Jimmy Buffett is coming, Boise, ‘1st come, 1st served.’ The party will be ‘nuts’

Crank up that portable margarita blender, Parrotheads.

And remember: Pace yourself.

Jimmy Buffett and The Coral Reefer Band plan to return to the Treasure Valley.

Buffett will headline the Ford Idaho Center arena on Wednesday, Oct. 12. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, April 15, at fordidahocenter.com for $54.50, $94.50 and $154.50.

There will be no presales for tickets, so buyers seeking primo seats need to be prepared to act quickly and efficiently next Friday morning. “First come, first served,” explained Creston Thornton, president of promoter Live Nation’s mountain region.

Buffett brings a large stage production. This show’s maximum fan capacity will be around 9,700 concertgoers, Thornton said. Often performing at larger venues, Buffett normally averages about 15,000 tickets sold per night, Thornton added.

Tailgating before shows is a crucial aspect of concert culture for Buffett fans, known as Parrotheads. A “Prefunk Parrothead Party” will be held outside the Idaho Center in a grassy area prior to the concert. The organized bash will feature music and alcoholic beverages for sale, Thornton said. More details are expected to be announced soon.

“The prefunk, like the concert, is going to be nuts,” Thornton said. “The Parrotheads love to party.”

RV parking that day on the lot — and also overnight — will be available.

This is the first Nampa concert for Buffett, 75. Best known for his 1977 smash “Margaritaville,” he’s played twice before at ExtraMile Arena in Boise, when it was called Taco Bell Arena — once in 2012 and again in 2019.

Both shows triggered an influx of laid-back crazies — er, Parrotheads — who spent the day pretending Boise was a tropical island while sipping drinks in the parking lot. Additional margaritas and LandShark Lager (Buffett’s beer brand) were sold inside the arena, where Buffett delivered easygoing favorites such as “Come Monday,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes.”

Doors to the Buffett concert at the Ford Idaho Center will open at 6:30 p.m.; music starts at 8.

This story was originally published April 7, 2022 at 8:00 AM.