THE NIGHT STUFF
D&B's Metropolis needs under-21 crowd back

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Broderick, left, and Charlie Johnson preferred Dave & Buster's rooftop. Photos by Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Justin Sabio and Divina Tacuboy hit the dance floor inside at the Saturday night Metropolis party. The weekly event took a downturn last month after the "21-and-older" age limit was enforced. In effect, it barred what had been the event's main audience.

DJ Wu-Chang mixes it up with Top 40 hip-hop and R&B at the D&B Metropolis weekly party.

The Saturday event at the cavernous three-story adult entertainment arcade bowed in early March to strong attendance. The line to get in was long, the possibility of being turned away, uh, possible.

The draw for what was then an "18 and older" Metropolis? Promoter Rick Rock's track record of well-attended DJ events at Zanzabar on Thursdays and Pipeline on Fridays, and a means of entry for the almost-legal set to the otherwise "21 and older" D&B.

A drop in patronage was hardly unexpected by D&B management when Metropolis was changed to a "21 and older" event in late March. But a month later, the decision to bar the very patrons who probably were the event's main audience seems to have done more serious damage to Metropolis, attendance-wise, than expected.

And that was sad. Because from what we could see, there was little else wrong with Metropolis.

Tables were cleared from a section of D&B's obscenely large first-floor dining area, creating a roomy dance space. DJ Wu-Chang was playing his usual mix of well-paced, crowd-pleasing Top 40 hip-hop and R&B. The handful of people who did chance the dance floor (admittedly, a lot more stood on the perimeter watching it all) seemed to be enjoying themselves.

As for us, we did what any other "21 and older" patrons of nightlife would do considering the situation: Put in an immediate drink order.

D&B's has one of those "aren't-we-clever" drink menus where almost every cocktail carries a bad pun or sounds like an amusement-park ride. With my favorite D&B's libation, the aptly-named Big "B" Martini (Bombay Sapphire Gin, Belvedere Vodka and Chambord), gone from the new menu, our server was eager to help me ease my pain with something else. I ended up swinging straight for the theme park with an Alien Secretion shooter (Midori, Malibu rum, orange and pineapple juices, and about as sweet as it sounds) and the Ultimate 007 martini (no nonsense, with the smooth, yummy kick of Ketel One vodka).

'Round midnight, the rooftop Sunset Bar was nicely populated with a rowdier crowd happy to drink, light up freely and groove to a slightly more urban hip-hop mix than indoors. We stuck around here for another hour. At 1 a.m., however, the first-floor dance area remained mostly unused.

In all fairness, promoter Rock had warned me a few days earlier that he was expecting a couple of slow outings for Metropolis before boosting its profile once again with new features in May. We're hoping he pulls it off, too.

Got a night spot or club event we should check out? Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8005.

What: "Metropolis."

Where: Dave & Buster's, Ward Entertainment Center, 1030 Auahi St., 589-2215.

When: 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturdays.

Cover: $3.

Younger than 21 OK? No.

Age of crowd: 20's — 30's

Dress code: Casual.

Attire we saw: Mostly casual. On men: dress and aloha shirts, sports jerseys, print and solid tees, polos, jeans, baseball caps. On women: tanks, halters, crop tops, camisoles, jeans.

Our arrival/departure: 11 p.m./1 a.m.

What we drank: Alien secretion, chocolate martini ($9.70 for both), Ultimate 007 ($6.35).

Queue?: No.

Sample music styles: "Gossip Folks" (Missy Elliott), "I Know What You Want" (Busta Rhymes & Mariah Carey feat. The Flipmode Squad), "Mesmerize" (Ja Rule feat. Ashanti), "In Da Club" (50 Cent).

Dancing? Yes.

Overheard conversation of the night: "I'm gonna hook up with a local tonight." — One woman to another near the D&B entrance.

Night notes ...

Thrash! Death! Metal! Ground Level Cafe will be serving up all the live hard-core you can stomach on Saturday night courtesy of 8MM Overdose, Obliterator and Replica. All they're asking is $6 and four hours of your time between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. The temporary tinnitus is free. Fort Street Mall and Chaplain Lane. 735-3539.

Missed Andrew Meader's intimate cabaret "Seduction" during its brief run at The ARTS at Marks Garage in March? The production is getting a second run each Saturday night in May at Indigo Eurasian Cuisine's Opium Den. Showtime is 9 p.m, and $20 admission includes a glass of champagne. Reservations are required. 521-2900.