Buffett enchants Hill fans By STEVE 1100K " HELLO ANN ARBOR ... little sunshine comin' your way!" With these words, Jimmy Buffett cast off the lines that sent an enthusiastic crowd at a packed Hill Auditorium on a two hour musical cruise Friday night. There are those who have dubbed him "margarita man" while others call him "God's Own drunk" but now, he has adopted a new nickname: "cheeseburger in paradise". Somehow, after witnessing his performance, the absurdity of this nickname, based on the name of this 1978 tour, "The Cheeseburger in Paradise Tour", makes sense. As one T-shirt salesman explained, " Jimmy loves cheeseburgers." The warm-up band was far from stimulating. The Mark Jorden Band provided some relatively pleasant music similar in nature to Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band's, although it lacked the magical touch which so feverishly excited the crowd later in the evening. Most of their work was laid back, which ironically, aggravated the audience's growing energy: they wan- ted Buffett. The noticeably loud level of conversation among the audience maintained throughout their set was a sure sign that the crowd was merely waiting for the main event. The ovation, however, was gracious - c'est la vie. WHEN HE FINALLY did appear, the supressed excitement exploded like a balloon; the evening had really started. Beginning with the title song from his new album, "Son of a Son of a Sailor", and continuing throughout the perform- ance, Buffett wove a curious web of' emotions. The moods, ranging from melancholy to comical to fierce and furious, were all felt strongly. In "Landfall", Buffett created a let- loose feeling that caught on spon- taneously with the audience. During his favorite tale, "God's Own Drunk", and in his irreverent but seemingly ap- propriate "Let's Get Drunk and Screw", he had the audience possessed with laughter. At times, Buffett slowed things down by transforming the emotional lyrics of "Come Monday", "Banana Republics" and "The Pirate" into conscious feeling among the audience. It is this spectrum of emotions that makes an evening with Buffett so enjoyable. Buffett has a lot in common with the two other male vocalists coming to Ann Arbor this spring. Careful listening reveals that his music neither conveys a message nor any personal philosophy; Buffett sings about a king of life, a way to live. He. presents an overall image: an ocean, a sailboat, palmtrees, and his everpresent bottle of booze. Just as John Denver sings of the mountains and Jackson Browne sings The Michigan Daily-Sunday, March 26, 1978-Page 5 THE OBERLIN COLLEGE CHOIR DANIEL MOE, Conductor* A*C Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre Monday, March 27, 1978 * 8:00 PM - OSERLIN COLLtt General Admission: Students, $1.50* s I I I Others, $2.00 CONSERVATORY Or MUSICPhone 7612991 or at the door. Works of Bach, Mozart, Sweelinck, Bruckner, Messian **** ** ** **** ** * *** ** ***** WORKSHOP ON MEDITATION AND HEALIING 1 * SATURDAY, APRIL 1st, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. I * led by STERN MORGAN, psyhic healer I j Fundamentals of meditative techniques which enable people to go down to a j quiet level or meditative state where they can heal themselves and/or others. j $5 optional donation. Will be held at Canterbury House, 218 N. 1 1 Division Street, corner of Catherine and division. t * I ADVANCE ENROLLMENT NECESSARY, CALL 665-0606. u "* "- - - - -- - - - - - -- - - U--"- - - - - Bimbo's Downtown Offers You A New Special Every Day Of The Week-ALL YOU CAN EAT! Adults Children SUNDAY - Italian Buffet . ......... MONDAY - Spaghetti ............. with Meatballs $1.25 extra 3.75 2.25 2.50 1.65 Daily Photo by JOHN KNOX Jimmy Buffett of the road, Buffet paints a picture of himself through the consistencies of his lyrics. This self-portrait is what makes him the popular attraction that he is today. It was a rare and memorable evening as Buffett, who writes halfway between Nashville and Jamaica, brought war- mth and happiness to a town on a gloomy March evening. When he left the stage for the last time, the at- mosphere which had been subdued and apothetic during the warm-up had changed to one of euphoric animation: the crowd had truly been enchanted. His second encore, as wildly welcomed as any Ann Arbor audience could have,. was a fitting conclusion as Buffett sang the appropriately titled, "It's Been a Lovely Cruise." And so it was. TUESDAY- Barbecue Chicken or Beef Ribs ................... 3.65 WEDNESDAY-Seafood Buffet ........... 4.25 THURSDAY - Smorgasbord ............... 3.75 All above specials include unlimited trips to our soup and salad bar 2.25 2.75 2.25 Prime FRIDAY AND SATURDAY DINNER SPECIAL Rib Au Jus n............................. c? includes unlimited trips ...." 5.95 HUED8'S to soup and salad bar, potato and bread Open Sundays at 1:00 114 E. Washington -Downtown 665-323 1 aMaizin'Blues show unamazing -r- ... w By BILL BAR BOUIR - PtA lff T i E'Tt'WrTC' o*1 -- +V11,~J~N.,2 i aewnu-- T- A i""31VAL 'UEla a '"re"hin. ~s ually, one either likes or dislikes something - usually. Friday night's aMaizin' Blues >woerCener March 24. 