From the Boston Globe: Coral Reefer Band members honor Jimmy Buffett ahead of Christmas benefit concert in Cambridge
Local Parrot Heads are in for a holiday treat, as brothers and Coral Reefer Band members Peter and Jim Mayer are set to perform at a benefit concert in Cambridge Saturday.
The upcoming show at Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church is part of the annual “Stars and Promises” tour, which began in 1999 in support of Peter’s Christmas album of the same name. After 24 years, the concert comes to the Boston area for the first time; it will also mark the first onstage performance together by the brothers since Jimmy Buffett died in September at the age of 76 from skin cancer.
We love Boston,” Peter Mayer told the Globe in a phone interview, recalling the many performances with Buffett at Great Woods (now the Xfinity Center) in Mansfield. “It’s feels like a second home to us in terms of us touring live.”
The siblings-turned-bandmates fondly remember their first meeting with Buffett in 1988. It followed the demise of the Mayer brothers’ previous group, P.M., which also featured drummer Roger Guth.
The timing turned out to be fortuitous, as the group’s producer introduced them to Buffett as he began work on his 1989 album “Off to See the Lizard.”
While the brothers and Guth were brought in as the studio band, Buffett would keep them on as part of his touring Coral Reefer Band.
“I’ll never forget him walking into the studio. We had been setting up, and he says, ‘So this is my new band? Let’s have a boat drink,’ ” recalled Jim Mayer, who now lives in Belmont. “And we did. That was the beginning of it.”
This weekend’s concert in Cambridge will pay tribute to Buffett with performances of a trio of holiday songs recorded by the singer: “Merry Christmas Alabama,” “Santa Stole Thanksgiving,” and “Christmas Island.” Peter believes the tunes showcase not only the “humorous side of Buffett” but also his skill as a songwriter.
“Jimmy was a deep writer and an amazing lyricist,” said Peter, the lead guitarist for the Coral Reefer Band. “ ‘Santa Stole Thanksgiving’ is one of those songs where you look at the lyrics and you’re like, ‘This is amazing.’ ”
Beyond his songwriting chops, Jim praised Buffett for his ability to connect with concertgoers, noting how “the audience was Jimmy’s instrument.” The Coral Reefer Band bassist and backup vocalist says his fondest memory of Buffett occurred at a concert in Mansfield when a man showed up in the front row “dressed in a full reenactment, Revolutionary War minuteman outfit.”
“He was standing at attention,” said Jim. “We start the concert and we play the first song, and I’m a little bit like, ‘OK, this is a little odd.’ ”
“After three songs, Jimmy leaned down, he said, ‘At ease solider.’ That’s Jimmy Buffett. He understands his audience, he knows how to read them, and the guy sat down and enjoyed the show.”
In addition to honoring Buffett through song, the concert will serve as a nonprofit showcase, with 100 percent of the proceeds donated to the participating charities as selected by the ticket purchaser. According to organizers, many of the concert’s ticket proceeds are earmarked for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, where Buffett sought treatment during his illness.
Concertgoers will hear more than just Buffett tunes, as the brothers will perform classics like “Christmas Time is Here” from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and holiday tunes from Peter’s lengthy Christmas music catalog. Peter released his latest album, “Songs for the Birds,” in 2022, and was inspired to write the record while observing a woman feeding birds daily in Boston Common.
As for why Buffett’s music remains so popular after all these years, Peter attributes it to the singer’s “charisma.”
“Jimmy had it,” Peter said. “When he talked to you, you felt like you were exactly where you needed to be.”
For Jim, the power of Buffett’s music is in its ability to bring people together to have a good time, regardless of their differences.
“In this day and age, it’s hard to get two people to agree on anything, and yet, there we were with 12,000 to 15,000 people, who had all agreed to show up at the same time and enjoy music together.”
The “Stars and Promises” benefit concert will be held at Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church,1555 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Dec. 9 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com.