On Sunday night, April 21, about 15 or so members of the Atlanta Parrothead Club were part of a packed house that finally got to see singer-songwriter, record producer and longtime Coral Reefer and 10 time CMA Musician of the Year, Mac McAnally, along with talented percussionist and composer, Eric Darken.

The show had been rescheduled from last December due to Mac losing his voice and going on doctor’s ordered vocal rest. I yelled out to Mac that we’d all been waiting there for him since December to which he laughed and said that we really had a lot of patience. This show almost didn’t happen as Mac and Eric dealt with delayed and cancelled flights in Texas, and an unplanned drive to Dallas in order to catch another flight as they fought to get to Atlanta. They did make it, but some of their luggage did not, including the bag that had Eric’s hubcap – if you don’t understand, then you need to catch one of their shows. He did have a replacement hubcap which came off of a car somewhere in Nashville.

This was the first time that most of us had seen Mac live since the death of Jimmy Buffett last September. During the interactive concert, Mac played some of his usual crowd favorites such as Blame it on New Orleans, Changing Channels, Down the Road, All These Years, Little Martha, and Junk Cars. He changed it up a little with Bear Necessities – Mac is presently working with Disney redoing music for the Country Bear Jamboree. But he also played a number of Jimmy’s hits including Son of a Son of a Sailor, Come Monday, and Coast of Carolina (the Come Monday “sequel” that Mac co-wrote with Jimmy). I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house as Mac sang the new tribute song to Jimmy, Pirates and Parrots, along with Tonight I Just Need My Guitar, and Bubbles Up.

Mac’s voice was getting a little weaker toward the end of the show due to allergies so he asked the house to join him for the closer, A Pirate Looks at 40, and we all obliged. Mac kept everyone’s attention as he usually does with his stories, many of which were about his personal experiences with his mentor and close friend, Jimmy Buffett. If you haven’t heard Mac talk about how Tonight I Just Need My Guitar came about, I won’t spoil it but go see him live or search for it online. His telling of the story is hilarious. He also talked about the last time that he saw Jimmy after he had been called and told that he needed to come say his goodbyes. That was roughly 24 hours before Jimmy’s passing. He said that Jimmy was laying in the hospital bed, smiling wider than his head. After Mac played Jimmy some songs and then they said the things they wanted to say, one of the last things that Jimmy said to Mac was ‘What a hell of a ride, keep it going, keep the party going,’ and as Mac said “it’s our intention to do that.”

Thanks for a great show Mac. In case any of you haven’t heard, Mac along with most of the Coral Reefers will be doing a number of shows this year including at Meeting of the Minds in Gulf Shores, Oct 22-27, so we’ll have some chances to see the Coral Reefers again. Remember, we’ve been instructed by the man who started all of this to “Keep the party going”. Bubbles up ya’ll.