Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Football Tailgating Gets City's OK- But Not For Parrotheads

If you plan on attending the Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band concert  at Farm Bureau Live (formerly Virginia Beach Amphitheater) leave the margarita mixers at home.  Buffett is performing May 26, 2011.

Ain't no wastin' away at all in this parking lot
Toss away that drink blender and beer
Some fans claim that it's a shame to tailgating norms
But you know it's the city way

 My apologies to the Jimmy Buffett fans out there, but I couldn't resist. I also can't get Buffett's "Margaritaville" out of my head.

That song, along with "Come Monday" and "Cheeseburger in Paradise," served as the soundtrack to the week I spent in Honduras helping build a school with my church youth group. Buffett was playing in the background as our rickety bus drove down rural hillsides on the road to Mayan temples.

The singer is synonymous with good times.

But, alas, this isn't Margaritaville, or even Honduras. It's Virginia Beach. And local Parrotheads will have to enjoy Buffett's upcoming performance without the usual pre-concert tailgating party.

So wear your Tommy Bahama shirt to the amphitheater on May 26, but leave the tequila at home.

Virginia Beach mostly prohibits drinking in public places. The City Council made an exception last December for the United Football League, which will be playing at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex stadium. UFL officials successfully argued that tailgating is an essential part of going to football games.

However, the change does not extend to the amphitheater because the managers of the concert arena didn't ask for it, said Mayor Will Sessoms.

Sessoms, who plans to attend the event, said he'll still have a good time, even without the tailgating.
"I've got to look responsible," he joked.

But some fans are peeved.

Beach officials have received a handful of questions about the legality of tailgating. And rumors abound that Buffett didn't make the Beach a stop on his tour for nearly a decade because of the tailgating code.

Barry Ezell, a Beach resident and Buffett fan, said even stores near the amphitheater are promoting the concert with cases of Corona and paper palm tree displays. Ezell and his wife travel up to Massachusetts every year for a Buffett concert.

"Tailgates (yes, with alcohol) are part of the big draw," Ezell wrote in an email.

Buffett fans are older and more responsible, said Ezell, who is an associate professor at Old Dominion University.

"We're not the types to go crazy and jump around in a mosh pit and start fights," Ezell wrote.

But come concert time May 26, these fans will also have to go inside the arena and buy a beer from the amphitheater concession stand.

Source; http://hamptonroads.com/node/599069

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