Only could turn a late-October Tuesday in Colorado into a Mardi Gras-themed beach party for an arena full of people. Never mind that half-inch thick sheet of hockey ice under the crowd’s feet.
“Just remember, you all are standing on ice,” said the 66-year-old Buffett, who delivered his songs about sunshine and sailing while barefoot. No shoes, no socks, no problem. Named after his 2013 album, “Songs from St. Somewhere,” this Buffett stop at Denver’s showcased much of his latest material. On the new single from the record, “Too Drunk to Karaoke,” Buffett was joined by longtime session musician Mac McAnally, who filled in Toby Keith’s role on the track. McAnally also supplied vocals on other Buffett tracks from the 2000s, singing Alan Jackson’s part on “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.”
The newer music flowed perfectly with the rest of the set list, which was written about 20 to 30 years ago. Parrotheads swooned as Buffett delivered on songs “Come Monday,” “Son of a Son of a Sailor,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” and the inevitable finale, “Margaritaville.” And even though they knew these tracks were coming, the audience greeted the opening chords as if they hadn’t been played live in decades.
Mid way through the set, Buffett gathered five members of his 12-person band for a beach campfire at the front. They sang acoustic versions of “Southern Cross” by Crosby, Stills & Nash and Buffett’s hit, “Volcano.”
Though the crowd was filled with Hawaiian t-shirts and flip-flops, there was a distantly Colorado feel to the night. A 20-foot screen flashed photos of Colorado destination spots and the Denver skyline as the concert came to a close with a cover of Lionel Richis’s “All Night Long (All Night).” To top off a night of Colorado at the beach, Buffett added a special second encore with “A Mile High in Denver” off “Down To Earth” (1970). He said he had never performed the song live, but prepared it special to play for the Colorado audience.
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Evan Semón is a Denver freelance writer and photographer and regular contributor to Reverb. See .
John Leyba is a Denver Post photojournalist and regular contributor to Reverb.
