Jimmy Buffett Album: “Live in Fenway Park”

Jimmy Buffett has released numerous live albums in his career, but what makes Live At Fenway Park interesting is that it contains a DVD of part of the performance. The cd itself is a generous two disk set that contains all the usual live staples, "Why Don't We Get Drunk", "Fins, "Margaritaville", "A Pirate Looks At Forty" "Volcano" & "Grapefruit-Juicy Fruit". There are four songs off his last studio effort, Licensed To Chill, that make their live album debuts and some nice Buffett chestnuts that don't get a lot of attention like the masterful "The Great Filling Station Hold-Up" & "Cuban Crime Of Passion". There are the familiar covers, "Southern Cross", "Brown Eyed Girl" and two very interesting ones, a version of the Grateful Dead's "Scarlet Begonias" and a rousing go at "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" which Mr. Buffett sings with glee. The real bonus for Parrotheads is the DVD that shows a small portion of the historic show.

If you have never been to a Buffett concert, the dvd and these 2 cd's will give you an idea of what you've missed! If you are a devoted attendee, then you will be able to re-live the great moments with this collection. Jimmy brings together great complilations of some older songs that have not made his set list in recent years, while weaving in some of his better, newer songs.

The behind the scenes dvd is also entertaining...you can really see his excitement in playing a venue like Fenway, and his enthusiasm comes across so much more in this live album than those he put out from the "Tiki Tour" last year. They were good, but this set is a must have for the real Buffett fan. It is the perfect follow-up to such greats as "Live by the Bay" in the 80's, "Feeding Frenzy" in '91, and "Tuesdays, Thursdays & Sundays" from 2000.

If you are a fan, it will exceed your expectations. If you are not yet a fan, you will be once you hear this!

I am heavily biased - as both a Parrothead for 25 years and a Red Sox fan, how could I NOT love this Double CD + DVD set? It's fun, it's lively, it's...Jimmy. Not every song is performed as well as it could be, but it's a live album with Jimmy having a good time, so I pretty much went into it expecting that.

Now, if you're not a Red Sox fan - especially if you are a Yankees fan - you may tire quickly or possibly not always "get" all of the Red Sox and Boston references Jimmy makes here. That's understandable. But, well, I would expect to have the same problem if he had recorded this at Camden Yards, Busch Stadium or Wrigley Field. When it's live, the artist is gonna play to that audience. And, let's be honest, you have to expect that when he puts the stadium name in the title and photos of it all over the packaging.

Regarding the song selection, I think it's a very good mix of his old songs (which I knew), a number of newer ones (which I mostly didn't), and some covers. That, again, is to be expected of ANY live album, and for me was a good introduction to those newer songs I hadn't heard. Check the song list above, if that matters to you. If you're tired of Jimmy's approach to the Carribean or to life, don't buy this -- it's that simple. But he's not whining, he's just having fun, so if you are in a similar mood, this is a fun, fun way to play along.

As for the DVD...well, it's not a hidden movie classic waiting to be discovered. It's a party at Fenway Park. If you are having a Parrothead party, featuring a lot of Jimmy's music and even more alcoholic concoctions that relieve stress and reduce resistance to fun, I suggest you show the DVD on your TV with the sound DOWN, turn UP the sound on the CDs, and pour the margaritas. (Make mine with Cuervo, please...there IS a difference.) That's what it's all about anyway.

This is a very disappointing album from a talented artist. The set includes two CDs and a poorly edited DVD. For the most part, I doubt that the producers put a whole lot of effort into making this set. The DVD does not include his most popular songs and looks very amateurish. It needs a real editor.

The CDs are at least as bad. The instruments override the vocals on most numbers and there is too much verbiage. I got sick of Buffett telling us how much he loves Boston; sing for God's sake...don't talk. Also the electronic tags which identify the song to the track number were mostly wrong...100% wrong on the second CD and partially wrong for the songs at the end of the first CD. When I click on the track showing "Margaritaville", I want to hear that song, not "Respect" (arguably the best song on the album) instead.

A previous reviewer commented that Buffett appeared tired and bored. A close look at the band's demeanor in the DVD verifies it.

Overall, a major disappointment.

Tom

The hour long DVD is alot of fun but not as much fun as the camcorder videos I shot back in the days when Jimmy concerts were the highlight of the summer and isn't worth twenty plus dollars. As for the audio part. Did we really need a 7th live recording of Cheesburger in Paradise?

I may be middle-aged, I hate to admit, but I'm not quite dead yet, Jimmy and I just don't want to hear the same stuff over and over again. Bill Jabanoski's "Key West, Island of Dreams" makes me feel young and like there's still alot more life left to live. This tired playing out of your former glory doesn't.

Sorry. This is from a Parrothead who was one before they called us that.