1978 Guest artists William Albright,pianw;- Donald Sintasopone John Smith, dwnevior Presented by the University of Michigan Alumni Association 'AMaizin' Blues concert made me feel conflicting emotions (i.e., ambivalen- ce). The soloists were, with few excep- tions, very good. The ensemble was, with few exceptions, not as good. The group opened the concert with "That's When the Music Takes Me", a slickly choreographed version of the Neil Sedaka hit. It was a weak opener because the stage microphones were positioned in such a way that the group sounded out of balance. The next num- ber, "Jumpin' with Symphony Sid", featured Al Taplin, a bass. On this tune, the vocal group's accompaniment was fine, but Taplin's scat singing sounded somewhat affected and artificial. Most of the remainder of the first half of the program was devoted to featuring soloists, most of whom were good and two of whom were excellent. One of the two soloists who stood above the others was Daniel Hurtade, whose performance of "Loves Me Like A Rock" showcased his fine range, con- trol, and style. The best vocal in the fir- st half of the program was "Good Mor- ning Heartache", sung by Kathy Van- der. Her bluesy rendition of the song (and Craig Nelson's terrific bass work) gave Power Center a relaxed, night- clubbish atmosphere that is often con- ducive to good performances. "HEARTACHE" and "Coney Island Baby", a well-known barbershop quar- tet, were the vocal highlights of the first half, which concluded with solos by saxophonist Donald Sinta and pianist William Albright, two School of Music professors who proved that those who can do teach too. The numbers they played showcased Sinta's beautiful tone and amazing technique, and Al- bright's impressive interpretive skills. Though the solos in the first half were good, the vocal ensemble as a whole was troubling. Many of their arrangements, such as the "Rain Medley",are reminiscent ofelevator or dentist's office music (a.k.a. muzak)-' such music is, technically, perfectly performed but emotionally barren. In general, the group as a whole failed to move me at all during the first half of the concert. Fortunately, the ensemble was bet. ter during the second half of the show. It opened with "Oz", a well-arranged medley of tunes from the movie The Wizard of Oz and from the musical The Wiz. The medley was energetically per- formed and well-choreographed. Then, rather unexpectedly, came the best number of the evening. The combo which played back-up for the Blues did a feature called "What Can A Miracle Do?" with a vocal solo by Richard Pickren, the combo's lead guitarist. Pickren has a dynamite voice, and has a real chance to make it as a proftessional if he gets the right breaks. The vocal group, to my chagrin, then proved that they had not divested themselves of the faults apparent in the concert's first half. "Try to Remem- ber" served as a painful reminder to this effect. Luckily, the program ended on a good note with two good numbers: "Burgers and Beer", an effective, humorous medley of songs from beer and burger commercials, and "One", from the musical A Chorus Line. There were many good things about the concert, but mixed in were too many faults for me to give them a com- pletely favorable response. Balance seemed a consistent problem; the microphones were placed in such a manner that the group was not shown off to its fullest; the orchestra, a group of fine players, was suppressed too much, adding to the balance problems. The aMaizin' Blues should stick to their strengths (solos, songs from mu- sicals, and combo numbers) and eliminate faults such as elevator-music arrangements. Their Friday night per- formance was good, but I know they can do better. FALL HOUSING in w Residence Hall Applications will be available MONDAY, APRIL 3, 1978 THE HOUSING INFORMATION OFFICE 1011 STUDENTACTIVITIES 61111DING A drawing will be used to establish priority for assignment. Apply anytime between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM April 3, 1978 ,Do NOT Line Up Early! Do NOT Camp Overnight! Minstrels rollick Ark BY LILY PRIGIONIERO T HE FIRST NOTES that came out of John Rtoberts and Tony Barrand's mouths rang with tightly knit harmony, and the immediately receptive audien- ce remained attentive throughout the night. The two Englishmen brought a touch of Britain to the Ark Friday evening, creating a tavern-like at- mosphere that made the audience part of toe performance. One couple, who met Roberts and Barrand in New York around seven years ago found the best word that could describe the singers - "rollicking". From English ballads to American lyric songs, Roberts and Barrand presented a varied and im- pressive type of entertainment. So much talent is accumulated in these two people, not only in singing, but with in- struments such as the accordion, banjo, guitar, bodhan drum, bones and spoons, concertinas, and the extremely in- teresting bowed sautery, which was used in one of their sadder songs, "False Bride." In an Easter celebration, they played what they called "Infant Gospels", humorous take-offs of biblical stories. Each story that their songs told was ex- tremely charming and reflected their foreign personalities. The two came off as great comedians, enchanting everyone with spon- taneous light-hearted humor. Tony came off as the more arrogant and wit- ty character, whereas John, with his incredibly low alto voice, seemed like the shrewd and cheerful supporter. One of their songs was -a spoof on an old cowboy tune. The humor came from seeing an Englishman imitating a westei'n cowboy. It was a sort of Americanization of the English ballad - and the audience loved it. Many of their songs were accom- panied by different kinds of instrumen- ts, which added variety. But their a capella voices were so fantastically in- tertwined that the instruments seemed unimportant. These musical storytellers, who stood on their feet for three sets and an encore, held their mugs of beer and imported a note of cheer from England into an American coffeehouse. THE BREAD ANre PUPPET THEATER TO&E THER wrth TH E WORD OF MOUTH CHORUS PRESENTS Avg MARLS STELLA DESPRES M..delssohnTheatreSunday March 26, 2 & 8p.m. _ I~tOaz ii g: I ******In the heart of- Ann Arbor's theatre district 300 S. Thayer A Gourmet Performance Weekdays 7 a.m. - 2 a.m. Weekends 8 a.m. - 2 a.m. ' There's No Business Like. .r the exciting world of Show Business in our Theme Parks KINGS ISLAND - Cincinnati, Ohio KINGS DOMINION - Richmond, Va. CAROWINDS - Charlotte, N.C. Shows are presented with complete scenery, costumes, staging and choreography in fully equipped theatres and on modern outdoor stages for the summer. There are openings for: SINGER/DANCERS AND MUSICIANS $155 to $200 a week (Plus round trip airfare to the park) TJNTVPRCTV lF MTCHIOAN MINSKOFF REHEARSAL STUDIOS i I