Oh Jimmy, I Get You Now

Sorry for the absence. This week has been oh so craazzaayyy, you know. I took my first two vacation days ever and went to the Jimmy Buffett concert back home on Tuesday.

My parents have been going to Buffett concerts on and off ever since I was a baby. It’s a tradition they have with their elementary school homies. I knew the concerts were “grown-up fun” and that the day following the concert, we weren’t allowed to talk too loudly. When I was home for Thanksgiving, I was out shopping with my mom and my dad called. He was on speaker phone and told my mom that he bought the Jimmy Buffett tickets. For reasons I haven’t yet landed on, I blurted “I want to go! Is it too late to buy one?” It wasn’t. He did.

So then for the next few months, I wondered why I was wasting two of my so-precious-I-clutch them-to-my-bosom ten vacation days- one for the concert and the next for the recovery, of course. I hadn’t been to a proper tailgate in years so my whole family knew I was out of practice. My mom called the week before as I was plotting an outfit and reminded me, “Don’t wear anything that ages you. There’s going to be so many girls your age in super short shorts and bikini tops and you don’t want to look like a loser. It’s going to be 96 degrees” Um, okay, Mom but I don’t want to wear short shorts (and if they even fit it’s a miracle) because you know..my thighs..and I don’t own tank tops I don’t pair with sweaters because you know..my arms. Bah humbug.

So I made a frantic trip to Target for an arm-toning tank top and slimming shorts.. $104 later, I own two nautical themed tank tops, bermuda shorts, the first season of Scandal for the DVD player I haven’t set up yet, a new workout outfit I didn’t need, a necklace, a new bra I didn’t need but it was the most adorable shade of pink, and nutrigrain bars. How this happens every time, I will never know. Pointless, rambling long story short, I didn’t wear any of my purchases because my mom and sister vetoed them as “too old”. So I wore my sister’s clothes. Fashion sense. I have zero.

The tailgate was crazy. People went nuts. There was pools, there was rooftop decks for tanning and there were so many bars set up out of trunks and buses. Jimmy blared out of every fifth car and when some kids I’m their 20’s turned on LMFAO, the crowd protested by way of throwing beer on them. It was mostly adults, with a few large groups of kids in their early 20’s thrown in. I didn’t drink too much because I am not a good day drinker and not a particularly skilled alcohol holder and I just wanted to get into the concert.

this wheel had fun options like “kiss thy neighbor”, “keg stand”, “crowd choice”, “hug a hottie,” “frozen drink”, “tequila”, “tattoo.”

Seven hours after arriving, we did. My dad was hammered, and when he gets that drunk, he gets SUPER protective if one of his daughters is in the vicinity. He kept telling any of the males in our group to “make sure Caitlyn’s okay” and “keep an eye on Caitlyn”. It irritated me but whatever. I treated myself to margaritas (duh) and beers once we were in so I had a good buzz on.

Our tickets said show starts 8:00 and Jimmy came out at like 8:05 I was astonished. That guy is 66- yesterday was his half birthday, cars and signs announced- and a half. Crazy. He sang his first few songs from a new-ish album which I didn’t know so I just kind of stood there, which irked the guy next to me who yelled YOU HAVE TO DANCE. Fine. I swayed a little, with no rhythm whatsoever, to appease him.

Five songs in he broke out 5 o’clock somewhere, which I knew. I was screaming those lyrics and dancing like my freaking life depended on it because…..yes, Jimmy. Yes. All of it. It’s only half past twelve but I don’t care, it’s five o’clock somewhere, is something I think A LOT these days. I’m sitting in another stupid effing pointless meeting where people whine about being overworked and all I can think about is how nice a strawberry daiquiri would be. I had a moment like OMG Jimmy Buffett. I get it now. I get the whole thing. I get why it’s mostly adults here. Now that I work and am in the real world, I get Jimmy Buffett’s whole appeal. You get up and do the same damn boring routine everyday. You go to work, which sucks, and you do it because you have to. You can’t wait to exit out of your inbox which never seems to stop piling up with stupid e-mails by people asking stupid questions that ‘how do they not know the answer to this?’ or needing you to do something, either super last minute and they need it in 15 minutes THANKSSOMUCHCAITLYNIMSORRY, or it’s some task they should totally do themselves and there’s no reason for you to get involved but you don’t know how to tell them politely how to do that lest you get accused, on your upcoming review, of not being a team player and/or flexible. Jimmy Buffett’s whole image of ‘the real world sucks let’s just pack up and fly to an island and drink cocktails by the sea’ is so enticing. Everyone wants to be able to do that. Jimmy Buffett / Parrothead  \ Margaritaville world is a super fun escape where you can pretend that you are on that beautiful island and escape all the mundane tasks, dragging work days, pile of bills and responsibilities.  So it took for me to actually be a member of the real world to ‘get it’.

Jimmy then performed some of his more popular, older hits I knew, like ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise’  which is a song that speaks to me because I love me some cheeseburger / french fries combo, and “FINS’ omg Fins was my favorite part. He played for over two hours! He does this practically every night across the world. At his age. I guess he still must love it because there’s no other real reason for him to put himself through a grueling tour schedule and get up on stage and sing 35 year old songs. He certainly doesn’t need the money. Way to be, JB.

So anyway. I had a ton of fun. The Jimmy Buffett concert tour is an experience. I want to go every year now. It was a nice delay from the real world because yes I did just get a frantic e-mail from my boss asking if we can meet at 9:30 tomorrow because something came up.

Nice while it lasted.

have you seen jimmy buffett in concert? fave song?