Jimmy Buffet Day at Great Park Live! to commemorate the life of the iconic musician
Chris Maddox has been singing and playing guitar most of his life, including a stint as an Elvis impersonator with the group Graceband. He has fond memories of donning wigs and the persona of the “King of Rock ‘n Roll” before swinging his hips and karate chopping across stage.
He had a lot of fun in his aviators and blue suede shoes. But it never felt quite right.
“I was playing this character,” Maddox said. “It just felt like a lot of pressure. And it didn’t feel natural, just didn’t feel like an honest connection with people. I’m not at all slamming people who want to do it that way, but where am I in all that? How am I actually making someone’s day better, connecting or making a joke with someone, if it’s not me?”
That desire for authenticity stuck with him as he was searching for inspiration to form a new tribute band about two years ago. Then, something just clicked as he was driving one day and “A Pirate Looks at Forty,” started playing on the radio.
The Jimmy Buffett tune released in 1974 is a reflection on a turning point for the artist, examining youth spent chasing women and fame while sitting on the precipice of middle age. That’s practically the same position Maddox, currently in his 50s, and many of his musician friends were finding themselves in.
Maddox came up with a band name, Jimmy’s Buffet, then started searching for members. Word got around, and the group had shows booked before he had even completed filling out its lineup.
“It shows that Jimmy’s music still resonates, especially with people like us,” Maddox said. “A lot of us went pretty wild in our 20s and 30s. Now we’re all adults with responsibilities. But we all still know how to have a good time and just need to get away from it all sometimes.”
Before his shows, Buffet typically ventured into the parking lots of venues, unchaperoned and unfiltered, to meet his fans. Those pre-performance tailgate parties became a staple in the “parrot head” community.
Playing at one of those parking lot gatherings ahead of one of Buffett’s shows in Orange County, rather than opening for him on stage, was one of the tribute band’s greatest honors, Maddox said. That’s especially true because it was one of the last gigs the iconic, rum-and-coconut sipping artist ever had.
Buffet died last Sept. 1 of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare form of skin cancer. He and his family hid his illness from his fans until after his death because he “just wanted to keep the party going,” Maddox said.
That’s exactly what he and Jimmy’s Buffet aim to do by declaring “Jimmy Buffett Day” at Great Park Live! in Irvine on Friday night, Aug. 30. The nine-piece tribute band delivers professional and faithfully performed renditions of his work, palm trees, beach balls and “a welcoming, come-as-you-are atmosphere.”
“It’s just a good time,” Maddox said of his tribute band’s shows. “Almost everyone knows the lyrics and is singing along, enjoying beverages and checking everything else at the door.”
Jimmy’s Buffet aims to deliver the “Buffett vibe,” Maddox said. But they don’t impersonate him.
“That just wouldn’t be Jimmy,” Maddox said. “He was his own thing, and it was all about being yourself.”
If you go
Jimmy’s Buffett will be presented Friday, Aug. 30, as one of this summer’s Irvine Nights at Great Park Live! The event opens at 6 p.m. with the first set running from 7 to 8 p.m. and the second set from 8:45 to 9:45 p.m. General admission to the lawn viewing and market area is free. Reserved seating ranges from $15.90 to $26.20, with reserved standing offered at $5.75. Tickets can be purchased at greatparklive.com.
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