But fear not, the Parrot-In-Chief can still be found playing amphitheatres during the spring. The latest tour starts May 22 in Phoenix and winds down June 6 in Cincinnati. Buffett will take a couple of months off before doing another short shed trek starting August 30 at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Mass.

“After 28 years in a row, I decided to take a summer off,” Buffett told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I’m going to spend it with my kids.

“With that in mind, I still wanted to work. … Some things haven’t changed. Kind of like the old days – where can we play? Book me a couple more gigs. But I’m going to take my boat, go to the Med, take my kids. They’re now 9 and 7,” he explained.

Buffett has been a mainstay of the summer concert scene for more than 20 years, selling out everything from two-day amphitheatre runs to smaller theatres during the slightly leaner years – all without the benefit of huge hit records.

“I knew long ago that I was comfortable with who I was. I wasn’t going out there trying to make the album of the year, ever,” Buffett told the Chronicle.

The lack of hits is cool by Buffett, and cool with his legion of Parrotheads, who keep his shows among the top-grossing concerts year after year.

Last month, Buffett’s passion for basketball earned him some press. He was removed from his seat during a Miami Heat game for dishing the smack to a referee.

“All I’ll say is that it must have been a slow news day,” Buffett told the Chronicle. “So, yeah, I yelled at (the ref). I admit it. I’m not running for office. I can say what happened.

“I got pissed off at the call. I didn’t say anything derogatory to him.”

But some people say that there’s a woman to blame.