Bluffett bringing feel-good Buffett vibes to Cedar Rapids

Shortly after forming the Jimmy Buffett tribute band Bluffett in 1997, the group was playing a show in Chicago. Who was in the first row of a Windy City music festival but the leader of the Parrotheads himself.

“That was wild,” Bluffett vocalist/guitarist Larry Pearson said while calling from Arkansas. “I saw Jimmy right in front of us smiling with his thumbs-up. He seemed to be having a good time, which meant the world to us.”

Just after ending a show in Kansas City last September, Pearson’s world was rocked when he heard that Buffet had died.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Pearson said. “The weird thing was in the middle of our set, when we were playing ‘The Coast is Clear,’ I had a strange feeling. I had no idea he was that sick. I was overcome with such sadness. I didn’t answer the phone until the next day. I was too sad to talk about it.”

Pearson eventually cleared his head by playing Buffett songs sung by the laid-back singer/songwriter and by delivering Buffett songs with his band.

“The music has to live on, even after Jimmy is no longer with us,” Pearson said. “What we do is keep the music alive. Jimmy made some great music and it should be passed down generation to generation.”

Fans can hear that legacy when Bluffett performs Feb. 24, 2024, at the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids.

What separates Jimmy Buffett from many of his peers is that his music consistently is upbeat.

“Jimmy made feel-good music,” Pearson said. “He didn’t sing dark songs. I used to play with the Oak Ridge Boys’ William Lee Golden, who knew Jimmy well. He said the same thing about Jimmy’s music. It was always feel-good songs.

“Jimmy didn’t sing the blues or songs about how he couldn’t pay the rent. The kind of music Jimmy wrote and recorded was how you would feel when it was 3 o’clock and school was finally out. It was a feeling of freedom. It’s how you feel when it’s 5 o’clock and the work day is done.”

All the years of playing Buffett music in Bluffett inspired Pearson to write the ode to his hero, “Livin’ Like Jimmy.”

It's not often that Pearson has the opportunity to play the tune since he's usually out covering Buffett.

“But I love what I do,” Pearson said. “I enjoy going out and playing these songs. There was nobody like Jimmy. Look at the impact he had on the world of music.”

Buffett created a billion-dollar empire out of his fantasy — a carefree existence off the Florida coast. His laid-back, clever country-rock that he dubbed “Gulf & Western,” found a huge audience looking for a mellow rock escape. Buffett scored some hits with such breezy, melodic tunes as “Come Monday,” “A Pirate Looks at Forty,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” and of course, his signature tune, “Margaritaville.”

The latter is also the name of his chain of restaurants, many of which are in resort cities. Buffett packed amphitheaters from the 1970s until his final tour in 2023.

Pearson caught three Buffett concerts.

“They were amazing experiences,” Pearson said. “I wish I saw more of his shows, but at least I saw him.”

And wilder yet, what Buffett fan has had the pleasure of their hero checking out their performance?

“That’s the most awesome thing,” Pearson said. “I’ll never forget seeing Jimmy in the front row of that show.”

Buffett gave Bluffett his stamp of approval. During one of the “Meeting of the Minds” events in Key West, Fla., which is where all the Parrotheads flock down to every November, “Jimmy gave us a shout-out,” Pearson said.

“He said he wasn’t going to be at the event but that everyone should to go ahead and enjoy the band Bluffett. There’s nothing more that we could ever want than Jimmy’s endorsement. It really doesn’t get any better than that.”