Anyone driving west on Route 22 Saturday night realized one thing: Jimmy Buffett has some devoted fans. Cars and buses streamed banners like "Buffett or Bust," or "Fins on the Right."

	Richard Drew, Associated Press Jimmy Buffett performing on the "Today" show in 2004 with the Coral Reefers. Click photo for larger image.

The right lane had a line of cars four miles long, waiting to get a parking spot at the Post-Gazette Pavilion. The rebels got in the left lane, drove past all the traffic, and cut off the rest of the line at the Burgettstown exit. My driver did the latter.

After we parked, what I saw was not something I would see everyday. Parrotheads, the nickname given to Buffett's fans, are what make his concerts special. Some went shirtless; some went shoeless. But in all respects, they were ... carefree.

There was a collection of 50-year-old men running around the parking lot dressed as Superman, Spiderman and other figures from the comic universe. They carried a sign that said, "Superheroes against Tequila."

The superheroes walked past an RV that the owner called the "Steelers Tailgating Assault Vehicle." It was powered by "white trash," and declared that the owner's ex-wife was in the trunk. The owner sat on top of the RV with a good-looking blond.

Once I got in, I heard a guy behind me say, "I love concerts. They're like mini-vacations."

I went to my seat, which was three rows away from the stage. As my watch struck 8 p.m., Buffett rode a bicycle on stage. He gave a Corona to one of the fans in the front row.

Then he greeted the audience and played "On the Road Again," originally done by Willie Nelson. It was one of many covers Buffett performed during the night, and it was probably the best one. Willie wouldn't have sung it any better.

He did pretty well on "Brown Eyed Girl," a Van Morrison tune. But Buffett lacks the raspy quality of Van's voice. He got away with it because the song was meant to be sung at a party. If anything, that's what this concert was.

Buffett's own songs tend to be the same every time he sings them, so the covers added a little spice to the concert.

While "Margaritaville" and "Cheeseburger in Paradise" got loud reactions, it was two of his other songs that stood out. "Bama Breeze" was unique because it's really a political song about a bar blown away by Hurricane Katrina. It had an entertaining irony to it.

"Everybody's On the Phone" stood out as well. It allowed the fans to get out their cell phones and flash them at the stage. I always thought lighters looked cooler, but it was neat to see tens of thousands of people hold up their cell phone. Buffett looked out at his audience like an amiable high school principal who does the annual dunking booth for students.

Buffett left the stage around 10:15 p.m. and returned five minutes later to perform "Southern Cross," a song by Crosby, Stills and Nash, as part of his encore.

This cover wasn't very good. It's a great song when performed as a reflective tune, but Buffett turned it into a dance song.

Buffett rewarded the fans in his second encore with "In My Room," a song by the Beach Boys. It fit well with Buffett's schtick because his songs are so often related to the same things the Beach Boys sang about. Beaches, broads, booze and having a good time.

After finishing, Buffett rushed to his tour bus, being escorted out by the police. Thousands of fans were held up while the bus departed. It was a mess getting out, and there were a few near-accidents between car and pedestrian. My driver didn't help.

"If you stop for just a second, they'll walk in front of your car," he said. You have to keep going so they don't block you. It's textbook aggressive driving."

For the most part, the show was a good one -- albeit a little too long. It was roughly two and a half hours. He could have used an opening act -- although I guess the Parrotheads wouldn't agree.