“Hello Carolina, We’re still here!” started stop number four on the Year Of Still Here Tour in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Returning to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (or the Blockbuster Pavilion as it once was known) for the first time in two years, the first set was almost the same as Frisco, the lone difference being the return of “Tryin’ to Reason with Hurricane Season”, not played since opening night in Houston, in the #8 slot.

The second set was similar as well, however “Why Don’t We Get Drunk” was dropped and “Scarlet Begonias” returned to the set. Jimmy once again told his story of the time the Grateful Dead played 2 nights at the same venue in Charlotte and Jimmy followed them by playing the next night and the following afternoon. Research has indicated that this event took place in 1992, although it was not at the same venue, as the Grateful Dead played the Charlotte Coliseum June 17 and 18 while Jimmy played the Blockbuster Pavilion June 19 and 20.

The first encore again featured “Fins” and the Bob Dylan classic “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35.” But the second encore featured perhaps the biggest surprise of the tour as Jimmy pulled out “God’s Own Drunk” for the first time since Last October in Vegas. This was just the third time in the last eight years it was played and the first time it has closed a show since August 1, 1998 in Bristow, VA.

View the entire set list here.

Did you attend the show? Share your thoughts on our Discussion Board or post your photos in our Photo Gallery.

The 2008 “Year of Still Here” tour will continue Saturday Night with a show at Jazz Fest in New Orleans. Don’t forget that Thursday night “Freddy and the Fishsticks” will be performing at the Margaritaville in New Orleans. Get your tickets now!

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band continue their Year Of Still Here Tour tonight with a show from the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Charlotte, North Carolina.

You can listen to the show live through Radio Margaritaville on the web at www.radiomargaritaville.com or on Sirius 31.

The pre-show will begin around 7:30 pm EDT and Jimmy will take the stage shortly after 8 pm EDT.

Follow along with the set list and chat with other parrot heads during the show on our Discussion Board.

Other shows this week: Thursday, May 1st – Margaritaville Cafe, New Orleans; and Saturday, May 3rd – New Orleans Jazz Fest, New Orleans (Get Tickets).

The results are in for the 2008 Fantasy Set List Contest, but not before having to resort to a tie-breaker round to break a four-way tie.

The winner of this year’s contest is jollymon345 with 140 points!

Congratulations to him for winning a Portopong from our good friends at www.portopong.com. Here was his winning entry for the St. Louis set list:

1. Homemade Music
2. The Tiki Bar is Open
3. Fruitcakes
4. Mexico
5. Miss You So Badly
6. It’s Five O’clock Somewhere (w/Mac)
7. We’re Still Here
8. Brown Eyed Girl
9. Tryin’ To Reason With Hurricane Season
10. Cheeseburger in Paradise
11. One Particular Harbour
12. Rainy Day Woman #12 and 35 (Bob Dylan Cover)
13. Gulf Coast Highway (Nanci Griffith Cover, w/Tina Gullickson)
14. Makin’ Music for Money (Nadirah)
15. Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
16. Volcano
17. Son of a Son of a Sailor
18. School Boy Heart
19. Scarlet Begonias
20. A pirate Looks at Forty
21. Banana Republics
22. Southern Cross
23. Margaritaville
24. Fins
25. Glory Days
26. Somewhere Over China
27. Come Monday

You can compare his entry to the actual St. Louis set list here.

Two runners up also received prizes. Coming in at second place was puablo with 115 points and StlParrthd with 110 points. Congrats to them as well!

Thanks to our friends at Portopong for sponsoring this year’s contest. What’s a Portopong? Well, now you can truly play beer pong anywhere with PORTOPONG! When we say be able to play anywhere on anything – we’re not kidding. Imagine playing beer pong in the pool or ocean, or hold a match in your dorm room – just inflate PORTOPONG for instant party success. What ideas can you think of for PORTOPONG? And by the way – this isn’t a beach ball or your mommas pool float – PORTOPONG is made from extra thick vinyl to ensure long lasting party success.

Go to www.portopong.com to see more pictures and get yours today!

Thanks to all who entered, and be sure to play again next year!

Tickets for the two shows in October at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada go on sale this morning at 10 am PDT through TicketMaster.

Use the direct purchase links below to score your tickets:

Sat., Oct 18th – MGM Grand, Las Vegas
Sat., Oct 25th – MGM Grand, Las Vegas

“Hello Dallas, Frisco, wherever we came from!” started stop number three on the Year Of Still Here Tour in Frisco, Texas.

Returning to Pizza Hut Park for the second time in two years, the first set was almost the same as St. Louis, the lone difference being Mac McAnally jumping in with “The City” while Jimmy took a short break.

