CMT/Jimmy Buffett Concert Comes Together - Gulf Shores, Alabama Gulf Coast

CMT will carry a live, commercial-free, 90-minute broadcast of the event, which will star Buffett and special guests Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown. CMT's broadcast will start at 7 p.m. Thursday. It will then rebroadcast an edited version at 6 p.m. Friday; 8:30 p.m. July 3; 1 p.m. July 4; and 10:30 a.m. July 5.

The concert is a sure blockbuster: More than 1 million people sought the 22,500 free tickets that were snapped up in an instant through Ticketmaster, and beach rental companies are dangling another 12,500 tickets as incentives to lure tourists.

A.J. Niland of Mobile-based HUKA Entertainment said he expects that by Thursday, the ranks of event workers will have surpassed 700, maybe 900. That includes those managed by HUKA, which is in charge of the site and infrastructure; the contingent from CMT; Buffett's touring entourage; and a sizable security team.

The concert will be carried live on Radio Margaritaville, which can be heard via Sirius and XM satellite radio and at www.radiomargaritaville.com. CMT will also stream video of the show at www.CMT.com.