Watch Jimmy Buffett’s Final ‘Margaritaville’ Performance

The death last week of acclaimed singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett at age 76 has seen many tributes in reaction to the beloved musician’s passing. President Joe Biden issued an official statement in response to Buffett’s death.

President Biden stated:

A poet of paradise, Jimmy Buffett was an American music icon who inspired generations to step back and find the joy in life and in one another.

His witty, wistful songs celebrate a uniquely American cast of characters and seaside folkways, weaving together an unforgettable musical mix of country, folk, rock, pop, and calypso into something uniquely his own.

We had the honor to meet and get to know Jimmy over the years, and he was in life as he was performing on stage – full of goodwill and joy, using his gift to bring people together.

Over more than 50 studio and live albums and thousands of performances to devoted Parrotheads around the world, Jimmy reminded us how much the simple things in life matter – the people we love, the places we’re from, the hopes we have on the horizon.

A two-time Grammy nominee and winner of multiple country music awards, he was also a best-selling writer, businessman, pilot, and conservationist who championed the waters and Gulf Coast that he so loved.

Jill and I send our love to his wife of 46 years, Jane; to their children, Savannah, Sarah, and Cameron; to their grandchildren; and to the millions of fans who will continue to love him even as his ship now sails for new shores.

Buffett, who wrote such well-known songs as “Margaritaville” and “Cheeseburger In Paradise,” was adored by a legion of Parrothead fans. Those followers regularly gathered by the tens of thousands to watch Buffett perform concerts with his longtime backing group, the Coral Reefer Band.

Buffett’s concerts frequently incorporated Parrotheds interacting with Buffett and his band. Fans partied in parking lots before shows, many wearing island attire, blending margaritas and eating cheeseburgers. Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefer Band embarked on the Second Wind Tour in February and March of this year, marking their last run of shows together.

A recent update posted to Jimmy Buffett’s website revealed a cause of death, stating:

The beloved singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett passed away at his home in Sag Harbor, Long Island on Friday, September 1, 2023, surrounded by family and friends. Buffett, 76, had been fighting Merkel Cell Skin Cancer for four years. He continued to perform during treatment, playing his last show, a surprise appearance in Rhode Island, in early July.

Buffett’s final public performance was on July 2, 2023, at Sunset Cove in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Buffett played a surprise 45-minute set with Coral Reefer Band guitarist Mac McAnally and drummer Eric Darken on the Sunset Cove’s outdoor stage.

“Mac got a hold of me and said, ‘Hey, Jimmy just reached out and wants to come up and do a few songs, what do you think?,’” Sunset Cove owner Mike McFarlane told 9NEWS. “I said, ‘let’s find a way to make it happen.’ [It was] very impromptu. [Buffett] just wanted to get out of the house.”

What turned out to be Jimmy Buffett’s final public performance featured six of the “Big 8” songs regularly played in concert, “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Come Monday,” “Volcano,” “A Pirate Looks at Forty” and perhaps his best-known song, “Margaritaville.” The set also included favorites “Son of a Son of a Sailor” and “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.”

Not only one of Buffett’s biggest hits and best-known songs, “Margaritaville” is also the name of Buffett’s restaurant chain and retail clothing line. In April 2023, “Margaritaville” was inducted into the Library Of Congress National Recording Registry.

Watch Jimmy Buffett’s final public performance of “Margaritaville” and other classics via the audience-captured videos below:

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Setlist

Source: JamBase.com