By Rachel Finney, Special Correspondent to The Winnsboro News

A light summer breeze welcomed parrotheads to the stage as Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefers Band docked in Frisco for the “I Don’t Know” tour on Saturday night.

The concert marked the world’s richest beach bum’s 10th appearance at Toyota Stadium.

Texas band ZZ Top opened the show, sounding as sharp and energetic as ever with crowd favorites like “Sharp-Dressed Man” and “Legs.”

Beginning Thursday, land sharks, cheeseburgers in paradise, pirates with eye patches, and bikini-clad beach goers sailed into the parking lot for the traditional tailgate, counting down the hours until Buffett and his band took the stage for the sold-out show. The Frisco parking lot has earned a reputation as one of the best tailgating experiences on Buffett’s annual tour.

Opening the show with “Changes in Attitudes, Changes in Latitudes,” Buffett gave the fans what they want, year after year: a congenial party atmosphere, with crowd favorites such as “Son of a Son of a Sailor,” “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” “Volcano,” “Fins,” and, of course, the song that started it all, “Margaritaville.”

As always, Buffett’s love and appreciation for Texas seems as vast as the Lone Star State itself.

Photos depicting iconic Texas culture graced the screen — bluebonnets, longhorns, Tex-Mex, the Rangers, the Dallas skyline, Big Tex, and the Dallas Cowboys — as Buffett launched into “Back Where I Come From,” a song written by his long-time sideman and 8-time CMA Musician of the Year Mac McAnally.

With that megawatt Jimmy Buffett smile, he simply observed, “Music permeates your culture.”

Buffett also included a snippet of “Midnight Rider,” paying homage to the life of Gregg Allman during “The Great Filling Station Hold-Up” and dedicating “A Pirate Looks at Forty” to Adam West, better known as Batman, who passed away at the age of 88 on Saturday.

Always one to gladly share the stage, Buffett also brought Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top back on stage for and electrifying “Last Man Standing.”

Buffett and his band closed the show with the soulful cover of Stephen Stills’ “Southern Cross and a soaring arrangement of “One Particular Harbor,” always a crowd favorite.

Then, it was just Jimmy and his guitar with an acoustic version of “Tin Cup Chalice” for the final encore.

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Buffett’s “I Don’t Know” tour continues through the summer, with stops in Saint Louis, Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, San Francisco, San Diego, Paris, France, winding up with an acoustic set Nov. 4 in Waikiki.

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