Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band came to Camden’s waterfront concert venue (which is probably changing its name as I write this), as part of their annual summer tour. While the show was amazing - one big party of college-aged kids, 50-something moms and dads, and everybody in between, singing along to songs about beaches and bars - the tailgate was the real party. Of course it was. Nowhere does a parking lot feel more like a backyard than at a Jimmy Buffett concert. Or, more accurately, nowhere does a parking lot feel more like a thousand backyards, all geared up for their biggest BBQ of the summer!

The Parrotheads, Jimmy Buffett’s huge following, are known for some of the best tailgating of any audience. There are always Corona and limes, flip flops and bathing suits, great smelling grills and ice-filled coolers, not to mention hundreds of decked-out RVs and the most leis, parrots, and pirate flags this side of the Caribbean.

The easygoing vibe of the music probably plays a part in the great tailgating scene, along with the songs romanticizing beach bums and pirates. It also probably has a little to do with the disposable income of many of Buffett’s fans, who tend to be a little more gainfully employed than your average Phish or Grateful Dead fan.

One thing Parrotheads definitely have is passion, something very evident on this “summer” day. Rain was all over the forecast, and everything was basically windy and wet. But nobody complained. Moms and dads pulled out the ponchos they had brought for just this occasion, while college kids and other poor planners cut holes in the black garbage bags they had brought. Some camps had sturdy tents established and spent the periods of rain relaxing as if they were home on their front porch, while others struggled trying to fasten lines and secure knots (ahem, nobody you know). Others had huge RVs with built-in roofs, and some just sucked it up and walked in the rain, usually in just a bathing suit.

The point is nobody was ready to pack it in and go home. And everyone’s perseverance was eventually rewarded. As it got closer to show time, the rain stopped and the sky cleared up. I was able to walk around and get a good feel for the concert. One of the things I love about tailgating is the creativity and attention to detail fans show. Seeing a guy flying around on a motorized cooler is always fun. When that same guy has a beach umbrella propped up, shielding him from the rain, it becomes awesome. There were some amazing cornhole sets; hand-painted with the same themes I was seeing over and over again - parrots, pirates, beaches, and boats. One of the more impressive features I saw was a Buffett-themed tiki bar. I never realized how important a tiki bar could be to a tailgate, but it really took things up a notch (I guess it doesn’t hurt when that tiki bar has a bowl full of fresh shrimp resting on it and ice cold Coronas underneath).

Along with the passion and creativity, one of the best parts of any tailgate is the camaraderie between tailgaters. Buffett concerts really have that camaraderie on full display. For one thing, it is a total family affair, which means you will see a group hanging out with little kids running around, dads grilling, and even grandparents relaxing in beach chairs. It tends to make people act more like they are at a BBQ than a bar or club. The sharing was pretty awesome, too. I couldn’t keep track of how many margaritas I was offered. It was also pretty easy to get in a game of cornhole or washers, as everybody was willing to make friends with strangers.

When the concert started and everybody walked in to the venue, I found myself on the grass lawn, surrounded by thousands of my newest friends. We had great music playing, blankets set up, and a fantastic view of the Philadelphia skyline across the river. The weather had finally cleared and we were all grooving along to the music. Good times, all around. The only thing that could have been better? Maybe if we were all still hanging out in the parking lot!

Want to experience a Jimmy Buffett tailgate and concert for yourself? Click on the banner below to buy Jimmy Buffett Tickets.

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As you can see, the Turkey Cannon is made of stainless steel and you place the bird over the extended tube instead of placing the bird over a can of beer. Season the chicken as you normally would but before placing it on the Turkey Cannon, pour a can of beer into the cylinder. The Turkey Cannon has vent holes all along the length so that when your beer steams, the flavorful vapor will go right into the body of the chicken. This technique will keep your bird moist while slow roasting on the grill.

My wife picked one up for me for Father’s Day and I am happy to say it worked like a charm. We seasoned the bird with a flavorful BBQ dry rub and placed it on the Bubba Keg Grill for a few hours. The results were fantastic and the chicken was moist and stayed moist even when we pulled out the leftovers. We plan on smoking a turkey using the Turkey Cannon next time with hopes it will keep the bird moist as well.

You can get your own Turkey Cannon online for about 20 bucks from Buy.com or SHOP.com.

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If you are reading this it means you are a valuable subscriber to TailgatingIdeas.com’s free updates. Thanks for reading and we hope to see you visiting the website soon.

I recently came across these two videos that are a pretty good representation of both. So now it is up to you to decide. Cast your vote on who tailgates better in the comments section below.

Jimmy Buffett Tailgating

Kenny Chesney Tailgating

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What you’ll need:

3 Red/Orange Jalapeno peppers
3 Green Jalapeno peppers
3 Yellow Jalapeno peppers
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 8 oz can of whole tomatoes
2 Long stems of Green Onions
6 Cloves of Garlic

Directions:

Place Jalapenos on a medium grill until toasted
Remove from grill and chop jalapenos, cilantro, green onions and garlic
Place in blender with whole tomatoes
Blend to desired consistency
Serve

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We first told you about YM Sports Grates back in August 2008. They are the ones that can make stainless steel grill grates with college team logos right on them. (click the image for a larger view) Because summer is here and that means more time for outdoor cooking and tailgating, YM Sports Grates is running a photo contest. Two (2) Grand Prize winners will receive their very own special edition YM CUSTOM GRATE in which they will help design, along with $150 toward your favorite local meat market. The judges at YM Custom Grates will choose one (1) Hot Mama and one (1) Smokin’ Daddy and the winners will be announced on July 10th. The only catch is that you must be photographed with your YM Custom Grill Grate clearly visible in your submitted photo. Don’t have a YM Custom Grill Grate yet? No worries. They are offering 15% off through the end of the contest, July 10, 2009, when you enter the coupon code “grillin” at checkout.

