Jimmy Buffet at the Exit/In Will Be The Coolest

If Buffett again includes Nashville on his summer concert tour, he has already picked out the venue.

Sommet Center? Naah. Ryman Auditorium? Think smaller.

Buffett likes the Exit/In.

"I played there the second weekend it opened (in 1971), the Friday and Saturday night shows," said Buffett, who was in town for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremonies Sunday night. We were inclined to think he was kidding, until he added, "I just played a show at a 400-seat club in Paris, so the Exit/In is not out of the plan." Buffett played 10 shows at Exit/In during a tour in 1974.

Buffett was in Nashville to help induct songwriter Mac McAnally, a longtime Buffett band member, into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Buffett is also a Hall of Fame member.

Buffett has not performed in Nashville since April 2003, partly because Starwood Amphitheatre, his previous venue of choice, has been sold and closed.

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Bilde

Rock of aged

Seasoned performers keep packing in the fans at area concert venues

By David Lindquist
david.lindquist@indystar.com


Cincinnati Reds outfielder George Foster won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 1977, the same year Jimmy Buffett reached the Top 10 with his hit "Margaritaville."

The passage of time has made it impossible for 58-year-old Foster to play baseball in front of thousands of paying customers in 2007, but 60-year-old Buffett continues to perform tropical-themed tunes for sellout crowds in the nation's largest concert venues.

Forging an emotional bond with listeners and creating a festive atmosphere in concert are two tickets to career longevity, according to music-industry experts and fans.

Buffett, specifically, is known for playing concerts where his loyalists -- commonly termed "Parrotheads" -- wear grass skirts, floral shirts and inflatable sharks as accessories.

"These (shows) have become more than a night out," says Dave Clark, vice president of marketing for concert promoter Live Nation.


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