It’s time for the October edition of “From Under My Lone Palm”, a monthly column written by BuffettWorld contributor Justin H. This month’s column focuses on the 30 year anniversary of “You Had To Be There”:

October 2008 is important month in Buffett history. You see 30 years ago this month, Jimmy’s landmark live album “You Had to be There: Jimmy Buffett Recorded Live in Concert” hit record stores everywhere. Over the years, the album has developed a cult following among parrotheads old and new. You just never hear anyone say “I like x one of Jimmy’s live albums better.” And as we all know, there is plenty of live Buffett to chose from. So when I decided to write about it this month, a few burning questions hit me instantly: Just what exactly makes the album so magical? Why, eight live albums and counting later, is it still the best?

Read the rest of this month’s FUMLP here.

Congratulations to Columbus Fins for winning this week’s Caption Contest.

Here was the photo:

And here was Columbus Fins’ winning caption:

If Riverdance doesn’t pan out, would you like a gig as a Coral Reefer dancer?

The voting was very tight, with the top 4 captions separated by only 11 votes. Columbus Fins edged out the runner-up by 2 votes, out of a total of 280 votes that were cast. In second place was LI AL with “Hey Mel did Jerry Seinfield sell you that puffy-shirt? What do you mean you don’t want to be a pirate?”

Here are the full results:

• If Riverdance doesn’t pan out, would you like a gig as a Coral Reefer dancer? – Columbus Fins (66 votes, 24%)
• Hey Mel did Jerry Seinfeld sell you that puffy-shirt? What do you mean you don’t want to be a pirate? – LI AL (64 votes, 23%)
• Nice try Mel, but I’m not hiring any reeferettes right now. – Steve (57 votes, 20%)
• GIMME BACK MY SON OF A SON OF A SAILOR!!!!! – Chad (55 votes, 20%)
• “Road Warrior,” huh? Try spending six months on a bus with my band! – Bluedog (38 votes, 14%)

View all of the captions that were submitted here.

Congratulations to Columbus Fins and thanks to everyone who entered. We’ll have another contest before long!

The Barack Obama rally that Jimmy Buffett will perform at on Sunday, November 2nd at the Ford Amphitheater in Tampa, Florida will start at 3 pm. Tickets will be made available for free starting at 10 am Wednesday at Obama’s Campaign for Change Early Vote information tables. Tables are open from 10 am to 5 pm daily. There is a maximum of two tickets per person, and you must be a Florida resident or a student.

Get tickets at the following Obama Early Vote tables:

J&J Bar-B-Q
B2620 8th St W
Bradenton, FL

Campaign for Change Sub-Office
34 North Fort Harrison Ave
Clearwater, FL

Campaign for Change – Clearwater
133 North Fort Harrison Ave
Clearwater, FL

South Holiday Library
4649 Mile Stretch Dr
Holiday, FL

Campaign for Change – Lakeland
5385 Gateway Blvd, Bays 12-14
Lakeland, FL

Mitchell’s Coffee House
235 N Kentucky Ave
Lakeland, FL

Rapscallions Restaurant
4422 Land O’ Lakes Blvd
Land O’ Lakes, FL

Campaign for Change – New Port Richey
4809 Grand Blvd, Suite P
New Port Richey, FL

The Breakfast Station
7335 Little Rd
New Port Richey, FL

Wisdom Center Smoke House
624 S Evers St
Plant City, FL

Buddha Belly Donuts
1990 Main St, Suite 112
Sarasota, FL

Campaign for Change – St Petersburg
2321 Central Ave
St Petersburg, FL

Globe Café
532 1st Ave North
St Petersburg, FL

Campaign for Change – Tampa Downtown
817 East Washington St
Tampa, FL

Campaign for Change – Tampa USF
14519 North 18th Street
Tampa, FL

Cut N’ Style
3817 S Manhattan Ave
Tampa, FL

Joe Chillura Courthouse Square
602 E Kennedy Blvd
Tampa, FL

Salcines Park
1655 N Howard Ave
Tampa, FL

Terrace Sports
5311 E Busch Blvd
Temple Terrace, FL

Urban Culinary Cuisine
10016 Cross Creek Blvd
Tampa, FL

Winner’s Sports Grill
5429 Village Market
Wesley Chapel, FL

For more information, visit the event page.

