Well hello there... how was 2005 for you personally? Mighty fine I hope!

and to start things off, I wanted to let ya'll know that Today (12/31/05) is the last day of the year, duh!, but it's also the final day to enter to win Free H.E. Concert Tickets for one full year, and the album of your choice, all from Hawaiian Express / 808shows.com
(If there's still time, use the contest link at the very bottom to get all the details!)

Now then, how does 2006 look so far for shows ?

I just updated the site with a few revisions and plenty of completely new show listings were added in the last few days too, and trust me, there's gonna be some big events in '06, that's for sure.

April alone will be killing it!
Check this out:

For the first time since 1988, a big outdoor music festival will be held INSIDE the Diamond Head Crater!   Inside a freakin' volcano??!! Sign me up... The date is set for April 1st (no joke) and the Headlining act will be Diamond Head concert veterans, The Steve Miller Band.

Look for a lot more info in the near future... for now, check out some web links to the Concert Crater way back machine (near the bottom, below a bit more of my jibber jabber).

okay, where was I ?
oh yes... and if that wasn't big enough news for ya, a wee little Irish band that you may have heard of < U2 > will be playing in Hawaii for the first time in over 20 years... look for a Massive Stadium show about a week after the DH Crater festival. The current word on the web is that April 8th is for sure, and possibly the 9th as well. (although both are unofficial at this point... but I also know ya like the inside scoop, so there ya go!)

and don't forget...
April 19th on Maui, and April 22nd on Oahu... Pau Hana Productions brings you The Third Annual Kokua Festival, featuring Jack Johnson & Friends!

so... if you don't mind, one FINAL (shameless) self-promotion for 2005:

RUFIO / OVER IT is gonna be next weekend, Saturday, January 7th, at Pink Cadillac... complete with NEW sound system / 8pm - 11:30pm / ALL AGES WELCOME / Full Bar for 21+ / Hawaiian Express Records proudly presents...

oh and hey, did you know ?
OVER IT just signed to Virgin Records, and both of these GREAT mainland bands will be joined by Pacifica and Push The Pedal... all for less than $4 per band! See them now, up close and personal (before they're huge).

okay, here they are:
a few Diamond Head Crater Concert History LINKS

Posters --- 1974 -- 1975 -- 1977

Video footage from 1977   (First of several crowd shots at about the 5 min. mark)


Seven pages of photos   (Nine different pictures per page)


News Article from 1999   (About the past events in the crater)


News Article from 2005   (Regarding the future of the crater)


Mainland Contest with the official 2006 Event Logo

Note: It's not gonna be free anymore, times have changed, and the crowds will be limited to a mere 7,500 this first year at least (about a tenth of what it used to be) but it sure sounds like a good time to me... I mean really, snorkeling inside Hanauma Bay is cool, but how many times does one get to see bands playing live INSIDE an old volcano? Should be interesting. Keep an eye out for official announcements. By the way, if you've never done the Diamond Head hike, that's pretty cool too. Old military bunkers, long rock tunnel, killer views...

Update (1/4/06): The Steve Miller band's official website listed this show until today, but no longer... we'll keep you posted.

alright everyone, thanks for taking the time to check out these little newsletters, do me a favor and turn on a friend to 'em too... and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Attn. bands, music fans, and promoters: I started working for hawaiian airlines this year and thanks to their free flights for employees policy and a week of paid time off saved up, it looks like I'll be taking an actual "vacation" for the first time in almost 20 years (when I was 16 and my dad paid for one!) Bottom line, if nothing changes, I won't be updating the website from approx. Feb. 4th to 12th, so please get your submissions in to me as early as you can... so I can still help you out, in advance... mahalo!

...................................

Aloha, Jason Miller
808shows.com

Have you seen our MYSPACE address ?
http://www.myspace.com/808shows