Jamm Aquino photo

Another year, another pair of sold-out concerts for Jack Johnson.

This is my fourth year covering the Kokua Festival, after skipping the first one because it meant having to drive alllll the way out to Kualoa Ranch.

I know. Terrible. But true.

I only mention this because I think I could be getting a little jaded.

It’s either that, or Hollywood’s influence on the overall production is starting to cause a bit of a disconnect between Johnson’s best intentions and what local fans have to deal with.

But before I get into all of that, I’ve got to thank Star-Bulletin photographer Jamm Aquino. He did a fantastic job taking pictures on Saturday, providing a bunch of extra shots for this blog and the video/slideshow I posted yesterday.

Jason Genegabus photo

He even got a pretty cool shot of the crowd at the Waikiki Shell. Do those sunglasses look familiar?

Jamm Aquino photo

Okay. Two things really stood out in my mind from Saturday’s show.

First, despite all the signage and Johnson himself singing “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” at the end of the night, I saw way too many people chucking their garbage into the wrong receptacles.

Most were sunburned, with that I’m-on-vacation-so-I-don’t-care attitude that’s common in Waikiki. And why couldn’t smokers throw their butts in the trash?

I know Johnson means well, but I think there are too many people who show up at Kokua Fest who are only there for the guest performances.

Second, I went through the process necessary to get a press pass for the festival. I was also told, in no uncertain terms, that video was NOT allowed on Saturday.

Yet a local TV station was allowed to film. And some blogger with an AOL co-sign has a bunch of raw footage posted online.

So I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get anything better from the show itself. I would have loved to post a highlight video like I did for Jammin’ Hawaiians last week, but I had to follow the “rules” imposed by Johnson’s people.

Back to the concert. I got there just as Go Jimmy Go started their set at 4 p.m. Had to thwart one usher’s attempt to force me into the eco-village in order to make it to the stage in time to get some pictures:

Jason Genegabus photos

Kawika Kahiapo returned as the night’s main emcee:

Paula Fuga was up next, turning in a solid set that featured guest appearances by the Girlas and Ernie Cruz Jr. It was also impressive to see Fuga power through the heat at the Shell, as Go Jimmy Go did to open the afternoon.

Good look: Drinking beer in the shade at the Waikiki Shell.

Not a Good Look: Paying NINE BUCKS, including tip, for a cold one.

Went into stealth mode to capture this candid shot of KITV traffic reporter and KPOI jock Dave Hisaka:

Here’s a picture of the people with front row seats on Saturday. Do any of them look like they have an ID issued in the state of Hawaii?

Up on the lawn, there were a lot of these T-shirts in the crowd:

The Big Island counterpart:

There were more than a few of these folks digging in the trash all afternoon. I didn’t envy their job for a second.

Another common theme on Saturday: BABIES.

Lots and lots of babies.

This kid was my favorite. Love the headgear:

His dad had great seats in front of the stage, but this kid wasn’t down for any of that nonsense.

Not when there was a beach ball to play with!

More of Jamm’s pictures from the show can be found in yesterday’s review by Burl Burlingame, or check out my previous post for the mash-up of pictures from the concert and footage from a press conference held the day before.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 at 1:06 am and is filed under Nightlife, Outside The Club, Music, Picture Blogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.