Paul McCartney, the Eagles and more celebrate Jimmy Buffett in Los Angeles

From April 12, 2024

Paul McCartney and the Eagles were among the many artists who celebrated the late Jimmy Buffett at Keep the Party Going: A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett in Los Angeles on Thursday, with fan-shot footage on YouTube showing McCartney sharing tales of his friendship with the singer.

“I had the great pleasure of knowing Jimmy,” McCartney told the audience at the Hollywood Bowl. “And like everyone else on the bill tonight has said, this is one great man. He was generous, he was funny, he’d done just about everything in his life.”

McCartney talked of the time Buffett got a custom left-handed guitar made for him, and also reminisced about singing with him the week before he died. He then performed one of the songs they’d played, The Beatles classic “Let It Be,” backed by the Eagles.

According to a post to Buffett’s Instagram Story, the night also included Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl on drums with Zac Brown Band and Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band for a cover of Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl.” ZBB also debuted a new song appropriate for the occasion, “Pirates and Parrots.” The Eagles performed “Take it to the Limit” and “In The City,” while Don Henley performed his tune “Boys of Summer.” Sheryl Crow performed Buffett’s ”Fins.”

The Coral Reefer Band also performed several of Buffett’s classics, including “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Why Don’t We Get Drunk” and “Volcano” with Eagles’ Timothy B. Schmit.

The night ended with an encore featuring all of the night’s performers – including Jackson Browne, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Chesney and Eric Church – returning to the stage for Buffett’s signature tune, “Margaritaville.”

Buffett passed away September 1 after a four-year battle with a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer. He was 76.