For decades, the Winnie Mae worked the rivers forming Pittsburgh. Built on Neville Island in 1936, the 112-foot paddle-wheel push-barge earned her keep transporting coal.

Today, she is retired, tied up along the North Shore riverside with more than a hundred other boats for tonight's Kenny Chesney concert at Heinz Field.

"And she's ready to party," says Jay Schaffner, who has owned the Winnie Mae for five years.

Mr. Schaffner, 67, is a retired metal-finisher. He and his wife, Lisa, 52, live most of the year aboard the former barge, which they've transformed into a floating funhouse, complete with bedroom, sitting room and bar.

"It parties 100, but it only sleeps two," Mr. Schaffner likes to say.

The Schaffners own a townhouse in Wexford, where they spend the winters. The rest of the year, they guide the Winnie Mae out of the Fox Chapel Yacht Club and to any regatta or river festival that strikes their fancy.

The couple docked alongside Heinz Field on Monday. Other boaters have been tying up to the wall all week. Some arrived last Saturday.

Larry Weldon, 59, who works in the trucking business, and his wife, Susie, 54, said they learned last year that you can't arrive too early for a Kenny Chesney concert.

"Last year was our first year," said Mrs. Weldon. "We came on Tuesday [before the show] last year, and we couldn't get on the wall, so we came earlier this year."

The Weldons and their friends, Jeff and Chris Kamerer, all from Brilliant, Ohio, spent the past week aboard a 40-foot Carver, tied to the wall not far from the Winnie Mae. They've used the past week to explore Pittsburgh, socialize with their fellow boaters, and just relax.

"We don't have that much to do back home," Mrs. Kamerer said. "This is exciting here."

As nice as the North Shore waterfront is, though, there aren't a lot of amenities for the boaters. They have to have their own generators for electricity and their own water supply for washing and drinking. Some boaters suggest there could be some portable restrooms, more trash cans and some overnight parking available.

"These people next to us don't have electricity, so we're supplying their electricity," Mr. Weldon said Thursday afternoon. "And they have a big flat-screen TV and a satellite dish, so we're going to watch the Pens tonight.

"But it's beautiful here. The view of the city, the waterfront. We saw the fireworks outside PNC Park last Saturday night."

Many of the boaters said they come for the riverside party more than the concert itself.

"We're not even going in for the concert," said Jody Greiner, 40, an accountant from Ross, who boated down from the Millvale Marina. "Last year, we turned down free tickets that people offered us. We can hear the music fine out here."

Sue Braunstein, 58, of Shaler, said she has heard some complaints about the boaters, particularly the mess that is left behind once they all shove off. The criticism, she said, is unfair.

"The only time we ever have a problem is Saturday, when everybody else comes down," Ms. Braunstein said. "That's when they trash the place.

"We're down here all week, and you see how neat it is. We put our trash in the cans. But come the day of the show, this place will be trashed because people don't know how to use garbage cans."

"The boaters get blamed, but it's not us," said Colleen Cooper, 49, a nurse from Shaler. "We don't make too much noise and we don't cause trouble. The boaters, with rare exceptions, all get along.

"We share food, we share booze, we share TVs. It's like being at the beach. Everybody's relaxed. We all have stressful jobs, and this is so relaxing."

"You just don't meet any bums on the river," Mr. Weldon said aboard the Winnie Mae. "I've been on the river off and on for more than 50 years, and they're all good people."