Unless Jimmy Buffet his own self came knocking on her Seymour door, there was no more appropriate time for Glenda Wheeler to flash some of her favorite jewelry.
If you had parrots, by way of decoration, as a pet, on a shirt, regardless, Thursday night was time to flaunt them at the 80-minute Seymour CityJam concert performed by Parrots of the Caribbean at the JCB Pavilion at Crossroads Community Park downtown.
The five-member Buffett tribute group from Dayton, Ohio, transformed Margaritaville into Seymourville for one night only against the backdrop of a riot of color in terms of Hawaiian shirts, Hawaiian leis, a strong splash of sunshine and blue skies and of course, parrots.
These Parrots, who have performed since 2000, probably have played “Margaritaville” more places than those in attendance have imbibed margaritas. However, lead singer and front man Dave Albrecht said the Seymour show was only the band’s second live show in eight months because of the nationwide pandemic shutdown.
The Parrots were free to flap their wings and exercise their vocal cords, and given that there was nary a mask in sight, residents previously semi-imprisoned in their homes and working back to full-scale normalcy absolutely agreed with the sentiment.
No American songman has ever been so closely identified with Hawaiian shirts and parrots than Buffett, who must have been feeling a bit cooped up himself since at 74, he is embarking on a new tour July 6.
Given the cost of listening to the Parrots of the Caribbean was free, nada, zilch, and perhaps 300 Seymour fans availed themselves of that opportunity, they got a bargain.
Depending on your bank account’s condition and your devotion, on his swing, Buffett will get as close as Noblesville on July 10 where tickets may still be had at $108.
The Parrots did serve as wardrobe inspiration for many. When at a formal wedding, you wear a tuxedo. When you come out to hear Jimmy Buffett tunes, you dress for the beach.
Mayor Matt Nicholson sported a Hawaiian shirt but chose conservatively, as many politicians do, wearing a top muted in blues rather than screaming like a Crayola box. But before he was elected to take on the serious work of leading the city to its destiny, Nicholson was a connoisseur of Hawaiian shirts.
Although he has downsized his wardrobe by about 90%, Nicholson said at the peak of his collecting, he owned 300-plus Hawaiian shirts, almost all obtained at discounts through Goodwill.
“I had one for every day of the year,” he said. He paused. “I needed closet space.”
The Pines sold CityJam food and handled bar service (alas no margaritas) and the team wore matching, many-colored shirts. The bar also featured Pete the Parrot as mascot. Pete was not flesh and blood, thus did not caw, but was generally as colorfully lifelike as one might desire in a pseudo parrot.
One matching attired server, Mary Beth Hamilton, who also possessed parrot earrings, tried to pass them all off as a singing group with the hastily designated name of The Singing Parrots. It was a good, last-minute try, though she said their motto was the universal “Eat, drink and be merry.”
Pete let his handlers speak for him.
“We don’t go anywhere without Pete,” Chris Boardman said of her and friends Rachel Hutchinson and Brandy Becker. “I look after Pete. He likes to party, too.”
The idea was for everyone to party, and Susie Bowman, dressed as festively as she could raiding her clothing stash, flitted about sprucing up others by distributing different colored leis.
“Let’s call it decorating,” she said of her role.
Many attendees brought memories of when they and Buffet were both and were definitely aficionados of the crooner’s work, from “Margaritaville” to “Cheeseburger in Paradise” to “Volcano” to “Fins.”
Randi Pearson, who displayed one of the lei giveaways around her neck, said the free concert on a nice night was a lure to “get out of the apartment.” She said “Margaritaville” is “the one you always listen to.”
She always gets a thrill when Buffett sings about his “long-lost shaker of salt” and wiggles a salt shaker. Pearson hoped the Parrots would, too, and she got her wish when Albrecht did everything but pour salt on some fries.
The most prepared guy on the lawn was Rodney Willman, aka Yendor “Defender of the useless,” whose long-owned Hawaiian shirt included the word “Margaritaville” in various spots. He also carried a single gray swim fin as if he was about to go scuba diving.
Those in the know, however, recognized Yendor was ready when Albrecht sang, “You got fins to the left, fins to the right.” Yendor stood and swayed with his fin in the proper direction, though he was alone in this endeavor except for a few folks who substituted their arms. Not quite the same thing. Yendor got an A-plus, the arm wavers got a C for effort, everyone else missed the boat.
Albrecht, keyboard man Kenny Rice, guitarists Gary Hill and Gary Rigmaiden and drummer Greg Martin faced the sun in their eyes the whole show, so they may not recognize anyone from Seymour ever again.
Except perhaps, they might not ever forget the herd of up to 15 kids who decided the grassy area just in front of the stage was a day care center where they could play with beach balls, perform gymnastics routines and occasionally run across the bottom of the stage.
Albrecht was a man of several costumes, debuting in a full-dress, full-white uniform that made him resemble a yacht captain or possibly the son of a sailor. He swapped it with short-sleeved shirts, shorts, straw hats and bandannas at different times as he sang, played harmonica and even ukulele. How many jobs can you work barefoot?
Oh, yes, he did display one parrot shirt. It was probably written in the contract.
Steve Cox wore one, too. His splashy shirt was purchased on vacation in Biloxi, Mississippi. He stared at it long enough debating the price until his wife finally said, “Just get it already.” The parrot on the back was only part the decor of the well-worth-it investment.
Wheeler’s earrings were a gift, and she accessorized with a bright Hawaiian shirt. As a big-time Buffett fan, that was as far as she was willing to go. Wheeler does not want someone to surprise her with a present of a real live parrot.
A relative had one once and cured her of the thought.
“They’re mean,” Wheeler said. “They bite.”
It’s a good thing Pete the Parrot didn’t hear her.
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Here’s the remainder of 2021 lineup for Seymour Main Street’s Seymour CityJam summer concert series:
Naked Karate Girls, a party band, July 15
Sweet Tea Trio, a Nashville recording artist, Aug. 19
Nashville Yacht Club Band, a ’60s/’70s yacht rock group, Sept. 16
All shows will start at 6:30 p.m. at the JCB Pavilion at Crossroads Community Park, 101 E. Tipton St., Seymour. Admission is free. The Pines will have food and beverages available for purchase starting at 6 p.m.
Sponsors are JCB, The Tribune, Voss and Sons Funeral Service, CPR Cell Phone Repair and Schneck Medical Center.
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