Inside HILife: On the Scene
February 18, 2010 by Star-Advertiser Staff
Filed under Featured, On the Scene, Picture Blogs
‘Thanks, Bon Jovi!’
John Berger / jberger@starbulletin.com
By John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com
“Uncle Tom” Moffatt, center, congratulated Kings of Spade moments before they opened for Bon Jovi Feb. 11 at Blaisdell Arena.
The group — Jesse Savio, left, DJ A2Z, Matty D, Kasi Nunes, Max Benoir and Obi 1 — beat out stiff competition in a contest to determine who would open the show. Nunes told the crowd she’d been a fan since seventh grade — and held up her vintage band poster to prove it.
Click here to see the rest of this week’s photos.
Concert Shots: Bon Jovi
February 12, 2010 by Star-Advertiser Staff
Filed under Featured, Music, Picture Blogs
Bon Jovi launches worldwide tour in Honolulu
Photos by Cindy Ellen Russell / crussell@starbulletin.com
By Jason Genegabus
jason@starbulletin.com
Bon Jovi kicked off their 2010 tour in support of “The Circle” with the first of two Honolulu concerts on Thursday.
Hawaii-based band Kings of Spade opened the show; Bon Jovi returns to the stage at Blaisdell Arena at 7:30 p.m. tonight.
Here are a few pictures that Star-Bulletin staff photographer Cindy Ellen Russell took; commentary is courtesy of my Twitter stream (@sonecessary):
8:05 p.m. – Kings of Spade. Kings of Spade. KINGS OF SPADE. That was the local opener.
8:13 p.m. – http://twitpic.com/12q562 – Tickets for Bon Jovi are still available… If you’ve got money to spend.
8:16 p.m. – Looks like we’re getting started at the Blaisdell… Bon Jovi time!
8:17 p.m. – There’s no screen blocking off the rear of the stage, so people are sitting there. Video screens on either side of the stage = Easy to see.
8:20 p.m. – Nearly full house at Blaisdell Arena… And boy do they love some Bon Jovi. Lots of hand-clapping around me.
8:28 p.m. – Jon Bon Jovi really can still command a crowd. Nearly everyone here is standing and singing along!
8:32 p.m. – Jon Bon Jovi addresses the Blaisdell Arena crowd… http://tmic.fm/repx0zqm66m
8:37 p.m. – Brazil… Germany… Holland… Japan… Lots of international fans in Honolulu for Bon Jovi tonight.
9:04 p.m. – Seeing a band at the start of their tour is always better than catching the last show. Can tell Bon Jovi is jazzed to be back on the road.
9:58 p.m. – The pants may not be as tight, the shoes more about comfort and the hair not as long, but Jon Bon Jovi still gives 110 percent.
HILife Cover Story: Bon Jovi
February 4, 2010 by Star-Advertiser Staff
Filed under Featured
‘There’s a story on every street corner, my friend’
Courtesy Kevin Westenberg / Island Records
BON JOVI» Where: Neal Blaisdell Arena, 777 Ward Ave. |
By Jason Genegabus
jason@starbulletin.com
More than 20 years since their first — and only — concert appearance in Hono lulu, the members of Bon Jovi return to the islands next week for a pair of shows at Blaisdell Arena.
Nothing much has changed for the band over the ensuing decades, other than expected tweaks to hair and clothing styles. Led by the songwriting skills of singer Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist Richie Sambora (who were enshrined into the Songwriters Hall of Fame last year), they’ve continued to tour the world and release new music.
“The Circle,” which arrived in stores and online in November, was Bon Jovi’s fifth release in the 2000’s after “Lost Highway” in 2007 and “Have a Nice Day” in 2005. Fans and critics continue to enjoy the new material, despite what some have characterized as a lean toward country music with their overall sound.
Billboard also named them among the top 10 highest-grossing touring artists of the previous decade, having earned more than $400 million from nearly 250 sold-out concerts.
The Star-Bulletin spoke with Sambora last week via telephone from Los Angeles, shortly after the guitarist had finished rehearsing for the band’s upcoming shows on Oahu. Read more
Moffatt, KHON invite local bands to open for Bon Jovi
January 13, 2010 by gary-chun
Filed under Latest News
 Image courtesy Wire Image |
Do you think your band has what it takes to open for Bon Jovi in concert?
Well, start planning, because the “Opening Act Contest” is on and is open to all local groups.
To enter, each band must submit a bio describing themselves and their music, along with a CD containing one song no longer than three minutes, and their contact information (name, address, phone number and e-mail), all of which must be sent to concert promoter Tom Moffatt’s office:
Tom Moffatt Productions
1232 Waimanu St., Penthouse
Honolulu, HI 96814
The deadline for receiving submissions is Monday, Jan. 25.
From the pool of entries, 20 semi-finalists will be selected to send in a video (via YouTube link) for review by a local panel of celebrity judges. From that 20, the top five finalists will be chosen and will have a clip of their video featured on KHON-TV’s “Wake Up 2Day” morning show during the week of Feb. 1.
On Monday, Feb. 8, the five bands will be featured live in-studio as part of the Channel 2 News morning show, where the two winners will be announced.
The concerts at the Blaisdell Arena are scheduled for Feb. 11 and 12.
For more info on the search for Bon Jovi’s opening act contest, click here.
