What’s a Jimmy Buffett concert without Jimmy Buffett? The Coral Reefer Band’s concert Saturday, July 25 at Dickies Arena wasn’t a cover band show; with a few exceptions, this is the same band that has backed the King of Margaritaville for decades, and many of those band members were singing songs they wrote for Buffett to record.
The concert also wasn’t the full Buffett experience — but what could be? The man was such a large-than-life figure that it seemed he’d outlive us all.
Instead, Buffett’s absence put the night’s proceedings in a liminal space — “an ongoing family reunion of people who love Jimmy Buffett,” as longtime band member Mac McAnally put it at the beginning of the show.
And it did seem like a family reunion for the fans on the floor and in the audience, even though Dickies was half-empty — perhaps due to the Buffettlessness of it all. On the other hand, Dickies is probably the only music venue in Fort Worth that could accommodate all 12 band members.
But for the Parrot Heads who were at the Fort Worth stop of the “Keep The Party Going” tour, the Coral Reefer Band did just that: they kept the party going.
Buffett family tradition
Buffett died after a four-year batle with a rare, aggressive skin cancer Sept. 1, 2023 at the age of 76. The last time Buffett played a show in Fort Worth was in 2014, when he performed at the Coyote Drive-In. The performance was broadcast to dozens of other drive-ins across the country.
Jimmy Buffett performs at the Coyote Drive-In on June 19, 2014, in Fort Worth. Ron Jenkins Star-Telegram
Since his death, his backing band The Coral Reefers have kept playing, as per Buffett’s wishes. “Jimmy wants us to continue, and we want to continue,” McAnally told Billboard in 2023. “We miss being out there, playing his songs to people and feeling that alternating current go back and forth from the stage to the crowd.”
Some of the Coral Reefers have been with the band since its inception in the 1970s, but the lineup has changed a few times over the years. Saturday night’s group featured:
Mac McAnally – emcee, lead vocals, harmony and backing vocals, rhythm and lead guitars, slide guitar, dobroNadirah Shakoor – harmony and backing vocals, lead vocalsPeter Mayer – harmony and backing vocals, lead guitarScotty Emerick – lead vocals, harmony and backing vocals, guitarWill Kimbrough – lead vocals, harmony and backing vocals, guitarJim Mayer – harmony and backing vocals, bassDoyle Grisham – pedal steel guitarRoger Guth – drumsEric Darken – percussionJohn Lovell – trumpetMick Utley – harmony and backing vocals, keyboardsRoger Greenidge – steel drums
Every one of them got their own moment in the spotlight, especially Texas natives Shakoor and Grisham, who got lead vocals on “Fins” and a special shoutout on “Grapefruit – Juicy Fruit,” respectively. The band played for 29 songs and about two hours total, with a 20-minute intermission in between sets. The setlist was a mix of the “Songs You Know By Heart” variety and some deeper cuts from Buffett’s catalog, often with songs written by McAnally, Emerick or Kimbrough.
Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band performed 29 songs of Buffett hits and rarities Saturday, July 25 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. Jake Harris Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The “family reunion” sentiment was true on stage as well. Utley took over on the keys for his father Michael, who retired from touring after Buffett’s death. (Mick Utley is also married to McAnally’s daughter.) Greenidge manned the steel drums for his brother Robert, who died of a stroke in June.
Despite the knowledge of departed band members, it wasn’t a sad night. The band was having a blast. Fans were decked out in aloha shirts, leis, hula skirts and hats with parrots and shark fins on them. Beach balls bounced up and down in the floor seats throughout the night. Multiple band members were barefoot. Everyone knew every word, and happily joined in on the “Salt! Salt! Salt!” chant in “Margaritaville” and the hand motions in “Fins.”
Even the little kids in front of me got in on the singing during “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” which featured an on-screen graphic of a cartoon burger opening up to form a turntable.
“Jimmy spread happiness, he had a grin wider than his head,” McAnally said. And even though Buffett’s gone, his music still spread goofy fun in Fort Worth Saturday night.
‘Margaritaville’ is a state of mind
Mostly, the night served as a reminder that there will never be another Jimmy Buffett. His musical legacy is carried on by the Coral Reefer Band and artists like Kenny Chesney. Still, it’s hard to imagine another figure who could turn a song about a hot day in Austin into a billion-dollar enterprise featuring restaurants, resorts and live shows, and keep a sense of humor about it all.
It was hard to not take a long view of everything at the end of the show. Buffett’s music has been a big part of my life for a long time. I’ve been singing “Margaritaville” for at least a decade longer than I’ve been able to legally purchase a margarita. My senior quote in my high school yearbook was from “Changes In Latitudes.”
Seeing Buffett’s longtime backing band play a tour to honor him and the music they’ve played over decades, and how they continue to make joy out of the loss of their bandleader and friend, had an emotional effect. Margaritaville is not a place; it’s a state of mind, and this band is living in it.
Every party has to come to an end at some point, but as they say in “One Particular Harbour”: Not yet.
📰 In case you missed it:
CORAL REEFER BAND SETLIST, DICKIES ARENA, FORT WORTH TEXAS (JULY 25, 2026)Changes in Latitudes, Changes in AttitudesPencil Thin MustacheIt’s Five O’Clock Somewhere (Alan Jackson cover)Piece of Work (Will Kimbrough song)Son of a Son of a SailorKnees of My HeartTin Cup ChaliceGrowing Older But Not UpGrapefruit-Juicy FruitCome MondayCheeseburger in ParadiseIt’s My Job (Mac McAnally song)One Particular HarbourVolcanoWorkin’ N’ Playin’
Intermission
The Great Filling Station Holdup (Acoustic)He Went to Paris (Acoustic)Nobody From NowhereBoat DrinksWhy Don’t We Get DrunkBack Where I Come From (Mac McAnally song)Bubbles UpSouthern Cross (Crosby, Stills & Nash cover)FinsA Pirate Looks at FortyMargaritavilleBrown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison cover)
Encore
Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead cover)Lovely Cruise
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Jake Harris is the Service Journalism Editor for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has spent nearly 10 years working as a digital producer across newsrooms in Texas. He mainly writes about pop culture and local North Texas happenings and occasionally writes concert reviews.