Jimmy Buffett and salvation in the parking lot

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 I’ve written about Jimmy Buffett before. People love his music because he offers a chance at Salvation. The salvation is a life without work and fun, sand, sun, water and margaritas. At least that is what we think. If you go to one of his concerts, that is what you get. Good music and camaraderie with other like-minded parrots heads is the main serving at a concert. This year I turned the concert experience up a notch. I’m a big Buffett fan. I have been to more than ten concerts. They were all great events with lots of fun for everyone. My last concert was the best by far. We decided to go tailgating before the concert. If you think attending a concert will make you quit your job, sell your stuff, and take a part time gig as a bartender at some Caribbean outpost or crew a sailboat just try tailgating before the concert. Tailgating offers a whole new look at salvation. Food and drink is the first thing that comes to mind. All the tailgaters had plenty of food. Feeding the five thousand would be nothing if they advertised it as a tailgating event. There was plenty to eat and drink. All the food was the good time also. You could pick it up with your hands. It tasted good. I smelled good. It probably had more calories in it than it had nutritional value. All the drinks had good hydration value and could easily adjust your attitude from up tight businessperson to laid back part time worker at the Para sail stand. You could sleep till ten in the morning, report to work at one in the afternoon, pull those Para sailors until five in the afternoon, drive them over to the bar on the barge for some drinks and then you would be through with your work a day worries. (That was a long sentence.) The rest of the night would be yours. The tailgating has the benefit of getting a head start on all the music. Most of the tailgaters have their own sound systems. They play all the Buffett music all afternoon. You don’t have to worry about forgetting the words to the songs. You have all afternoon to listen to and relearn the songs. The best part of tailgating is the dress code. Anything goes could be the theme. There are plenty of pirates, hula skirts, coconut shell bras, and just about every sort of beach attire. Your dream part time job only requires you to wear shorts and a t-shirt. After an afternoon of partying with the souls wishing for Buffett salvation, we head into the venue for the real concert. Jimmy Buffett also entertains. The music is great. The show is exciting and the fans are the best. Now the fans are all geezers too. Of course Jimmy is getting long in the tooth also. Aren’t we all! This experience has given me a whole new lease on life. I used to fret about getting tickets for these concerts. It would take all sorts of phone calls or tricks on the Internet to be able to get inside. The cost was something else too. Now I’m just going to worry about getting into the parking lot. You can park, have a great meal, hear all the music and when it is time to go into the venue, you just pack up and go home. When the real concert is over, you will be in bed sleeping soundly. No fighting traffic, no long drive, and no worry about getting up early to go to your real job. That is helpful. You still haven’t cast your cares away and moved to the islands for your bartending job. Bobby Jonte is the president of the Bank of Greeleyville.