Watch Jimmy Buffett Cover ‘Southern Cross’ at His Final Concert
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The world woke up to the sad news Saturday morning that Jimmy Buffett died at the age of 76. “Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” read a statement on his website. “He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.”
They haven’t released a cause of death, but he admitted to health problems in recent years, including a hospitalization in May. “I wound up back in the hospital to address some issues that needed immediate attention,” he wrote to fans in May, explaining why he couldn’t play a show in Charleston, South Carolina. “Growing old is not for sissies…You all make my life more meaningful and fulfilled that I would have ever imagined as a toe headed [sic] little boy sitting on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts, you amazing years of loyalty.”
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Buffett was one of the most successful touring acts of the past four decades. It simply didn’t feel like summer if he wasn’t hitting the ampitheater circuit, and bringing his devoted army of Parrotheads along for the ride.
His shows became slightly more sporadic over the past few years, but he began 2023 by playing four gigs in Key West, Florida, before taking the show to to Las Vegas; Thousand Palms, California; Phoenix, Arizona; and ultimately San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium on May 6. It was the first show at the new stadium, and Buffett’s final full concert.
Like all Buffett concerts, the setlist was heavy on singalong favorites like “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Last Mango in Paris,” “Fins,” and “Margaritaville.” The set wrapped up with “Southern Cross.” It’s a 1982 Crosby, Stills, and Nash song, but it became a Buffett staple in 1996. He played it over 830 times. Here’s fan-shot video of the last performance in San Diego:
Buffett’s last public appearance took place July 2 when he joined longtime Coral Reefers Band guitarist Mac McAnally for an eight-song set at Sunset Cove in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. This was just two months before Buffett died, but he somehow had the strength to sing “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes,” “Cheeseburger In Paradise,” and “A Pirate Looks at 40.” The set ended, appropriately enough, with “Margaritaville.” Here’s video.
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