The second set was similar as well, however “Piece of Work” replaced “Scarlet Begonias” in the set. “Work,” last played in Las Vegas last October, was dedicated via Radio Margaritaville to Will Kimbrough, the song’s writer.

The first encore again featured “Fins” and the Bob Dylan classic “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35,” but this time “Another Saturday Night” followed it, the first time it had been played since Tampa last November. For the second encore, “Stories We Could Tell” made its tour debut, its first performance since the Glendale show earlier this month.

View the entire set list here.

Did you attend the show? Share your thoughts on our Discussion Board or post your photos in our Photo Gallery.

The 2008 “Year of Still Here” tour will continue Tuesday Night with a show from Charlotte, North Carolina. Get your tickets now!

Tickets for the August 27th Jimmy Buffett show at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York go on sale this morning (Saturday, April 26th) at 9 am EDT through Ticketmaster.

Click here to purchase tickets directly from TicketMaster

Both the Riverfront Times and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch covered the Buffett show in St. Louis Thursday night:

Riverfront Times – “Parrotheads In The Parking Lot”
St. Louis Post-Dispatch – “Jimmy Buffett Concert Review”

Here’s a snipit from the Post-Dispatch article:

In many ways, Jimmy Buffett’s show Thursday night was typical, from the costumed, party-primed, Parrothead crowd to Buffett’s spirited performance of must-play favorites to the contributions of his magnificent, veteran Coral Reefer Band.

But something has happened in the eight years since the mayor of “Margaritaville” — now, unbelievably, 61 years old — last played St. Louis: He seems to have reconnected with the romantic core of his music.

Irony and a kind of nudge-nudge-wink-wink edge has often hovered over Buffett’s music in concert. But this time, a straightforward, emotional honesty had more than a toehold, especially during a sequence that came late in his “Year of Still Here” show at sold-out Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.

Be sure to check out the slideshow in the Riverfront Times article.

View our very own review by Justin here.

“Well Well Well, Hello St. Louis, How ya doin?” and with that stop number two on the Year Of Still Here Tour started off in where else, St Louis.

For the first time since July 18th, 2000, Jimmy was back. The first set kicked off the same 3 songs as Houston, then came our first change. “Pencil Thin Mustache” returned in slot #4, its first band performance since last October in Las Vegas. Other first set changes included the long-lost classic “Cowboy in the Jungle” returning to the set list, its first band performance since February 19, 1998 in New York.

Other treats in the first set included “Creola,” performed by Nadirah and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” with special guest Jake Shimabukuro tearing it up with help from Robert Greenidge.

But all of the fun was not just in the first set. The second set started with the return of the classic “Why Don’t We Get Drunk,” performed solo so Jimmy could test the woman doing sign language. Other highlights from the second set included Nadirah’s wonderful version of “Makin’ Music for Money”; “School Boy Heart”; and “Far Side of the World”.

The first encore again featured “Fins” but this time it was followed by the Bob Dylan classic “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35,” while the second encore brought the first on-tour outing of “Defying Gravity” since the second Foxoborugh show to wrap things up.

View the entire set list here.

Did you attend the show? Share your thoughts on our Discussion Board or post your photos in our Photo Gallery.

The 2008 “Year of Still Here” tour will continue Saturday night with a show from Frisco, Texas. Get your tickets now!

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band make the second stop of their 2008 Year Of Still Here Tour tonight at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in St. Louis, Missouri.

The last time Buffett played St. Louis was 8 years ago on July 18th, 2000. It was a rainy show, and thunderstorms are in the forecast again tonight.

You can listen to the show live on Radio Margaritaville on the web at www.radiomargaritaville.com or on Sirius satellite radio channel 31. The show will air at 8 pm central time. Be sure to catch the pre-show beforehand.

Also, you can follow along with the set list and chat with other parrot heads during the show on our Discussion Board.

Other shows coming up this week: Saturday – Frisco, TX (find tickets). See the complete tour schedule here.

Tickets for the May 1st Freddy & The Fishsticks (better known as Jimmy Buffett and a condensed version of the Coral Reefer Band) show at the New Orleans Margaritaville Cafe will go on sale Friday, April 25th at 10 am central time via Blacktie-Louisiana.com.

Ticket prices are $200 each, with proceeds going to BORN (Better Opportunities Right Now) and NOAAHH (New Orleans Artists Against Hunger & Homelessness).

There are no physical tickets for this event and no advanced pick up available. You must have Positive Photo ID to present at the door. Entire party must be present to enter and must be 21 years of age. No Exceptions. There is a limit of 4 tickets per person.

(hat tip to Barefoot)