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Wednesday, September 05, 2001

By John Young

Once Labor Day passes, Jimmy Buffett is stripped of all his power.

The 23,079 fans who made the trek to the Post-Gazette Pavilion for Buffett's concert last night were witnesses to the effects of cool weather on their hero.

Listeners wept openly as Buffett played slow, sad song after slow, sad song. There were no jokes, simply dark, poetic lyrics about life's inherent misery. There was no spectacle -- Buffett stood on a bare stage, illuminated by one blindingly white spotlight.

Fall is here; the king is dead.

Yes, the preceding story is blatantly false, a tale no taller than Buffett tells himself. That said, though, there was a bit of wistfulness to Buffett in between his usual party fare.

Introducing the tune "When the Coast Is Clear," Buffett noted his lyrical fascination with Labor Day. The holiday popped up in his hit "Come Monday," too, and acted as an antidote to his usual sunny playfulness. "When the Coast Is Clear," played in a stripped-down, acoustic-oriented arrangement, actually managed to sound wistful and melancholy.

Mere minutes later, though, Buffett went back to playing "Boat Drinks" and "Why Don't We Get Drunk (And Screw)," effectively ending the sensitive portion of the program. And lest fans worry, the other Buffett standards were all there during his two-set show: "Brown Eyed Girl," "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes," "Volcano," "Fins" and, naturally, "Margaritaville" all appeared on the play list.

Buffett noted during one song introduction that he is sometimes accused of "being more show than music." If so, it's only because his show is so quirky and entertaining. There was a dancing inflatable cow onstage for "Cheeseburger in Paradise." "Frank and Lola" featured gyrating cheerleaders and something akin to tap dancing. During "Changes in Latitudes," Buffett kept with tradition and ran video filmed earlier in the day in the venue parking lot as drunken fans reveled and revealed body parts.

Another more serious video feature hyped Buffett's forthcoming album "Far Side of the World." As a studio version of the lengthy narrative title song played, the two large screens on either side of the stage displayed scenes of Buffett visiting locations throughout Africa. The song was good enough that Buffett might've bothered to try it live, but he stuck with story songs like "Jamaica Mistaica" and "Last Mango in Paris" instead.

No matter what Buffett did, the crowd responded enthusiastically. Beach balls flew continuously, booze flowed, bodies swayed and choruses were bellowed tunelessly. It might've taken all summer for Buffett to come visit his Pittsburgh Parrotheads, but most fans surely found the release that much greater after so much anticipation.

No, a little crispness in the air couldn't end Buffett's endless summer fun. The king crooned on uproariously, and his subjects felt a whole lot warmer.

John Young is a free-lance music reviewer.