We’ve been waiting for this here at BuffettWorld, and it was reported today that Jimmy Buffett will headline a Barack Obama rally on Sunday, November 2nd at the Ford Amphitheater in Tampa, Florida. Buffett is a democrat and has performed at fundraisers and rallies for democratic candidates in the past, often in Florida. ABC Action News has the story:

ABC Action News.com has learned Barack Obama is planning a last minute visit to Tampa, days before the Presidential election. Obama is expected to appear with superstar musician Jimmy Buffett.

It is another sign of Tampa Bay’s importance to the Presidential race. Obama’s scheduled visit comes just two days before election day.

A Tampa spokeswoman for the Obama campaign said she has not been informed of the visit. However, according to an email obtained by abcactionnews.com, employees at the Ford Amphitheatre have been told to prepare for the visit this coming Sunday, November 2nd.

From the original e-mail:

“Hello every one I just wanted to give you a heads up their (sic) has been a new event added to the schedule at the Ampitheater, It will be on November 2nd It is the Brock (sic) Obama rally with Jimmy buffett (sic) performing not sure of all the details just yet. But we wanted to get an e-mail out to start recruiting employees, Thier (sic) is (sic) over 15,000 tickets reserved and expecting another 5,000- 7,000.”

The 2008 Year Of Still Here Tour came to an end Saturday night with the second of two shows from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The set list was largely unchanged from other recent shows, but Buffett did debut a cover of Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers.” It was the first known time that Jimmy has performed this song live.

View the entire set list here.

Did you attend the show? Post your comments on our forum.

Jimmy will play a special show for the opening of the newest Margaritaville Cafe at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT on November 8th. Ticket information here.

There are also a few rumors swirling around out there about possible shows in February in Hawaii and Tahiti. The latter is typically mentioned every year and never comes to fruition.

This past week we showed you the below picture and asked you to provide your own caption for it. We’ve compiled five of our favorites and want you to vote on your favorite.

BuffettWorld reported back in February that Jimmy Buffett plans to open Jimmy Buffett’s At The Beachcomber at the Ohana Waikiki Beachcomber in Waikiki, Hawaii. The original plan was to open by the end of the year, but now the opening date is slated for early 2009:

It’s taking $15 million to build out 22,000 square feet for the new 400-seat Jimmy Buffett’s at the Beachcomber. And it will be every bit an adventure in paradise.

Simulated sunsets and rolling surf. The Hot Spot Bar where action will surely be volcanic. Ocean Waves Dining Booths for the North Shore vibe. You’ll enjoy music from up-and-coming local talent and food that’s not too complicated but full of flavor: fresh seafood, juicy burgers and casual island favorites. Cocktails will find tropical inspiration, too, with boat drinks, ice-cold brews and of course, signature margaritas.

Jimmy Buffett’s at the Beachcomber opens in early 2009.

Jimmy Buffett spoke and performed at the Google headquarters in Mountain View, California on Thursday.

SlightlyGeeky on Flickr has posted photos from the event. Click here to view the photos.

SideHatch Studios has redesigned the Margaritaville.com Tour Dates page with a new high-tech tour map that uses Google Earth satellite images of the venues.

Check it out now on Margaritaville.com

Jimmy Buffett will play a special private show on November 8th for the opening of the newest Margaritaville Cafe at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. Tickets are not being sold for this event, but you can win tickets by listening to the following stations:

• WCTY FM 97.7 (Country) – New London, CT
• WEBE FM 107.9 (AC) – Bridgeport, CT
• WCBS FM 101.1 (Classic Hits) – New York, NY
• WMJX MAGIC 106.7 (AC) – Boston, MA
• WHCN 105.9 (Rock AC) – Hartford, CT
• WWYZ 92.5FM (Country) – Hartford, CT
• RADIO MARGARITAVILLE SIRIUS CHANNEL 31

Be sure to start listening to these stations… Radio Margaritaville began giving away tickets Thursday night.

Miles Hampton just announced that Carson Cooper will give away tickets Friday morning after 8:00 am eastern time on Radio Margaritaville. Listen live on Sirius 31 or at www.radiomargaritaville.com