Pacific Business News Aug 22, 2014, 12:53pm HST
Hawaii concerts by Japanese boy band Arashi to be shown live in Japan
Concerts next month featuring the Japanese boy band Arashi performing at the Ko Olina Resort in West Oahu will be beamed live to Japan, and the shows had been originally scheduled for another venue with tickets part of a tour package offered in Asia, primarily Japan, according to a letter to Ko Olina residents obtained by PBN.
State officials, according to the letter, believe that the " Arashi Blast in Hawaii" will raise the profile of Ko Olina Resort, and Hawaii, in Asia, especially with the 18 to 35 age demographic, the next generation of travelers.
The letter said that 45 days ago, state officials approached Ko Olina Resort's master developer, Jeff Stone, asking to move the Sept. 19-20 concerts to an empty parcel of land he owns at Ko Olina, fronting the lagoon next to the Ko Olina Beach Villas Resort, because of complications with the original venue somewhere in Honolulu.
“They’re doing a lot of earth moving on the parcel right now,” said Munro Murdock, a resident of Ko Olina and Realtor who also does real estate deals in the area. “There’s some grading and pushing of the grass and weeds out of the way, as well as clearing some dirt paths.”
Murdock, a Realtor-associate for Elite Pacific Properties, told PBN that there has been some buzz about the September concerts at Ko Olina, but at least at the Beach Villas, some don’t seem to mind.
“It’s going to be done early enough,” he said. “There’s also probably quite a few owners that own property in Ko Olina that don’t currently live there.”
The letter also noted that, while the maximum attendance is 15,000 per day, the promoters - Johnny’s Entertainment of Japan and Hawaii’s Tom Moffatt Productions - expect attendance to be less than that. Tour/concert packages are being priced up to $10,000.
“JW Marriott [Ihilani Resort & Spa] is sold out due to the Champions Senior PGA Tour golf tournament that week [at the Kapolei Golf Course, and] Marriott Beach Club timeshare is always at 95 percent occupancy, so neither are benefiting in room revenue,” Larry Harrington, president of the Beach Villas at Ko Olina Association of Apartment Owners, wrote in the letter. “They expect marginal use of the Disney Aulani. The benefactor is the state of Hawaii, [which] is driving to increase Japanese and Asia tourism, and the exposure for Ko Olina.”
He also pointed out that the Ko Olina Community Association is working with the promoters to minimize disruptions to all owners and guests within Ko Olina Resort during the two-day event, including putting up a 12-foot fence along most of the empty lot to contain the attendees.
“Construction in the area will begin September 1 and be fully dismantled by September 25,” Harrington wrote. “The stage will face out to the ocean and be mid depth on the property so sound should head out that way. Guests will face back to the stage and the main street. This is intended to minimize lighting and sound impacts. Concessions will be in an area close to street and both the [concert] team and off-duty Honolulu police will be on site throughout the day.”
The concert will run from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sept. 19 and Sept. 20, with an estimated 15,000 fans attending each show, and about half of the tickets being made available to the general public. General admission tickets for both shows go on sale at 9 a.m. HST on Saturday via Ticketmaster and by other means. Prices are $150 for adults and $75 for children between the ages of 3 and 15.
Each concert-goer will be given a stool to sit on during the shows and a space on the grid within the field to place the stool.
The five-member Arashi, basically the ‘‘N Sync’ of Japan, officially formed in Hawaii in 1999. The September concerts are planned to celebrate their 15th anniversary together.
Duane Shimogawa covers energy, real estate and economic development for Pacific Business News.
Concerts next month featuring the Japanese boy band Arashi performing at the Ko Olina Resort in West Oahu will be beamed live to Japan, and the shows had been originally scheduled for another venue with tickets part of a tour package offered in Asia, primarily Japan, according to a letter to Ko Olina residents obtained by PBN.
State officials, according to the letter, believe that the " Arashi Blast in Hawaii" will raise the profile of Ko Olina Resort, and Hawaii, in Asia, especially with the 18 to 35 age demographic, the next generation of travelers.
The letter said that 45 days ago, state officials approached Ko Olina Resort's master developer, Jeff Stone, asking to move the Sept. 19-20 concerts to an empty parcel of land he owns at Ko Olina, fronting the lagoon next to the Ko Olina Beach Villas Resort, because of complications with the original venue somewhere in Honolulu.
“They’re doing a lot of earth moving on the parcel right now,” said Munro Murdock, a resident of Ko Olina and Realtor who also does real estate deals in the area. “There’s some grading and pushing of the grass and weeds out of the way, as well as clearing some dirt paths.”
Murdock, a Realtor-associate for Elite Pacific Properties, told PBN that there has been some buzz about the September concerts at Ko Olina, but at least at the Beach Villas, some don’t seem to mind.
“It’s going to be done early enough,” he said. “There’s also probably quite a few owners that own property in Ko Olina that don’t currently live there.”
The letter also noted that, while the maximum attendance is 15,000 per day, the promoters - Johnny’s Entertainment of Japan and Hawaii’s Tom Moffatt Productions - expect attendance to be less than that. Tour/concert packages are being priced up to $10,000.
“JW Marriott [Ihilani Resort & Spa] is sold out due to the Champions Senior PGA Tour golf tournament that week [at the Kapolei Golf Course, and] Marriott Beach Club timeshare is always at 95 percent occupancy, so neither are benefiting in room revenue,” Larry Harrington, president of the Beach Villas at Ko Olina Association of Apartment Owners, wrote in the letter. “They expect marginal use of the Disney Aulani. The benefactor is the state of Hawaii, [which] is driving to increase Japanese and Asia tourism, and the exposure for Ko Olina.”
He also pointed out that the Ko Olina Community Association is working with the promoters to minimize disruptions to all owners and guests within Ko Olina Resort during the two-day event, including putting up a 12-foot fence along most of the empty lot to contain the attendees.
“Construction in the area will begin September 1 and be fully dismantled by September 25,” Harrington wrote. “The stage will face out to the ocean and be mid depth on the property so sound should head out that way. Guests will face back to the stage and the main street. This is intended to minimize lighting and sound impacts. Concessions will be in an area close to street and both the [concert] team and off-duty Honolulu police will be on site throughout the day.”
The concert will run from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sept. 19 and Sept. 20, with an estimated 15,000 fans attending each show, and about half of the tickets being made available to the general public. General admission tickets for both shows go on sale at 9 a.m. HST on Saturday via Ticketmaster and by other means. Prices are $150 for adults and $75 for children between the ages of 3 and 15.
Each concert-goer will be given a stool to sit on during the shows and a space on the grid within the field to place the stool.
The five-member Arashi, basically the ‘‘N Sync’ of Japan, officially formed in Hawaii in 1999. The September concerts are planned to celebrate their 15th anniversary together.
Duane Shimogawa covers energy, real estate and economic development for Pacific Business News.