Life, according to singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett’s lyrics, becomes “easier to handle when seen as a scavenger hunt rather than a surprise party.” Yet, over the recent holiday weekend, he chose to surprise an audience with his unexpected presence.
Buffett, unanticipated, graced the stage on Sunday afternoon at Sunset Cove, a popular waterside bar situated in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. His appearance sparked an uproar of cheers from the excited crowd.
A video circulating on Facebook exhibits Mac McAnally, the scheduled main act of the day and a longstanding member of the Coral Reefer Band, performing “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.” As McAnally sang the line, “At a moment like this, I can’t help but wonder what would Jimmy Buffett do,” Buffett himself responded with a grand entrance.
“Why don’t I play it for you?” he proposed, reaching for a guitar. After the conclusion of the song, Buffett expressed his joy to the delighted audience, stating, “Well, it is good to see an audience, let me tell you that.”
Earlier in May, Buffett had to be admitted to a Boston hospital due to an undisclosed health issue, leading to the cancellation of his concert in Charleston, South Carolina.
Andre Arsenault, the individual who recorded the video and a regular Sunday performer at Sunset Cove, expressed his disbelief, “I started to record ‘It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere’ because I love the song, and suddenly, the crowd in front of me stood up and Jimmy was right there on stage.”
Buffett delivered a performance lasting around 45 minutes, as reported by Arsenault.
But how did this surprise performance occur?
McAnally disclosed to Mike MacFarlane, the owner of Sunset Cove, a few hours before the show that Buffett intended to “gatecrash the party,” according to MacFarlane. Buffett was eager to get back on the stage after having been unwell and off tour for a while.
Buffett then boarded a flight from Long Island with his daughter, and MacFarlane, celebrating his 50th birthday on the day of the show, greeted him at the airport.
“No one had the slightest inkling,” revealed MacFarlane. “While I didn’t want a surprise party for my birthday, I ended up having one after all. But this surprise was for everyone else.”
Buffett entertained the crowd with around half a dozen songs, including “A Pirate Looks at Forty,” which he modified to 50 in honor of MacFarlane’s significant birthday.
Reflecting on the moment, MacFarlane added, “No amount of money could purchase such an experience. The stars aligned yesterday under a full moon.
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