Doobie Brothers and Coral Reefers Weather the Storm
It was a hot August night, indeed, as we approached the magnificent Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, NJ, USA, the sky a threatening shade of dark grey, clouds forming and roiling in a manner that did not look well for those scheduled for lawn seats for the one-two punch of the Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band and the Doobie Brothers. Though 30 years old this season, this was my first venture to the indoor-outdoor 25,000-seat venue, and I was delightfully impressed.
Coral Reefer Band
Those ominous clouds gave way to quite a show, with lightning and rain in the area, leading to a 90-minute delay. Lawn folk were ushered inside to available seats, confused patrons not knowing if and when the show might start, and when it finally did, there were slightly shortened sets from both bands. But no one seemed to mind as the mood became festive when the Coral Reefer Band took the stage and the “parrotheads” – who numbered at least 50% of the crowd- revelled as the band began with the Buffett classic “Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude.”
With Buffett’s passing in 2023, Mac McAnally has picked up the torch to lead the way and remember their leader, sharing stories of Jimmy and his songs. Though their set got cut by about 30 minutes due to the late start, the CRB closed with crowd favourite “Margaritaville” and slipped in a brilliant cover of Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl.”
The Doobie Brothers
After a relatively accelerated stage swap, the Doobie Brothers came on stage, firing it up with a rollicking cover of the Eddie Holland classic “Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)”, followed by two off the classic “Minute By Minute” album. Though these gents have been singing and touring for nearly 50 years, their voices were strong, harmonious and showed how they can still bring it home to a theatre packed with nearly 25,000 fans.
Michael McDonald took the lead during the title song “Minute by Minute” in the #7 slot for the evening, off on stage left behind the keys. Shortly thereafter, the audience erupted with the cover of The Art Reynolds Singers’ “Jesus Is Just Alright,” and it was hit after hit for the balance of the show. The main set concluded with the rocker “China Grove” before three encore tunes.
While there was a bit of angst to start the evening due to the weather, by the end it was clear that the delay was well worth it (and the skies were clear too for the walk back to parking!) Smiles all around from the fans of the two bands with two very distinct styles. And speaking of styles, fans of the Coral Reefer Band won out of the style battle, with many in tropical shirts, leis, and one woman dressed as a lit “doobie.”
Photos (c) David Fang
