Roadie Blog: 2006-05-21

Honolulu to Kona

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Flying to the Big Island today at 10:30am. Take limos to the airport, where we board two 9 seat charter planes. We are on one plane with 3 of the main band members. No one sings 'La Bamba' or 'Freebird' as we board...

Arrive at the Kona airport in under an hour. Rent a Jeep so we do some exploring on our days off.

Check into the hotel/theme park/resort (Hilton Waikaloa Village). This place looks like Disney World with the monorails and boats to take you to your rooms. In other words, this place is HUGE. We are in the coveted 'Oceanview Tower', sadly our view is of a construction site, not the ocean...

Head up to Waimea for lunch, it drizzles on us once we get into the mountains. Have lunch at a small restaurant recommended in our guidebook. Its good, not great. Dessert is a Coconut Custard, best part of the meal... Afterwards, do some shopping in Waimea. Should have eaten at the Thai place we find in the shopping center. Doh!

Head down through Waikloa Village proper, where there is basically NOTHING. Then on to Kailua-Kona, which is a lot like Lahaina town on Maui. Cool, seaside town vibe, with restaurants and shops. And, thank God, a Starbucks... We wander around for a few hours checking everything out, unfortunately when dinner rolls around we are still full from lunch. And since the hotel is 30 min away we can't really go back and change clothes then come back, as it'll be too late (stuff closes early in these towns). So we're stuck eating a $14 quesidilla at the hotel when we get back...

Show Day - Honolulu

Friday, May 26, 2006

Up early for coffee and another wander around Waikiki. Off to the gig around 11am. We beat the gear there, so we wait around for the truck to arrive then get to work after lunch.

This is a fly gig, which means we'll be renting the 'big stuff'(such as amps and drums) from a local company. Rental gear is often pretty dodgy, but we do OK, as most of the stuff is new and in good working order. I set up and restring my guitars using the provided 'crib sheet' from Skully. Band comes in to soundcheck, everything goes well, and I'm back to the hotel for a couple of hours before showtime.

Ii find Paige in the same chair by the beach, where she's been all day. She heads up to the room to shower and get ready, I call in a takeout order to Cha Cha Cha and go pickup another delicious Jerk Chicken Burrito for us to split.

Show starts on time, with Paige commenting that everytime she has seen this band it has rained. Sure enough, after a couple of songs it is raining... (I blame Paige). Band plays a great set. I should interject here and tell you that I've known this band since their club/frat party days, my band used to open for them and vice versa, before they got signed and sold 16 million records. So it is kinda surreal to be here with them 16 years later.

After the show it's back to the hotel for an afterparty, we duck out early so we can get up early and take the early flight to the Big Island tomorrow.

Waikiki Day Off

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Up early for coffee and a walk around Waikiki. Beautiful sunny day. We decide to climb Diamond Head again and head for the bus stop. While waiting on the bus, a limo pulls up and offers us a ride for $1 more than the bus. Off we go in the limo... Arrive at Diamond Head around 11am. Climb to the top in about 20 minutes, don't stay long at the top, as it's really crowded. Back down at the bottom, we decide to walk back to the hotel, as it's only a few miles.

Stop for lunch along the way at the South Shore Grill. Order a couple of Grilled Mahi Mahi Sandwiches with Macadamia Nut Pesto. Yum. Then more walking (past tomorrow's gig at the Waikiki Shell) and some shopping in Waikiki before hitting the beach once back at the hotel.

After basking in the sun for a while, more drinks and hanging out with the touring party. Eventually make it up to the room for a shower and head out for dinner. We decide on Cha Cha Cha, a Caribe/Mexican place a short walk away. This place is an eclectic mix of Carribean and Mexican, Paige orders a Grilled Fish Quesidilla and I get a Jerk Chicken Burrito. Man, this stuff is delicious!!!

RDU to Honolulu

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Today we are flying to Hawaii for a week, and I will be doing two gigs while there (subbing for a buddy) and vacationing the rest of the time. Paige and I were married in Hawaii 3 years ago last week.

Up early, as our flight is at 8:15am. Make it to the airport and check-in without incident. Fly to Honolulu via Dallas. Paige sleeps most of the flight, I watch a little of King Kong and then fall asleep too. Arrive in Honolulu at 3:30pm local time (9:30pm EDT). Take the shuttle to the hotel to save money, should have splurged on a cab, as it took forever...

Arrive at the hotel (Ala Moana Surfrider), which is right on Waikiki Beach. Up to the room, drop our bags and head to the beachside bar. Meet up with Devil Boy (my production manager) and one of the band guys, who are a few rum punches in already. Paige and I order Lava Flows (I don't usually drink, but on vacation I've been known to toss back a few fruity drinks). The guys have made friends with a couple (Paula and David) who are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Nice people.

Any way, we hang out talking, sitting right next to the beach for a while as more members of the touring party arrive. As the sun sets we are invited to take an hour cruise on a big catamaran that docks nearby. Off we go, I left both my cameras in the room, but Paula took a picture of Paige and I with my phone.

After the cruise it's off to find dinner. We hit Keo's Thai late (almost 10pm) and them back to the room for some sleep, as we are exhausted.