Plus, there were no golden statues of broken flip-flops in sight. The balcony and the dining room are decorated with memorabilia, photographs, and posters you just can’t find anywhere else.
It has a perfect view of the stage at the back of the dining room, a stage where JB has frequently made unannounced appearances, even as recently as last year. We put in our orders and meandered upstairs to check out the balcony that we would designate as “Gypsies’” VIP space.
We were warmly greeted by a server who knew Dan by name and we got a table near the front mural of JB’s larger-than-life face. I knew before my arrival that I would be entering a place filled with Key West lore, not to mention a significant amount of artifacts spanning the duration of Jimmy Buffett’s career. My first trip to Margaritaville in Key West came quickly on the heels of visits to other legendary locales on the island, and it definitely earned its place among them. For this reason and many others, it is the perfect venue to host our first major bash in Key West, “Gypsies in the Palace.” It just feels like the right place to welcome an audience from all over the nation to hear musicians who are keeping the spirit of Key West songwriting alive. It’s a regular spot on the rotation of eateries for the BTTI crew and even amidst the crowds on Duval it’s a short walk from our store front at 627 Eaton Street. Though the atmosphere and authenticity of the KW Margaritaville is occasionally lost on its brand peers of hotels, eateries, booze, beer, clothing, frozen shrimp, etc., it is not lost on locals or visitors. The Original Margaritaville in Key West is in itself a sort of lost verse in the world of corporate Margaritaville because it maintains the authentic, gritty, irreverent sensibilities of Jimmy Buffett’s early career in Key West. Like the rest of the song, this verse pokes fun at a certain type of tourist and suggests a tone of melancholy lost on many listeners. "Old men in tank tops, cruising the gift shops, checking out chiquitas down by the shore, Dreaming of weight loss, wish they could be their own boss, Those three day vacations become such a bore." For those who might not have it memorized, it goes: I have no doubt that you know every line of “Margaritaville.” You probably also know the lost verse of that song, which didn’t make it onto the original recording. It was truly a pleasure to see a whole community come together in an effort to preserve and honor the music and history we all love. I’m not sure there was a dry eye in the house as Keith Sykes performed a heartfelt rendition of his song, “Coast of Marseilles.” He was joined afterward onstage by all of the artists and the leader of the BTTI Crew, Dan Smith. She approached the stage and they exchanged a few words as Roger beamed, clearly appreciating the woman’s praise. At one point during one of Roger Bartlett’s exuberant sets, a lady with cotton-candy hair offered a standing ovation. The combination of new and classic talent definitely struck unsuspecting folks who meandered into the dining room downstairs. They were joined by awesome contemporary performers like Kingdom Jasmine, Steven Taylor, B-Man and Mi-Shell, and Boomer Blake. Guests on the balcony got to mingle with legendary former Coral Reefers like Vaughn Cochran, Roger Bartlett, road manager Bob Lieberman, not to mention Keith Sykes.
KEITH SYKES JUST AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME MAC
Margaritaville was the perfect venue and the staff took wonderful care of us, making drinks and supplying a steady stream of cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, lobster mac and cheese, and other goodies. There’s a real desire to maintain the spirit and the history of the place.” We at BTTI tend to agree with Bob, and we feel lucky to call him a friend in working together to do just that. Instead, he replied, “I don’t think it has changed all that much. I asked him whether he thought the place has changed since then, and I was expecting him to offer a perspective on booming tourism or skyrocketing housing values, but those didn’t spring to mind for Bob. Bob clung to the lights for warmth and missed spotlighting Jimmy Buffett, but lived to tell another tale.īut Bob didn’t just visit Key West on tour, he lived here about thirty years ago. The commute itself was unpleasant in windy conditions, but the show left Bob and the equipment so cold that the lights were actually stuck in place and wouldn’t move toward the act on-stage. Bob recalls driving a truck loaded down with equipment from the University of Florida in Gainesville for a particularly brisk show in Mallory Square. On tour with Jimmy Buffett in 1977 the vibe was certainly less chilly, but the temperatures at one particular Key West show were equally frigid.
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