I had vacation days scheduled for mid-December with the intentions of visiting everyone back home in Ohio and then flying to New York with one of my best friends. New York at Christmas time has always been a dream of mine but The Raconteurs announced two shows in Hawaii…..for the same dates…..another dream…..sooo cheers to good friends. Sara was very understanding when I explained to her that The Racs may not play for another decade and I REALLLLLY need to see them close out the tour on Hawaii’s third largest island, O’ahu.
I asked my friend Brit to come along for the ride and she informed me that some other Pearl Jam friends had asked her as well. This was a big trip for Brit because she was able to check off her 50th state before turning 40!
Funny little story…..I had a couple late nights and several 12 hour shifts before my trip. I didn’t even start packing until the night before (which is weird for me because I’m extremely organized). I ended up sleeping in for my flight! I literally woke up when the plane was departing. Luckily, I booked with Southwest and they were very lenient about rescheduling my flights for the following day, at no additional cost! This is one of the benefits of paying with points. Now my trip was shortened by a day.
Once settled, we met up with everyone for dinner at Duke’s Waikiki before The Raconteurs show at The Republik in Honolulu. We ended up towards the back of the venue. I’d follow the Racs anywhere but this wasn’t my favorite show. It was a long day traveling and I was exhausted. The energy seemed a bit off and there were a lot of drunks in the back. We were really looking forward to night two because I won early entry which meant we would be on the rail.
The next day we slept in before meeting everyone at Waikiki Beach to paddle board. Guess who I ran into?! SANTA himself! Mele Kalikimaka!
Neither of us had ever been paddle boarding and I’m sure bystanders thoroughly enjoyed watching us get going. As we paddled out to meet our friends, we saw a jellyfish (Brit’s favorite) and a sea turtle (my favorite) swimming right beneath our boards. The lifeguard advised that we head back towards shore because the current was starting to pick up. As we paddled back to shore, I caught my first wave. Don’t praise me just yet. I lasted about five seconds, on my knees while screaming bloody murder before plunging into the ocean. It scared the crap out of me so I immediately made my way back to the beach. Kudos to all of the surfers out there.
Diamond Head hike was a must-do for both of us and we headed there right after paddle boarding. Diamond Head is a volcanic tuff cone on the southern shore of O’ahu. British sailors originally thought they found a beach covered in diamonds when it was, in fact, calcite crystals, hence the name “Diamond Head”. I suggest conquering this hike in the morning instead of mid-day like we did. It was very hot and humid but the views from the peak are worth it. Be prepared for lots of stairs.
Reward yourself with some refreshing Dole Pineapple Whip after the hike. YOU DESERVE IT! This little concession stand is available in the Diamond Head parking lot with whip, slushies and several food items.
Brit double fisting!
We went to the venue around 17:30 to line up for early entry. I saw a couple familiar faces from the Tulsa shows (Hey girls)! Early entry was so badass! Huge shout out to Third Man Records for offering this lottery benefit to vault members. I’d fly anywhere to watch the boys but winning The Vault early entry made the trip much more memorable.
We ended up front row, center stage. I suppose it’s hard to tell what the energy was like in the back but we sure rocked out in the front and I think the boys were digging it too! I’m certain that Jack White’s sweat and/or spit dropped on us as he stood center stage while he hyped up the crowd. We ain’t mad.
Brendan rocked the intro to Intimate Secretary less than three feet in front of me. As he wrapped up the intro, he looked over and hinted he was gonna toss me his ebow. I can’t help but smile as I type this. I think it’s really cool when a band interacts with their fans. A few weeks prior, I saw the boys play at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They also played a baseball game with their team, Warstic, which is a Dallas, Texas bat company co-owned by Jack White. The boys will often play games with local teams associated with the city they’re performing in. I drove from Austin to Tulsa in the Dune. As soon as I pulled up, Brendan ran over and asked if it was a Warstic Car, haha! Such a humble dude. After the show, he handed Brit a guitar pick.
It was bittersweet to have such an electrifying performance come to an end. Who knows when they’ll tour again but I sure enjoyed it while it lasted. Below are photos from the Raconteurs photographer, David James Swanson. Prints are available through The Raconteurs website. I’ll be framing mine in a shadow box with the ebow 🙂 We are front and center! FACES MELTED!
Photo Credit: David James Swanson 
Photo Credit: David James Swanson 
Photo Credit: David James Swanson 
Photo Credit: David James Swanson
Early the next morning, we went to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. To our surprise there was no line for free entry and we got their just in time to watch the short film prior to seeing the USS Arizona Memorial. After the short film, we were taken via boat to the USS Arizona Memorial that marks one of the many locations attacked on December 7, 1941. This attack led to the United States involvement in World War 2.
It’s a quick boat ride from the shore to the memorial but the closer we got, the more sorrowful the air felt. Just short of 200 feet long, the memorial straddles the sunken USS Arizona. The memorial marks the resting spot for 1,102 of the 1,177 fallen sailors and marines. Some survivors have requested to be buried with their crew members. Once cremated, scuba divers will deliver their ashes to the ship below where they can rest in peace.
The Shrine Room (seen above) displays the names of the 1,177 crewman that were lost in the attack. You’ll notice a lot of oil floating around the memorial site. It leaks approximately 4-9 quarts a day and is estimated to leak for another 70-100 years, totaling 1.5 million gallons of oil.
Just a couple hours later and we were taking a hopper flight to Maui. I wish we had focused on one island during our trip because five days isn’t nearly enough to bounce around. I’m impressed with how much we were able to see but I suggest sticking to one island unless you have more time. See the continuation of our trip on the Maui blog post.