Every year Jimmy Buffett fans, known as “Parrot Heads,” migrate to Jiffy Lube Live for his famed Labor Day weekend concert. While everyone there is excited to see Buffett, many also come for the preconcert experience of tailgating.
While concertgoers were happy that tailgating was reinstated at Jiffy Lube Live this year, they were displeased with other restrictions such as no canopies, having to tailgate right in front of their cars and limiting tailgating to two hours before the show.
“Jiffy Lube sucks not letting us in until late afternoon,” said one man from Centreville.
He explained that tailgating is a big draw for Jimmy Buffett fans and what his concertgoers have come to expect. “It’s a happy thing; everyone getting along,” he said.
“This is too painful now that the fun stuff is gone,” chimed in a local man of around thirty years, who asked to not have his name mentioned.
However, some diehard fans were happy with their experience at Jiffy Lube Live.
“We came all the way from Montana. We’ll be going to Brisbane and Melbourne after this,” said Stephanie Morton, who drove cross-country with her husband Brian and friend Randy Trudeau. The three world travelers, who were decked out in Land Shark hats, Hawaiian shirts and hula skirts, said they have followed Buffett since May.
But for most Buffett fans, this is his one concert they see in a given summer, and they expect it to live up to their expectations of past years.
Domingo Herraiz of Arlington had seen some great shows of Buffett’s at Jiffy Lube Live and at the Merriweather Post Pavilion before that. He invited his friends from Pennsylvania out to attend the show, hoping for a great concert and equally enjoyable time tailgating.
“I’m happy they allowed tailgating,” Herraiz said.
His wife, Lizette, agreed, saying she believed all the flack Jiffy Lube Live got about last year’s no tailgating policy must have led the venue to lift its ban this year.
Last Labor Day at Jiffy Lube Live left most Parrot Heads doubly disappointed. First the Jimmy Buffett show was postponed until Tuesday on account of Hurricane Irene. Then the fans that were still able to make the show were not allowed to tailgate at all.
Patty Tapelo from Mississippi seemed to sum up everyone’s feelings about tailgating when she said, “This is the only venue we do, because it’s so much fun. But they made it not so fun this year with less tailgating, but yes, (it was) better than last year.”
Not to say that those in her party were without their share of criticism.
“Less tailgating, less people who decorate their vehicles and the accouterments that went with it- tents, games,” added Debbie Smith of Vicksburg, Mississippi, explaining what the concert lacked this year.
Jiffy Lube Live states on their website that canopies and tents can hinder vehicles from getting by in an emergency. They also explain that they need to adhere to Virginia state law that prohibits public consumption of alcoholic beverages and drunken behavior in public.
While Prince William police actively patrolled the outer gates of the venue, they generally did not approach people who were not causing a disturbance. They also allowed games that were not alcohol-related.
And while a lot of fans claimed disappointment at the tailgating atmosphere, to the untrained eye, it all appeared very jovial. People in all directions, both men and women, were dressed in hula skirts, Hawaiian shirts, leis, hats with parrots, fins or cheeseburgers and wore other silly summer-time party accessories, like coconut bikini tops for men.
In addition, tailgaters grilled hamburgers, sat around talking in lawn chairs, danced, sang, ate and drank, played games, snapped photos of each other and met new people.
Those tailgating seemed to want one thing- to keep the summer concert tailgating tradition alive.
Some, such as J.B. Blankenship of Fairfax, were lucky enough to pass that tradition on to the next generation. Blankenship attended his first Jimmy Buffett concert in 1982. This year was the first year that he took his son, Todd, who is 10 years old.
And while local people care a lot about the safety on our roads, they still hope to make Jiffy Lube Live a fun destination spot for concerts, especially for prominent artists like Buffett, who draw a large crowd.
Juliana Miller of Haymarket said it is just her second year attending, but hopes for many more. Pointing towards her relatives from Mississippi, she said, “They’re much more seasoned.”
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