Buffett to Play Intimate Show in San Diego

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band have just announced that they’ll play a show in San Diego on October 18th at Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay, his first appearance at the venue since 1984.

Humphreys has a capacity of just 1,450. Securing Buffett to performs there is a coup for the venue, which opened in 1982 and this year has featured concerts by Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr and the Tom Petty-led band Mudcrutch.

“Buffett’s agent called us in December and asked us to hold a date in October. They didn’t tell us who it was for, which is not that unusual for a big act,” said John Wojas, the vice president for AEG Live San Diego, which exclusively books Humphreys.

“Two weeks later they told us the hold was for Buffett, and we were thrilled. Then they said we couldn’t announce it until after KAABOO, which is fine, because this will sell out in an instant. The fastest sell-outs we’ve had at Humphreys are Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, Whitney Houston and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss. This could beat those.”

Tickets for the show at Humphreys go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster.com, and by phone at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are priced at $159 each, plus service charges, with a four-ticket per customer limit. No tickets will be sold at Humphreys or at Ticketmaster outlets.

Also note this about tickets:

To prevent ticket-scalping, only paperless tickets will be sold. Upon arriving at the venue, attendees must have a valid ID and the credit card they used to purchase their tickets. Ushers at the entrance will scan each credit card, print out a receipt, ensure the name on the ID matches the name on the credit card, then escort attendees to their seats.

“This is the first time we’ve ever used paperless tickets,” said Humphreys Concerts Vice President Bobbi Brieske. “It’s to make sure tickets stay in the hands of the fans who bought them.”