        Greetings, Everyone, and Happy New Year,
I know that my greetings and a new A1A update are long overdue. The hands of time have moved quickly over the past 16 months since Jimmy left us. Those 16 months have been filled to the brim with touring, performances, band rehearsals, and keeping up with all the incoming show requests, messages, emails, and phone calls about A1A and how we can help ease the pain and help fill the void of Jimmy no longer being here on this big round ball. As unprepared as I was for Jimmy's passing, I was even more unprepared for how much the demand for us would soar within 24 hours after Jimmy left port for the last time. 2024 was a whirlwind, but I have had a couple of months now to digest it and prepare for yet another very busy 2025 season, which is now in full swing as of this week. I never dreamed Jimmy would leave during my lifetime, but I had thought about what would happen to A1A if he did. My initial and long-standing thought was, out of sheer and deep respect, that I would retire A1A and let what we did stand with Jimmy while he was still alive. But as The Coral Reefer Band quickly discovered, that was not meant to be. Not only was it Jimmy's dying wish that the party must go on, but there was a deafening cry from the people that Jimmy's music needed to continue and that, like The Coral Reefer Band, we must persevere. I conversed with Mac McAnally shortly after Jimmy passed, and he was scratching his head like I was, unsure of how to move forward. Still, we both agreed that no matter what it looked like, Jimmy's music must continue, and it needs to continue to be brought to the masses by musicians who can perform it well and those who loved him and deeply cared about his music and everything he stood for and represented. The long and evolving history of A1A and the happiness I have been fortunate enough to bring to so many people for the past 36 years since I first joined the Atlanta Parrot Head Club in 1989 means more to me than I could ever express. It has been an incredibly long and, at times, arduous, painful, and challenging road, and yet, looking back at it now, it has passed so quickly, and I am in awe at the wake I have been blessed and fortunate enough to have left, all thanks to Jimmy Buffett, his organization, the Coral Reefer Band, and the thousands of A1A fans, old and new who continue to support what I do. There wasn't a show last year where I did not have fans with tears in their eyes hug me, cry, and tell me how important what I do with A1A is and that we must continue. So after the dust of 2024 settled, and I had time to take everything in, like Mac and The Coral Reefer Band, I don't know what the future holds. Still, we will keep bringing the party as long as our music helps bring peace, happiness, and a chance to escape, whether through laughter, love, cheeseburgers, margaritas, tears, or beers. Most importantly, we will carry on to the best of our ability the music, legacy, lifestyle, and message of our beloved and lost friend, Jimmy Buffett. We will help to keep the party going. See you somewhere on the road in 2025. I extend an enormous and profound heartfelt thanks to all the members of A1A, past and present, and all the fans who keep coming to our shows. Living life like a song is not a bad way to go through life. Not Ready To Put The Book On The Shelf, Jeff Pike www.linktr.ee/jeffpikeanda1a |
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