Jimmy Buffett- For Free!!

I can feel the green with envy vibes coming through my computer.  Jimmy Buffett is giving a free concert in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  That's most definitely within driving range for us, so we're headed to the concert.  Gulf Shores is one of the areas affected by the BP oil spill.  It's very much a tourist summer town on the Alabama Gulf Coast.  The people and businesses down there make the vast majority of their money on the summer season.  The beaches don't have oil on them, but people are staying away.

Jimmy Buffett was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi.  As a child his parents moved him a whopping 30 minutes across the state line to Mobile, Alabama.  Like most kids who grew up in Mobile, he spent quite a bit of time during the summer in Gulf Shores.  His sister Lulu owns a restaurant down there.  In an effort to get people into Gulf Shores to spend money, he's giving a concert on Gulf Shores Beach.  For free.  Oh, and he's bringing a few friends as well.  You may have heard of them: Kenny Chesney and The Zac Brown Band.

I'm a huge Parrothead.  Jimmy Buffett coming to the area is a huge deal for me.  Ronnie isn't a big fan of country, but he can deal with Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band.  We've lined Aunt Wii up to pick up Paige from daycare and babysit that night.  We'll have to leave early in the afternoon to get down there for the 5 PM start time.  I've taken the next day off from work, giving myself a 4 day weekend with the July 4th holiday observed Monday at my office.  Ronnie has to work the next day, so I'll drive home while he tries to rest in the van.

I try to keep the blog without expressing my opinion on hot button topics like politics, religion, and some current events.  No matter what you feel or think about what's happened, the concert is a great idea to get some business down there.  There was some grumbling on Facebook yesterday about how this should be taking place at ground zero in Louisiana.  Gulf Shores businesses are just as empty as anywhere else because of the spill.  Any other area is welcome to do the same thing.  Louisiana has some big name artists that came from there, I'm hoping they'll help out.  If you can't make the concert, you can watch it live, with no commercials on CMT.  Gulf Shores City Council is hoping to bring in more concerts over the summer to increase tourism.  There will be a special concert t-shirt designed and sold at the concert and online to raise money for the local businesses.  And if you can go, tickets are required, even though it's free.  They go on sale tomorrow morning at Ticketmaster.