Jimmy Buffett died after a battle with skin cancer on September 1. However, a recent interview with Mac McAnally revealed that his Coral Reefer Band will keep the island vibes coming.
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Buffett wanted his friends, family, and band to “keep the party going” after his passing. McAnally recently told Billboard that he and the rest of the Coral Reefer Band plan to do just that. “The Coral Reefer Band is second family to all of us,” the singer/songwriter said. “We are a family and Jimmy wants us to continue and we want to continue.”
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At the moment, the CRB doesn’t know what the future holds. They know they want to keep Buffett’s legacy and music alive. However, they aren’t sure how exactly they plan to do that. “There’s ongoing discussions about the best way to do that, the most practical way to do that, and how to do it in a way that is worthy of the legacy that we’re part of,” McAnally said.
Buffett and the band played their last full show together in May at San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium. McAnally told the publication that he and the rest of the band are itching to be back on the road. “I can’t wait until we figure it out because 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. I don’t know who’s got more energy, them or us.”
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As Buffett neared the end of his life, he knew he wasn’t healthy enough to tour or play full shows. However, he wanted more than anything to be on stage. As a result, he sat in with McAnally on a handful of dates. In fact, the “Margaritaville” singer’s final performance was with McAnally in Rhode Island.
McAnally said no one in the crowd knew Buffett planned to sit in that night. “We played ‘5 O’clock Somewhere’ and when it got to the line What would Jimmy Buffett do? … he walked out from behind the stage,” he recalled. “It was maybe 400 people there and they all came up out of their seat. It was like somebody hit them with 220 volts.
“I looked back around at him because he was coming up behind me and he was 100% the happiest person on earth because I don’t think he knew if he was going to feel it again,” McAnally said.
That would be the last time Buffett took the stage to the delight of a room full of Parrotheads.
(Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CMT)
