Calling all parrot heads.
Those going to the Jimmy Buffett concert at Centurylink Center Thursday are in for some changes.
Centurylink Center parking lots will open 10 hours before the concert starts for tailgating.
Those not tailgating should get to the arena at least an hour before the concert starts at 8 p.m.
Another big change for the Centurylink Center, security will screen every fan with a hand-held metal detector.
"Safety and security is our top priority always,” said Centurylink Center Spokeswoman Kristi Andersen. “Unfortunately we're just in a different time now. Things have happened around the country and we're adjusting to that and artists are adjusting to that. We want fans to help us with that and to make it go smoothly. We want them to come here and have a great time and we want them to be safe doing it."
Outside, fans will get their own Margaritaville.
"This is a lot of fun,” Andersen said. “When Jimmy Buffett plays, the parrot heads follow. They're a colorful group. They dress the part."
So, what's it like to be a parrot head?
"Everybody's equal, everybody's together and everybody's having a good time,” said Stephen Ivaskevicius, Omaha Parrot Head Club member. “You have somebody like my daughter who's 13 or somebody who's 70, who all have the same interest. All of that culture and all of that stuff goes away and everybody comes together and has fun.”
While Ivaskevicius and his friends aren’t tailgating before the show, they’re throwing their own Margaritaville pre-party, Sept. 1 at the Session Room, 1506 Mike Fahey St. – open to new Parrot Heads and Land Sharks.
At the show, items prohibited by Centurylink Center include drones and selfie sticks.
Here’s the full list:
• Professional cameras, video recorders, audio recorders, iPads, Go Pros are not permitted (a professional camera is deemed to have a lens longer than 4 inches.)
• Selfie Sticks
• Bottles, cans, liquid containers
• Outside food or drinks
• Large bags or backpacks (there are no bag checks available)
• Frisbees, beach balls and other projectiles
• Large umbrellas (small standard umbrellas are okay)
• Laser pointers
• Noise making devices of any kind (i.e. bells, whistles, horns, etc.)
• Fireworks
• Glow wands
• Illegal drugs or alcohol
• Weapons of any kind, including lawfully concealed firearms
• No signage over 12 x 12
• Strollers have to fit underneath the seat or checked at Guest Services
• Folding Chairs of any kind
• Drones
• Any items deemed to challenge public safety
