The Sun Herald reports that work is slowing on the construction of the Margaritaville Casino in Biloxi, MS:

The credit crunch has squeezed even the world’s largest casino company and Harrah’s put an end to rumors about the Margaritaville building site in East Biloxi by releasing details.

“Over the next few weeks, residents of Biloxi will notice less activity and fewer workers at the Margaritaville work site,” vice president of communications Marybel Batjer said in an e-mailed statement. “Rest assured that Harrah’s is not canceling the project. We still believe in the Margaritaville concept, and we remain committed to our vision for the property. This is a project that we studied extensively, and we believe that it still has a great potential to benefit the Biloxi market and our company.

“We simply need to adjust the plan for the development to better align with the economic environment, market conditions on the Gulf Coast and the current financing environment.”

Karen Sock, general manager of Harrah’s Grand Biloxi Casino, met with City Council members before their meeting Tuesday and told them she doesn’t know how the construction slowdown will affect the target completion of 2010.

Jimmy Buffett’s Year Of Still Here Tour rolls into southern Chicago this week for two shows at Toyota Park (Thursday and Saturday). The Southtown Star has an article on the upcoming shows:

The soccer stadium and concert venue will open its parking lot at 9 a.m. Thursday and Saturday so fans can tailgate before the 8 p.m. concerts.

Tickets still are available for Thursday’s concert, but Saturday’s concert is sold out, said Dan Garnett, the stadium’s general manager.

About 150 fans with mobile homes and recreational vehicles – 50 on Thursday and 100 on Saturday – will have the flexibility to spend the night in the parking lot if they want, Garnett said.

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For the first time, tailgaters will be able to buy ice before the concerts and concessions at stands set up in the parking lot, Garnett said.

“We are trying to make people be self-sufficient, but we want to have necessities like ice,” Garnett said.

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For safety reasons, no charcoal grills are allowed, he said. Only propane grills will be allowed.

“If people are drinking, the last thing we want is for them to bump into a grill full of hot coals,” he said.

Read the entire article here.

The 2008 Year Of Still Here Tour continued Tuesday night as Jimmy moved the tour into Pittsburgh for his annual visit.

Back at Star Lake yet again, the first set saw no surprises. It did however feature a few changes as “Boat Drinks” opened with Jimmy solo while “License to Chill” replaced “The Tiki Bar is Open” in the second spot and “Cowboy in the Jungle” moved up to the sixth spot replacing “Miss You So Badly.” Also back was the Jimmy and Sonny Landreth duet “USS Zydecoldsmobile,” sneaking in at twelve just before the intermission.

The second set didn’t include any surprises either, but it did feature a different order. “Coconut Telegraph” kicked the second half off, just it’s second appearance this tour. Other highlights from the second half include “Take Another Road” making just it’s second appearance since 2001 and “Miss You So Badly” making it’s tour debut for the second half of the set.

The First Encore was the same as most of the tour with “Fins” and “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35” staying put. The second encore was again a surprise, as Jimmy acknowledged the fact that he had been playing rare songs to close the show, then followed that with the ultra-rare “Death of An Unpopular Poet,” last played at Jerry Jeff Walker’s Birthday Bash on March 23, 2002. This was just the fifth known performance of the song.

View the entire set list here.

Did you attend the show? Share your thoughts on our Discussion Board or post your photos in our Photo Gallery.

Update: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a review of the show: “Concert Review: Buffett takes his Parrotheads to the beach”

The third leg of the 2008 “Year of Still Here” will continue Thursday night with the first of two shows in Bridgeview, IL just outside of Chicago. There’s still plenty of time to Get your tickets!

Dave Hoekstra of the Chicago Sun-Times covered Saturday night’s show at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy Wisconsin on his blog. You can also watch a video of the pre-concert tailgating:

I’ve always wanted to visually document Tropical Tailgating before a Jimmy Buffett concert at Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wis. Despite a fading recording industry, his concert audience continues to grow because of his shrewd (and fun) marketing sensibilities.
Saturday, 7/19 was no exception.

Check it out here.

The 2008 Year Of Still Here Tour was back on again Thursday night as Jimmy opened the third leg of the tour with a show in Cincinnati.

Returning to Cincinnati for the 24th straight year, the set changes started quick, with “Coconut Telegraph” popping up in the second slot. The next change followed that with the Harry Belafonte classic “Jamaica Farewell” making a return to the set list for the first time since August 19, 1990 in Saratoga Springs, NY. Who could have expected that? But Jimmy wasn’t done yet, as popping up in the 10th spot was “Take Another Road,” it’s first outing since February 20, 2001 in Charlotte, NC.

The second set continued the changes with Mac contributing “The Ass and The Hole” for the first time at a Buffett show since July 22, 1999 in Chicago. Another change was a strange one with “What If The Hokey Pokey Is All It Really Is About?” returning for the first time since October 5, 2002 in Irvine, CA.

The First Encore was the same as most of the tour with “Fins” and “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35” staying put. The second encore, which has brought some surprises this year, surprised again with a solo acoustic performance of the John Prine classic “Paradise,” only played once before in Cincinnati on June 18, 2002.

View the entire set list here.

Did you attend the show? Share your thoughts on our Discussion Board or post your photos in our Photo Gallery.

The Cincinnati Enquirer has a review of the show: “Parrotheads toast Buffett”

The third leg of the 2008 “Year of Still Here” will continue Saturday night with a show in East Troy, WI. There’s still plenty of time to Get your tickets!