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Wild Parrotheads Of Chicago
The Chicago Parrothead is evidently a particularly sturdy breed of fan – willing to pay top dollar for rooftop seats on famed Waveland Avenue to hopefully hear, but probably not see,
At least the rooftop club owners think the fans will be willing. They are seeking approval from the Chicago City Council to sell tickets for the concerts as they would for baseball games despite the fact that Buffett might not be visible from that vantage point thanks to a centerfield stage.
“Every person I have talked to on the phone, I’ve said, ‘What if you can’t see or hear the concert?'” rooftop club owner Beth Murphy told the Chicago Tribune. “They are still interested.
“I think Buffett fans just like to hang out and be near Jimmy Buffett.”
George Loukas, another rooftop denizen, said there’s plenty of demand for those seats.
“There are people who want to go up on the rooftops to hear the concert. We have 90 people who have called asking to be put on lists. That’s 90 people who want more than two and as many as 50 tickets,” Loukas told the Chicago Sun-Times .
“We do a fine job of catering a great dinner and refreshments and providing an atmosphere that’s very conducive to seeing the city, watching a baseball game or listening to music,” Loukas said. “I hope the city passes whatever they need to pass to address it.
“We’ll be able to have more people participating in the celebration of Jimmy Buffett at Wrigley Field. And it would be more revenue for rooftop owners, the Cubs and the city.”
Considering that all the available tickets inside the stadium were bought up the first day of the onsale, it’s a safe bet there’s plenty of demand for those Parrothead perches and Buffett buffets.
Regardless of how many tickets are sold, the baseball team will score 17 percent of the revenue, according to an agreement between the Cubs and the neighbors. The team could do pretty well: One vendor told the Tribune he’d already received a $25,000 offer to rent his 100-person venue for each of the concerts.