BY CHRIS VARIAS
Enquirer contributor
Jimmy Buffett kicks a beach ball across the stage at Riverbend Friday night.
(Michael Snyder photo)
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When he plays Cincinnati, Jimmy Buffett must feel as hot as a cheese coney in paradise.
Cincinnati Parrotheads are as fanatical as they come, and the city brings back a boatload of memories for the singer.
Mr. Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band were given a rousing reception by a crowd of 18,500 at Riverbend Friday in the first of a two-night, sold-out visit.
In one of many references to Cincinnati and his following here, Mr. Buffett called the town "a warm spot in my heart" and "the place where it all began."
Mr. Buffett began the night Mardi Gras-style, riding upon the hood of a stage-prop truck and tossing beaded necklaces into the front rows. Both the entrance and the opening song -- "Kinja" ("the island where anything is possible," he said) -- tie into the theme of the 1998 tour, Carnival.
But then again, every Buffett tour, every year, is a party.
This party got more fun as it went along. Mr. Buffett could have sailed through the show, given Cincinnati's unconditional love. But he worked hard at it, cracking jokes, running and sliding across the stage, playing videotaped scenes of his adventures around the city. He even happily referred to the show as work, saying, "It's good to be back on the job."
The first half of the 140-minute show sputtered musically, but his memories and monologues made up for it. During the fine countrified ballad "If Your Phone Doesn't Ring It's Me," the 13-piece Coral Reefer Band played in hushed tones, and the crowd's attention shifted from the music to the dozens of beach balls flying throughout the pavilion.
He dedicated "Come Monday" to his fans who have been with him from the beginning, when he would "drive up from Nashville to Mount Adams looking for a (performer) job."
The second half was stronger. It began with Mr. Buffett leading a stripped-down Coral Reefer Band on his 12-string guitar through the three-song acoustic set of "Smart Woman in a Real Short Skirt," "Son of a Son of a Sailor," and "Pirate Looks at 40." Then came a string of favorites -- including "Margaritaville," "Why Don't We Get Drunk," and "Fins" -- as well as renditions of James Taylor's "Mexico" and Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Southern Cross."
Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band perform again tonight at 8 at Riverbend. The show is sold out.
