A day in the life of a Parrothead

As defined by Wikipedia: Parrothead or Parrot Head is a commonly used nickname for fans of Jimmy Buffett.

Origin: The term "Parrothead" began at a Jimmy Buffett concert in Ohio. At the show, Jimmy commented about everyone wearing Hawaiian shirts and parrot hats and how they kept coming back to see his shows, similar to "deadheads". The term "Parrothead" was coined to describe each of those fans.

Description: The common stereotype is of a person wearing a Hawaiian shirt, flip-flops and baord shorts, or a grass skirt and a coconut bra while drinking a margarita.

This past weekend, Matt and I joined my brother-in-law and sisters-in-law for a Jimmy Buffet concern at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Our tickets were a wedding gift from Matt's brother, Josh. The larger draw for this even, as I quickly learned, was the pre-concert tailgate. Shocked, as we drove through the parking lots filled with tents, cars with shark fins attached, baby pools, fake palm trees and LOTS of people dressed in their best Parrothead garb, I quickly understood the dedication of Buffett fans.



It was only a matter of time before we fit the part as we broke out our newly constructed cornhole set (aka, baggo, bean-bag toss, and started jamming the music. The day was HOT!

cornhole!

the girls and our "cigars"

At about 730, we made it to our fabulous second row seats...ahem, that is, second row from the top. Even though were caught in a torrential downpour about 20 minutes before showtime (which was an experience in itself watching 50,000 people scatter and take cover, in an open air stadium.

soooo many people!

I understood the Parrotthead dedication after the concert started and saw a stadium full of drenched (and mostly drunk) fans singing and dancing as if the conditions were perfect. You can see in the video below when the stage lights were shining on the crowd just how many people were there singing at the top of their lungs.