John Heller, Post-Gazette Jimmy Buffet shouts out to his fans at PNC Park. Click photo for larger image. Related story Buffett fans sunk by late-arrivals at ballpark gates

"Parrot Heads, the summer has begun!" Jimmy Buffett shouted last night from the center field stage at PNC Park. Performing for the equivalent of two Post-Gazette Pavilion crowds in one sweltering night, Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band reveled in the Key West-like weather conditions along the Allegheny River.

"Ah -- a steam bath and a show," Buffett remarked after four songs. "Hey, it's the Parrot Head Diet. I lost 7 pounds at a Jimmy Buffett show!"

So what was new with Buffett and band beyond the larger venue and sultry weather? Musical guest Sonny Landreth made quite the impact, adding searing slide guitar work to songs as old as "Coconut Telegraph" and as recent as the title track from Buffett's 2004 country-ish disc "License to Chill." (Modern country has moved closer to Buffett's musical world than he has moved to become any more "country.")

Buffett also returned the compliment of Jack Johnson having covered some of his material by performing a moody take on the Hawaiian singer/songwriter's tune "Horizons."

Another new element to the show was a video tribute to Johnny Carson that Buffett ran between his two sets, during which he gave the "Tonight Show" host credit for propelling his music commercially and providing a blueprint for some of his onstage comedy bits. Buffett noted that he was never able to perform Carson's favorite tune of his on the TV show, which acted as a segue for having the audience sing along to the original recording of "Why Don't We Get Drunk."

Fans expect the music that's created the Buffett brand as the soundtrack for its annual concert bash, though, too, and there was plenty of the tried and true at last evening's show. Even casual fans recognized "Come Monday," "Cheeseburger in Paradise," the recent hit "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" and Buffett's signature song "Margaritaville."

Parrot head standards that made it to the set list included "Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude," "Volcano," "Son of a Son of a Sailor" and "Last Mango in Paris." And, of course, Buffett included covers like his languid, Caribbean-flavored takes on "Hey Good Lookin'" and "Brown-Eyed Girl."

For an encore he covered "Southern Cross" and led the crowd in singing and swaying shark-like to "Fins."

And what would any Downtown Pittsburgh event be without a concluding round of fireworks? The preparation for the pyrotechnics created a pre-show jam of people forced onto one walkway of the Clemente Bridge and resulted in post-show routing of pedestrians over a block to the Warhol Bridge. The party spirit dominated even then, though, as the flower-print-shirted took the time to trade pre-and-post-show tales of fun experienced and debauchery witnessed in the timeless world of Jimmy Buffett shows.