A major fan gathering, the Meeting of The Minds, is taking place in Gulf Shores for the first time.
Ryan Balthrop, right, accompanied by Wes Loper, performs on a beach stage at the Flora-Bama on Oct. 25, 2023. The performance was part of the Meeting of The Minds, a major gathering of Jimmy Buffett fans.In a tent outside the hangout at Gulf Shores on Wednesday morning, dozens of parrothead volunteers stuffed goody bags for the thousands more parrotheads converging on the town, and the smooth assembly line process ran without pause. Almost.
Then on Sept. 1, Buffett died. That makes this Meeting of The Minds the first event of its kind since the passing of the man who inspired the whole parrothead fan base to dream of escaping to exotic, beachy locales suitably supplied with rum. That has put a different spin on things. The gathering will include several tributes, including a big one planned for Wednesday evening at The Hangout.
Volunteers stuff goody bags to be handed out to attendees at the 2023 Meeting of the Minds, a fan convention being held in Gulf Shores for the first time.Most of the day’s musical programming would come with the afternoon and evening. But down at the Flora-Bama, things were already in full swing, with Wes Loper, Ryan Balthrop and Kelly McGuire playing to a crowd of 100 or more people at a small beach stage, as a heavy surf driven by strong winds provided a sparkling backdrop.
That left all three uniquely qualified to talk about what it meant to have the world of PHiP and the world of the Flora-Bama colliding.Wes Loper, left, smiles as Kelly McGuire performs on a beach stage at the Flora-Bama on Oct. 25, 2023. The performance was part of the Meeting of The Minds, a major gathering of Jimmy Buffett fans.On a more serious note, he said, it was like a long-overdue payback. “This is the first time I’ve been able to host a show,” he said.
“Honestly it might end up being better than Key West, in a lot of ways” he said. “The beach is beautiful here. You don’t see the beach in Key West. You’re in a bar everywhere.”
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