Tribute concerts are nothing new at Bell Performing Arts Centre in Surrey, but none have ever celebrated the music of Jimmy Buffett, the American singer-songwriter known for “island escapism” songs and Parrothead super-fans who love a good Hawaiian shirt.
Now along comes Volcano, an eight-member band launched in 2025 to recreate the tropical-rock vibes of Buffett’s music on concert stages in Metro Vancouver and beyond.
Alex Whittaker, a talented singer/guitarist, jingle writer and avid sailor based in Delta, is the “Jimmy” of Volcano, which debuted with four sold-out shows at White Rock’s Blue Frog Studios in September and now aims to pack the Bell with Parrotheads on Saturday, Feb. 28.
Margaritas may be sold.
“Yes, that’s the plan,” Whittaker said in a phone call. “We’re talking to the concession guys about putting it together.”
Slushy drinks or not, Volcano promises a good-time night of songs by the Mississippi-born Buffett, who wrote “Margaritaville,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “We Don’t We Get Drunk (and screw),” “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” and other soft-rock hits in the 1970s and ’80s.
Whittaker says he was a casual Buffett fan before assembling the Volcano band.
“I started diving into this, and as we started to learn the material, we saw all the magic in the songs, which aren’t as simple as they sound,” said Whittaker, who plays in The Crew of yacht-rockers and Vancity Vice, among other bands on the local scene.
“The musical arrangements (of Buffett’s songs) are challenging and well done, and the musicianship is top-notch. So it’s been a pleasure to dive into his book of material and really get a sense of who he was. Like, I learned through his music that he’s far deeper than he appeared, but at the same time didn’t take himself too seriously. That’s the appeal.”
Naturally, Volcano’s shows at Blue Frog brought tropical shirt-wearing fans who’d seen Buffett many times in concert, confirming Whittaker’s belief that his new tribute show will be popular among Parrotheads, known for travelling to see Buffett in concert prior to his death in 2023.
“Nobody is doing this in Canada,” Whittaker said, “and we saw it as a potential niche to fill. The thing about Jimmy Buffett fans is that they’re fiercely loyal, people who love live music and a good time.
“When we video-recorded testimonials after the Blue Frog shows, people were saying that they’ve seen Jimmy Buffet 14 times, 30 times, just crazy numbers,” he added.
“So we’re doing that music now, but we don’t pretend to be him or his band or dress up like members of the Coral Reefer Band. You know, I don’t look like Jimmy Buffett but we celebrate the music, we celebrate the vibe and spirit of the kind of show he put on.”
Tickets are $56 for Volcano’s concert at the Bell, at Sullivan Heights Secondary in Surrey. Buy tickets on bellperformingartscentre.com or call 604-507-6355.
In addition to Whittaker, Volcano features Doug Lechinsky (drums), Bud Marr (bass), Ron Radar Stelting (percussion), Janelle Reid (vocals), Pete Sweetzir (keyboards), Bernard Fernandes (steel pan) and Chuck Johnson (guitar, vocals, harmonica). Concert-goers can expect two 14-song sets of Buffett’s best Feb. 28 in Surrey.
Check out Volcano’s promo video on Facebook.