Make sure to visit the YM Custom Grates official contest rules page HERE before entering. Good luck!

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And when I say ticket prices I am referring to ticket brokers.  And when I say ticket brokers I am referring to Stub Hub.

We are beginning to see signs of the economy improving.  True, you might have to look really hard for those signs but they are there.  But regardless of the improving economy, money is still tight for most fans.  And unfortunately the wallet shrinkage isn’t being accompanied with a decrease in the stresses of everyday life.

Stress remains high.  We fans need our escape from home, from work, from kids, from significant others.  Our answer has always been a trip to the stadium or ball park.  A good tailgate followed by some baseball or football, followed by more tailgating.

Living in an area of a die-hard fan-base it is difficult to purchase football and baseball tickets directly from the teams.  Tickets are sold-out and spots on season ticket waiting lists are often passed on in wills.

If a fan wants to see the local team they are most often forced to seek tickets from an outside ticket broker (sure there is always the option of an e-bay auction, but who has the time to monitor prices all-day only to be outbid with seconds remaining in the auction).

And when we visit these ticket broker sites the prices are ridiculously over-priced.  It is difficult to find tickets that aren’t at least twice face value.  I understand people wanting to make themselves a profit, but come on people stop with the greed.

The sky-high prices are killing the joy of going to a game live.  If you do end up dishing out money for tickets, your at-the-stadium budget is depleted.  Throw in parking costs and we are looking at non-existent beer funds (gotta keep the tailgate buzz going inside the stadium).  And if you decide against forking over the money for the tickets, well that means no pre and post game tailgates!

This rant is probably pointless because of the whole supply and demand theory.  But what an amazing thing it would be if there was a way to regulate the prices that ticket brokers charge!

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Hey guys,

Loved the list of the written rules of attending a sporting event today. I have a few more that I think should be enacted immediately.

• If you have the cash or the good fortune to sit behind home plate at a baseball game, stop acting like a dick while waving to some moron watching at home when you’re dumb ass happens to appear on television. If you’re caught doing this you will be tossed out or at the very least, back up to the top row where you’re no class ass belongs.
• If you know nothing about the sport you’re watching just sit back, shut up and enjoy it. No need to open your mouth and share how stupid you are. If you are one of those who thinks they know everything about the sport they are watching…..same goes for you!
• If you’re going to charge me $8 for a beer, make it a good beer. Don’t give me the one that was poured 15 minutes ago with no head and is watered down, generic piss water. This also means not pouring me a beer that turns out to be 50% head.
• If you’re desperate enough to have to eat/drink at a stadium, you must know what you want before reaching the mouth breather behind the counter. Come on people, hot dogs, peanuts, nachos, beer, soda. How hard is that? If you can’t figure out what you want during the 20 minutes you spent waiting in line, you’re too stupid to be there. Also, regardless of how much of a big shot you think you are, they are going to charge you for the food. Even though they are robbing you blind, get your money out and be ready to pay. Once again, if the math is too difficult for you to do during you’re long ass wait, you’re too dumb to be there.
• If you’re the idiot that wears the visiting team’s jersey and stands up and turns around to taunt the home fans around you, you not only deserve to get your ass beat, but should have to pay back the full value of all the beer, nachos and anything else that gets tossed at you.
• If you are from the east coast and come out to a game in California, you must remember a few rules. First of all, you are no longer on the east coast and nobody cares that you’re from there. Stop telling everyone how much better it is there. If that were the case you would still be there and we all would be thankful. There is a reason California is the most populous state in the Union and it is because everywhere else blows. The next thing you must remember is the Yankees suck! Maybe that’s not a rule but it should be.
• If you’re going to be sitting next to people, and at some places almost on top of people, remember to follow the American custom of wearing deodorant! That may fly at the World Cup but smelling like you commando crawled the length of the tailgating parking lot to get the stadium gates endears you to nobody.
• If you are a waste of space, wannabe gang banger who is only at the game to get drunk in the parking lot, pick fights and ruin tailgating for the rest of us……. stick to the Raider games.
• If you are a woman with NO CLUE about the game, you have a legal obligation to do one or all of the following:

1) Be hot and wear a home team t-shirt that would be considered tight on any 5 year old.
2) Supply great food and beverage to the tailgate and be happy to do so.
3) Smile and never ask how much longer the game is.
4) Drive your drunk ass boyfriend/husbands butt home afterward.

Hope you enjoyed my list. Also, let me take a moment to give props to the lady on tailgatingideas.com the other day that had the double breast beer bong! Classic.

Despite having a bit of fun making up these new rules, in all seriousness we readers of tailgatingideas.com, fans of sports and parking lot pre-game action, we have the responsibility to not only rock the parking lot like it’s a Jimmy Buffet concert, but to create an atmosphere that makes all welcome. The future of tailgating is in jeopardy right now. More and more, the crack down on tailgating is hitting us all. Whether it be time restrictions, alcohol crack downs, parking space restrictions or grouping all tailgaters with the morons that ruin our image by using the sporting event parking lot as there own gang turf war, we need to stand up for and create a positive image and environment.

Love the blog and keep up the good work.

Eric

So there you have it. Feel free to come up with your own set of rules and email them to us or add them in the comments section below.

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