Q. Did Jimmy Buffet, after his Engel Stadium performance, actually declare that he would never return to Chattanooga, and if so, why?
— Michael Mallen
A. Yes, Buffett did say after his July 14, 1990, concert in Chattanooga that he would never return, and he kept his word. Joe “Dixie” Fuller, who was responsible for booking talent for the Riverbend Festival for more than three decades, told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that the festival once offered Buffett nearly $1 million to appear, to which Buffett’s manager replied he wouldn’t play in Chattanooga if the offer were doubled.
Buffett, who died a year ago on Sept. 1, 2023, was apparently upset with the conditions at Engel Stadium on the day of the 1990 concert. According to a review in the July 16, 1990, Chattanooga News Free Press by Barry Courter, who covered the entertainment scene in Chattanooga for decades, the stage was set up near the center field wall, with chairs in the outfield. However, heavy rain the day before and drainage problems in the outfield resulted in standing water and many fans having to “wade through ankle deep mud to get to their seats.”
Courter also said in his review there were some sound troubles in the stadium, depending on where you were sitting.