Fins up!!
Tomorrow is the annual Jimmy Buffett concert at Alpine Valley, and I can’t wait! I say annual, but he did skip a year in 2005 when he played down at Wrigley Field over Labor Day weekend instead. Jerk.
I was just figuring out how many Buffett shows I have now attended, and this year will be my 8th. Sweetness! I went in 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and now this year. For some reason I can’t find any pictures from 2007 or 2009, but I know we went in 2007 because I saw my Ticketmaster order. And I know we went in 2009 because it turned into a night that will live in infamy. The weather was shit, it started raining so hard we actually left the show early, I drank an entire bottle of Jeremiah Weed sweet tea vodka mixed with lemonade then transformed into a complete and utter ass, was a bitch to R, and basically ruined the night. Ugh. Note to self – don’t drink whole bottles of liquor single-handedly anymore (not that it was ever a good idea).
Each time we go now we meet up with a woman I bartended with the year after we moved back to Milwaukee and her husband, and sometimes some of their friends from their neck of the woods. They’ve been to well over 20 Buffett shows now, and holy shit, do they bring a spread! She brings table upon table of food, we always set up a tent, there’s booze out the wazoo (which was just divine last year when i was pregnant. 1,000s of drunk, hot, sweaty Jimmy Buffett fans and me sober. awesome), and often festive accessories of some sort make an appearance. We’re not the full-on Parrothead costume types, but we do like to decorate a little for the day. I know most of the people they’ve brought through the years from the bar where we worked (which she still runs), but we are definitely in agreement that when it’s just the 4 of us we have the most fun. And tomorrow it’s going to be just the 4 of us again, plus it’s her token Saturday off this whole summer (again, that bar she runs, it has a beach bar, so summer is prime time), so look out! R’s cooking up his famous gumbo and teriyaki shrimp skewers to add to all the food they’re bringing, so we are set for a great time.
Here are some pictures from our past shows. My photos from 2001 weren’t digital so I’d have to scan one of those in for you, and frankly, you know I’m just lazy. But if I get ambitious I might toss one of the oldies in when I post this year’s recap. Your fingers are crossed, I know.
This show is seriously one of the most fun days of the year. Everyone’s in a good mood, everyone’s just out to have as much fun as possible, and we’ve lucked out on the weather most years (knock on wood!). Right now they’re calling for mid-70s and mostly sun tomorrow, so let’s hope they’re right! I said as long as it doesn’t rain, we’ll be golden. For slopping around in the parking lots at Alpine in the rain and mud can make for a miserable day and night.
Happy Friday, Parrotheads!!