Jimmy Buffett made his case before the Nevada Gaming Control Board two weeks ago and today he was back in Las Vegas where the Nevada Gaming Commission unanimously approved his application:

Buffett and his company needed gaming licenses because of a trademark sublicense agreement with the Flamingo that allows Palm Beach, Fla.-based Margaritaville Holdings to share in gaming revenues from the Margaritaville casino, which opened in October. The company has also operated the Margaritaville restaurant at the Flamingo since 2003.

“When I wrote the song ‘Margaritaville,’ I never envisioned it would be a successful piece of intellectual property,” Buffett told the commission. “It’s a pretty good song. It worked out.”

Commission Chairman Peter Bernhard said Buffett had been investigated just as thoroughly, if not more so, than other gaming license applicants.

“If you make a song about this experience, I hope it’s a positive one,” Gaming Commission member Tony Alamo said with a laugh.

Jimmy Buffett has released two summer tour dates today: Chicago and Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh, PA
First Niagara Pavilion
Thursday, June 28th

Chicago, IL
First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
Saturday, June 30th

Tickets for both shows go on sale Monday, April 2nd.

Registration has opened for The Barefoot Islands Cruise which will sail March 16-23, 2013 to the Caribbean Islands you’ve heard Jimmy Buffett sing about- Anguilla, St. Barts, Jost Van Dyke, Tortola, Nevis, and Virgin Gorda. The custom itinerary allows passengers extended time to hangout ashore at famous beach bars such as Foxy’s, Sunshine’s, The Soggy Dollar, and The Dune Preserve. At most anchorages the ship will stay until late evening or overnight.

Plenty of live music onboard and ashore! Enjoy performances throughout the week from a special ensemble of tropical beach rock musicians featuring Scott Nickerson, founder of Parrot Heads in Paradise, as well as special sessions with well known local musicians.
The cruise is a full charter of the luxury ship Wind Surf of Windstar Cruises. With a capacity of only 312 passengers it will be a great way to get together with fellow Parrot Heads without the hassle and crowds of a large ship with 2,500 passengers or more. The casual atmosphere includes open seated dining (no reservations or seating assignments) with options to dine outside on-deck. Windstar Cruises, voted Condé Nast Traveler “Top Small-Ship Cruise Line”, continues to provide top-of-the-line service and amenities as a fleet wide $18 million refurbishment.

Rates begin at $1,899pp with items such as onboard watersports, ground transportation, and soft beverages (bottled water, sodas, coffees, espressos, smoothies, etc.) included. Register before March 23, 2012 and save $200. Additional discounts if you refer friends.

This will be a unique sail through some beautiful small islands and harbors normally only visited by smaller yachts. A perfect opportunity to sit back on a white sand beach with a boat drink and good friends. Presented by Local Knowledge. See website for details: BarefootIslandsCruise.com.

Note: Jimmy Buffett is not participating in or associated with this event.

Jimmy Buffett will play a free show in New Orleans as part of the NCAA Final Four festivities, reports NOLA.com

Kiss, the Black Keys and Jimmy Buffett are slated to perform free concerts in Woldenberg Park along the Mississippi River in downtown New Orleans the weekend of the NCAA Men’s Final Four. The concerts are part of a full slate of festivities throughout the college men’s basketball championship weekend.

In recent years Buffett, a native of the Gulf Coast with close ties to New Orleans, has mostly limited his local performances to hugely popular appearances at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell, as well as impromptu sets at clubs and the occasional tailgate party. The mayor of “Margaritaville” is a passionate fan of the New Orleans Saints who often attends playoff games and turns up in the locker room. He’ll perform at Woldenberg on Sunday, April 1.

Read more.

On Sunday night in Honolulu Jimmy Buffett played his second show in the Hawaiian islands in three days. The Honolulu Pulse has a review of the show:

Beach balls were bounced, marijuana was smoked, the skies stayed clear, and a good time was had by all last night as Jimmy Buffett brought his “Welcome to Fin Land” tour to Honolulu for two hours of tropical escapism under the stars at the Waikiki Shell.

“You people really don’t care about going to work on Monday, do you?” Buffett said, adding that partying at the Shell on Sunday night is “like starting next weekend early.”

Buffett had a good time with the fans last night. He noted the presence of a “parrot head fin baby” down front, said that the kid grew up he’d probably hate his parents for dressing him up like that, and promised that “we’ll still be playing when he’s 20,” even though, “we were never meant to last this long.”

Read the full review here.