Parrot Heads unite.
Cheeseburger hats, Hawaiian shirts and leis filled the streets by Fenway Park last weekend as the tunes of Jimmy Buffet could be heard emanating from the home of the Red Sox on both Friday and Sunday night. Seen by some as a cultural icon, Buffet was the second concert ever at Fenway Park, the first being Bruce Springsteen.
Fans, referred to as “parrot heads” due to their tropical, bird shaped hats, came from all over the U.S. just to get a dose of “Margaritaville,” with or without the alcohol.
“We’re from Atlanta,” said Jerry Weise, a longtime Buffet fan, who attended the concert Sunday with his wife, Laura. “We went to the concert [in Atlanta] too, but we had friends who wanted us to come up here with them, and we’re just that big of fans.”
The concert drew a crowd touching on all age groups, from 7-year-old Kade from Connecticut to Leo and Nancy Doucet, who came with their teenage sons.
“My favorite song is ‘Cheeseburger,'” Kade said of Buffet’s 1990 single off of “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” The single was one of Buffet’s three Top 40 hits, climbing the charts following what were his peak record-selling years, 1977-79, according to www.harrynilsson.com.
A native Mississippian, Buffet was born on Christmas Day in 1946. Graduating with a degree in journalism and history from the University of Southern Mississippi, Buffet moved to Nashville, in an effort to pursue a career as a country singer, the Web site said.
Two albums later, Buffet still hadn’t “had his break,” and moved to Florida, where he soon would find his niche.
His musical career skyrocketed in 1973 with the release of “A White Sport Coat ‘ a Pink Crustacean,” helping to create the Buffet persona he is still associated with today. One of his best-known songs, “Margar-itaville,” hit the charts in 1977, reaching Top 10 status and making “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” his first platinum album.
Buffet went on to reach platinum status again in 1985 with “Songs You Know By Heart”, launched Margaritaville Records in 1992 and had various side projects from opening retail stores to writing children’s books. But the music is what brings the fans close behind him.
“[We] came all the way from Chicago to see Jimmy Buffet at Fenway Park,” said Cathy Knitter, a loyal Parrot Head. “[This chance] is once in a lifetime.”
The flocks of people swarming the city, dressed in bright flower prints, straw hats and outrageous clothing may have warmed Boston a few degrees in spirit, but are nothing out-of-the-ordinary for Buffet concert goers.
“You just have to get in the garb,” Knitter said.
Buffet is next scheduled to grace the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Oct. 16, and, according to Buffet followers, Margari-taville will never fade.
“It’s all about the culture,” said John Cavanaugh of Denmark, Maine. “It’s all about the spirit.”
— Jill Campbell and Alli Higgins contributed to this report.
