singapore at the Long Bar in the Raffles Hotel, according to a BuffettWorld forum member:
Last night (January 25, 2008) I was visiting the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. I heard a number of Jimmy Buffet songs coming from upstairs a spiral staircase…less than 10 feet away from where we were. Included in the songs were Cheeseburger in Paradise, Brown Eyed girl and Margaritaville. It sounded like it actually was him…so we asked the hostess and she said that it was a private party, she could not reveal who was sponsoring the event, but in fact it was Jimmy Buffet. He made a joke about “…not finding it on E-Bay…” just before he concluded his set.
As guests were leaving the party upstairs…they were all given a “Margaritaville” goody bag.
Jimmy is currently traveling through southeast Asia after performing a benefit show in Hong Kong on January 18th.
CupCakes for the Tribe details the similarities and differences between Jimmy Buffett and billionaire investor Warren Buffett, whom Jimmy refers to as “Uncle Warren,” in their latest podcast.
On first blush they may appear as if they’re worlds apart, but Warren Buffett and Jimmy Buffett, having respectively built huge empires and fortunes based on their fields of expertise may have more in common than you might think. Episode 3 of CupCakes For The Tribe takes a look at he differences and the similarities between the two American icons.
Jimmy Buffett’s sister Lucy “Lulu,” owner of Lulu’s at Homeport, has released a new cookbook.
“Crazy Sista Cooking: Cuisine and Conversation with Lucy Anne Buffett” is the next best thing to being there. “Inside you’ll find laugh-out-loud anecdotes, wit and wisdom from Lucy’s own kitchen, festive party menus, Buffett family favorites, and plenty of telling it like it is.”
Jimmy Buffett is scheduled to play the second weekend of this year’s New Orleans Jazz Fest. According to the Sun Herald, Buffett will take the stage on Saturday, May 3rd.
The festival runs April 25-27 and May 1-4. Get more information at nojazzfest.com
I have been getting a lot of e-mails lately from people wanting to know when Jimmy Buffett’s tour dates for 2008 will be announced. Looking at the past few years, a pretty good argument can be made that they will come out in 3-4 weeks (around mid-February).
In 2007, the first dates were announced on BuffettWorld in mid-February. Those announced at that time included the September Gillette Stadium shows, the July Tinley Park and Alpine Valley shows, and April shows in Dallas and Houston. More dates were confirmed at the end of February: Indy, Bristow VA, Pittsburgh, and Cincy.
In 2006, Margaritaville.com posted the first tour dates on February 11th for the April tour leg. The June and August shows of that year were announced on February 23rd.
And in 2005, spring and summer dates weren’t announced until late February and early March.
So if history is any guide, I’d guess early February the rumor mill will heat up and in mid-February we’ll start getting some solid dates. This of course may not be accurate, but should be close.
The best and quickest way to get Buffett tour dates when they are announced is by signing up for BuffettWorld news updates. You can do that here!
Veteran Coral Reefer and Grammy-award winning
producer, songwriter and percussionist Ralph MacDonald
has released his latest album, “Mixty Motions.”
Featuring a danceable mix of Caribbean-infused smooth
jazz tunes, the 12-song collection includes noteable
guest musicians like Ashford & Simpson, Will Lee,
Etienne Charles, Dave Mann, Roger George, and fellow
Coral Reefer Robert Greenidge. The record also
includes an update of “Don’t Stop The Carnival,” a
song MacDonald wrote in 1966 for Harry Belafonte.
For more information on “Mixty Motions,” including
audio samples and an online store, please visit here.
The action is in Glendale, Arizona the weekend of February 2 & 3! The new 
Jimmy Buffett’s sister Lucy “Lulu,” owner of 
Veteran Coral Reefer and Grammy-award winning
