LITTLE ROCK — Those who occupy or seek elective office routinely promise to snare industries and bring jobs to their eager constituents, but few are the politicos who promise cultural enrichment, or, at the very least, an exciting rock concert.
But it’s time to give it up for North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Hays, who knew that what Verizon Arena needed was a Jimmy Buffett concert. So Hays did what had to be done to fulfill what could have been a campaign promise, even if it wasn’t.
It helps if you know somebody who knows somebody, especially if one of those somebodies is named Buffett.
“I had gone to a mayors’ conference in Key West, Florida, six or seven years ago, and a friend of mine, who was the mayor of Key West, took a few of us out to eat,” Hays says. “He told us that there was a group at another table, and that Jimmy Buffett was one of them, but that we shouldn’t bother them.
“I think he went over and said hello or something to Jimmy, but after a while I’d forgotten about them, so when I suddenly became aware that someone was standing over my shoulder, I said, ‘Can I help you?’ He said, ‘I’m Jimmy Buffett,’ and of course, we visited for a while. He said he had an Arkansas connection in his band, and that’s when it came to me and I said, ‘His name wouldn’t be Mike Utley, would it?’
“He told me Mike was over at their table, so I went over to say hello to my old Sigma Chi fraternity brother when we were both going to college in Fayetteville. I think I made sure to point out to Jimmy and Mike that we had a new concert facility in our town and they should come and do a show here, and they said they’d see what they could arrange.”
Hays, who says he’s not a Parrot Head although his brother is, knew the old saying, that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, especially since Buffett may fly over or drive through central Arkansas on a frequent basis but neglects to stop in regularly. His first show in central Arkansas was in Robinson Auditorium (now Robinson Center Music Hall) on March 15, 1975, a month after the release of his third album, A1A. Tickets were $4.50 each.
Fifteen years later, Buffett returned for a show at Barton Coliseum in January 1990. Tickets were $17.50. Almost two years elapsed before Buffett was back in Barton again (tickets were $22.50). This year, tickets sold out the day they went on sale, with prices at $136, $76 and $36.
North Little Rock is planning to welcome the 17,000 Parrot Heads with parties and parking. Radio station KABZ-FM, 103.7, will host a tailgate party just off Riverfront Drive, adjacent to the Interstate 30 bridge and south of the seawall, from 2 to 9 p.m. Gates will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Entrance is free, and booths and food vendors have been invited to set up shop.
Hays is making more promises, although he’s retiring from the mayor’s office after his current term ends. He’s promising a “buffet for Buffett,” perhaps featuring the finest in Argenta cuisine, and indicates that he would be more than happy to come out onstage Thursday night and introduce the band.
“Yes, I’d be happy to welcome Mike Utley and his lead singer,” Hays pledges.
Style, Pages 50 on 02/26/2012