Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band wrap up the 2011 Welcome to Fin Land Tour tonight in Las Vegas with a show at the MGM Grand.

On Thursday night he performed in Phoenix for the first time since 2009 (view set list). A couple of area newspapers have reviews of the show:

• “Jimmy Buffett at Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion”
• “Jimmy Buffett brings Welcome to Fin Land to Phoenix”

Be sure to tune in to the Vegas show tonight on Radio Margaritaville at 8pm PDT!

(photo Maria Vassett/Special for Arizona Republic)

On Oct. 14th at 5 O’clock in the evening Margaritaville broke the World Record for the largest margarita ever made as verified by Guinness World Records. The event was part of the Grand Opening festivities for the new Margaritaville Casino at Flamingo in Las Vegas.

Halfway through the ceremony celebrating the new World Record, Jimmy Buffett surprised fans by coming out and raising a glass of Lucky Rita with the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team along with Flamingo’s Rick Mazer and Margaritaville’s Tamara Baldanza in front of more than 1,000 Parrotheads and onlookers.

“Much appreciation for these great wounded warriors, who I’ve worked with for a long time. Gentleman, thank you for coming out. We’re going to have a good time this weekend. Let the FIN begin,” said Buffett.

Lucky Rita is now on sale to the public allowing guests a taste of history and an opportunity to contribute to a great cause. For every gallon of Lucky Rita sold, Margaritaville will donate $5 to the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team. More than a margarita, Lucky Rita is a concoction with a cause.

“I am thrilled we have expanded our relationship with Margaritaville,” said Rick Mazer president of Flamingo Las Vegas, “and now together we have opened the first-ever Margaritaville Casino.”

After six months of planning, the mixing of the colossal 8,500 gallon beverage, appropriately named “Lucky Rita,” began its first pour on Oct. 11, 2011. Lucky Rita took an estimated 300 work hours to mix the concoction.

The Flamingo Las Vegas confirmed today that Jimmy Buffett will be on hand this Friday as the Lucky Rita world record margarita is topped off and the first drink is poured from it.

So be sure to come out on Friday to celebrate and see Jimmy at the grand opening ceremony! Then stick around the next day to see him perform at the MGM Grand!

Meanwhile, watch the progress on Lucky Rita live here.

Get more details on the world record attempt here.

To celebrate the grand opening of the Margaritaville gaming area at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, Jimmy’s crew is attempting the world record largest margarita.

Starting today, workers will begin to fill the 31 ft. tall tank dubbed Lucky Rita. You can watch live around the clock at www.margaritaville.com/luckyrita.html

When full, Lucky Rita will contain 8,500 gallons! What’s the recipe?

• 2,125 gallons Margaritaville Gold Tequila
• 708 gallons Margaritaville Triple Sec
• 5,667 gallons Margarita Mix
• 22,267 limes

The official Lucky Rita and Margaritaville Grand Opening ceremony will be held on October 14th with the final pour intended to set the world record for the Guinness Book. Then from October 14th through the 23rd, over 181,333 margaritas will be served, coinciding with the 7th annual Margaritaville street party.

Jimmy Buffett’s official website has received a makeover. A beautiful Caribbean background dominates the main page and a countdown to the grand opening of the Margaritaville Casino in Las Vegas sits at the top right.

Surf over and take a look now at www.margaritaville.com.

Here’s a quick tour of how the Margaritaville.com site has changed over the years. How far back do you remember?

1997

1998

1999

2001

2002-2003

2004-2005

2006-2007

2008-2009