Live by the Bay
Cover of the VHS release
Directed byJack Cole
Produced byTammara Wells
StarringJimmy Buffett
Music byJimmy Buffett
Distributed byMCA
Release date
  • March 1, 1986 (1986-03-01)
Running time
87 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Live by the Bay is a 1986 direct-to-video[1] concert film of American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band.[2] It was released in 1986 by MCA Entertainment.[3] The 87-minute film was recorded from back to back concerts in Miami, Florida on August 16 and 17, 1985, at Miami Marine Stadium[2] and is the first concert video released by Buffett.[4] Miami Vice star Don Johnson introduced Buffett to the crowd.[5] A brief rain shower during the middle of the Friday night show prompted Buffett to retreat to his sailboat (docked by the stage) and caused a majority of the final video release to feature the Saturday night show. After the rain cleared on Friday, the band played Little Feat's "Dixie Chicken" to demonstrate the equipment still functioned before Buffett returned to the stage.

A screenshot of the opening titles of Live by the Bay; in the foreground are partly filled bleachers (stands); the center of the image is the canvas-covered stage of Miami Marine Stadium; in the water surrounding the stage are numerous pleasure boats; the skyline of Miami is barely visible in the top left of the frame; the text "Jimmy Buffett Live by the Bay" appears capitalized in plain text superimposed on the frame
Live by the Bay opening titles with a shot of Miami Marine Stadium as the concert is beginning

The stadium was originally built for powerboat racing. It used a floating stage in front of the grandstand that allowed additional concertgoers to listen from their boats in the water behind the stage, as seen in video. The video introduction includes extended footage of "parrothead" fans on boats and in the water with "Gypsies in the Palace" playing in the background. Buffett returned to Miami Marine Stadium in 1987 for a concert with the Desperadoes Steel Orchestra,[6] but the stadium was ultimately condemned after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and remains an abandoned hulk to this day. In 2009, Buffett recorded a short video supporting efforts to restore the stadium.[7]

Released on March 1, 1986,[1] the video of Live by the Bay was directed by Jack Cole, produced by Tammara Wells, while the audio was recorded and mixed by Elliot Scheiner. The film was released on VHS, Betamax[1] and LaserDisc. As of 2022, the video is out of print and has not been released on DVD. It was occasionally shown on television by the now-defunct VH1 Classic cable network as part of its Classic in Concert series.

At the time, reviewers called the concert video "an amiable mix of folk, rock, country and calypso that conjures up images of good times and tropical breezes"[8] played before "thousands of fans, most of whom seem to have had one too many".[9]

Track list

Following are the tracks on the video:[3]

  1. Introduction / "Gypsies in the Palace"
  2. "Door Number Three"
  3. "Grapefruit-Juicy Fruit"
  4. "We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us About"
  5. "Stars on the Water"
  6. "Coconut Telegraph"
  7. "Come Monday"
  8. "Ragtop Day"
  9. "Who's the Blonde Stranger"
  10. "Volcano"
  11. "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes"
  12. Intermission / Interview
  13. "One Particular Harbour"
  14. "If The Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me"
  15. "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw"
  16. "Cheeseburger in Paradise"
  17. "Fins"
  18. "Last Mango in Paris"
  19. "A Pirate Looks at Forty"
  20. "Margaritaville"
  21. End titles / "Son of a Son of a Sailor"

Actual set list

There were several songs deleted from the film.

  1. The Great Filling Station Holdup*
  2. Son of a Son of a Sailor**
  3. Door Number Three
  4. Grapefruit—Juicy Fruit
  5. Pencil Thin Mustache*
  6. We Are the People our Parents Warned us About
    Main Set
  7. Stars on the Water
  8. Coconut Telegraph
  9. Come Monday
  10. Ragtop Day
  11. Who's the Blonde Stranger?
  12. Volcano
  13. Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
    Intermission
  14. One Particular Harbour
  15. If the Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me
  16. Why Don't We Get Drunk
  17. Let it Ride (Josh Leo)*
  18. Dixie Chicken (Josh Leo)*
  19. I Can't Tell You Why (Timothy B. Schmit)*
  20. Medley:*
    1. Nautical Wheelers*
    2. Tin Cup Chalice*
    3. Boat Drinks*
    4. Banana Republics*
    5. The Captain and the Kid*
    6. Somewhere Over China*
    7. He Went to Paris*
    8. Cowboy in the Jungle*
  21. Cheeseburger in Paradise
  22. Fins
  23. Last Mango in Paris
  24. A Pirate looks at Forty
  25. Margaritaville
    Encore
  26. Gypsies in the Palace**
  27. Brown Eyed Girl*

* = Not included on Live By the Bay
** = Abridged version appeared on Live By the Bay, not included on the track list and out of order

References

  1. ^ a b c "New Releases: Home Video". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.: 25 1 March 1986. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b Steve Eng. Jimmy Buffett: The Man from Margaritaville Revealed. Macmillan, 1997. p. 262. ISBN 9780312168759
  3. ^ a b "Live by the Bay." Allmusic.com. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  4. ^ Howard Cohen. "Jimmy Buffett and Gloria Estefan to share memories of the Miami Marine Stadium." Miami Herald. 24 December 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  5. ^ Stephen Holden. "Home Video; New Cassettes: From Kilts to White Tie." New York Times. 31 August 1986. p. 20.
  6. ^ Mary Stapp. "Jimmy Buffett Songwriter in Paradise: the At-Ease Singer's Anthems to a Carefree Life Are Made to Order for a Concertgoing Party." South Florida Sun Sentinel. 29 November 1987. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Jimmy Buffett for Miami Marine Stadium." Youtube.com. 24 September 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  8. ^ Lynn Van Matre. "Singer Jimmy Buffett: If the Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Probably Me." Chicago Tribune. 6 April 1986. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  9. ^ Dennis Hunt. "Jimmy Buffett Has a Video for 'Animal House' Crowd; Heavy-Metal Addicts See Hope With 'Hear n’ Aid'." Los Angeles Times. 18 April 1986. Retrieved 10 September 2020.

External links

Jimmy Buffett
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