Parrot Heads packed the house as Morgan Foster and crew brought Buffett’s beachy vibes to life in a high-energy celebration at Michigan’s oldest theater.
There is one thing you can say about the Coswell Opera House in Adrian, the 159-year-old theatre and the oldest theatre in Michigan, it sure knows how to throw a party.
To a huge crowd on Sunday April 5, The Croswell put on The Jimmy Buffet Tribute concert. Led by singer Morgan Foster from Grand Rapids, the group included Co-directors Dave Rains (keyboard) and Jon Diener (bass guitar), Dan Kesterke on drums, Eric Cooper played percussion and steel drums, Jonathon Crayne on acoustic and electric guitar and Terry Rice on saxophone. Arielle Crosby and Maya Gangadharan were the back-up singers.
The band put out a big sound and Foster got things started with License to Chill. Foster asked the crowd if there were any parrot heads in the audience, a big roar followed, and the group gave a rousing version of We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us About.
It was just under ten minutes into the concert when Foster got the crowd on their feet, singing the crowd favorite “FINS” – with the audience waving their arms left and right and singing, “Can’t you see them circling honey, can’t you see them swimming around, you got fins to the left, fins to the right, and you’re the only bait around…”
The Croswell once again designated a “party bus” section where people could get up and dance. The party bus got rocking when the band sang the iconic “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere.” And as hall-of-famer rock jock used to say, “the hits just keep on coming.” The group sang one after another – Pencil Thin Mustache, Son of A Son Sailor, Volcano, It’s My Job.
Then, Foster, standing alone in the spotlight at center stage, said he was going to sing Buffet’s first top 40 song, making it to #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. Foster sang a beautiful version of everyone’s favorite Buffet ballad, “Come Monday.” A song written for his soon-to-be wife, while he was on tour. The set ended with the wild Cheeseburger in Paradise.
The second half of the show got started with the very suggestive, but funny, “Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw.” The group then did a smooth version of the Van Morrison song Brown Eyed Girl.
Foster then launched into four Buffet songs, including the crowd-pleasing Last Mango in Paris, Boat Drinks and ending with The Pirate Looks at Forty. A couple of duets followed – Back Where I Come From and One Particular Harbor.
Foster shared that Jimmy Buffet wanted to take the Navy Seal test for diving. Getting tips prior to being dropped from thirty feet into the water, he was told if he were confused in the water, to follow the bubbles. They would lead him to the surface, to safety. Veteran Croswell actress Arielle sang “Bubbles Up,” a song about finding your way to safety when you are afraid and in trouble.
The band wrapped up their concert with Changes in Latitudes, then Southern Cross. And as everyone knew, the band returned to the stage and ended a very entertaining evening with Margaritaville. As the show was concluding, Foster shared some of the last words spoken by Buffet before he died. To his family, friends and band members, Buffet said, “let the party go on.”
And on a cold Sunday afternoon at the Croswell, the party did indeed go on.
8123 Main St Suite 200 Dexter, MI 48130
